The case for a coalition

The Editor, Sir:

My compliments for your continuing efforts to address our serious social ills, especially the current political crisis. Some years ago, I was at a meeting in the United States and somebody classified people generally into four neat groups or categories:

1. Good and smart ( i.e. honest, resourceful, intelligent, above board);

2. Smart but not good;

3. Good and not smart;

4. Not good and not smart.

Jamaica now desperately needs people from group 1 to lead it and, unfortunately, the prime minister has shown himself to be in group 2 or even group 4 in spite of our expecta-tions and good wishes.

The only way we will get the government we need now is from a coalition in which we select the good and smart from the existing field.

where our mps fall

Unfortunately, only a small per cent of our present elected members of the Government have demonstrated that they fall into this category. A larger per cent belongs in groups 2 and 3.

I will not classify those people who I think belong in the latter but I think the following persons do appear to be in group 1:

JLP: Dr Christopher Tufton; Dr Horace Chang; Andrew Holness.

PNP: Dr Peter Phillips.

The following have not yet demonstrated a track record for both but could be borderline: Audley Shaw and Dr Kenneth Baugh for the JLP; Peter Bunting and Lisa Hanna for the PNP.

We also need to include some non-elected persons from the private and public sectors, but I am not familiar enough with these arenas to nominate anyone.

I am, etc.,

CONCERNED CITIZEN

Kingston