Jamaica has had seven nationally and one party elected prime minister since political independence. The vehicle used on the road to the prime ministers office comes by the name, political party. Indeed, in this post ideological Cold War world, the political party is the only globally recognized entity that is eligible to enter the contest that gives legitimate power to govern a country and its people. Coup-de-eat are vehicles of the past. The face and energy of a people is usually mirrored through the effort of the person elected to the highest office of national representation, be it political leader, president or prime minister.


The awesome power of the Jamaica maximum leader, the prime minister, was fully demonstrated during the decade of the Seventies. There was a time, then, that the maximum leader one person was the prime minister, the minister of defence and minister of agriculture. And trust me, nationally, through this person, enormous energy was generated from the populace. The decade of the Eighties saw a lull in the high energy that is usually associated with the prime ministers office. With less fanfare, the energy returned in the Nineties and mid-2005. Since the change over of politicians in government leadership, the energy seems to be returning to the office of the prime minister. In any country or movement, its effectiveness will be measured by the energy generated from the activism of its maximum leader. In Jamaica, for example, the office of the prime minister must be occupied by an individual capable of efficiently functioning in more than a ceremonial capacity. The office of the prime minister is designed to be a workaholic super office, coherent with the control and function of all other ministerial office.


When additional burden is given to a ministry, in this instance the health and agriculture ministries, the prime ministers office should always be manned and capable to absorb the excess responsibility from the ministry, thus giving the minister adequate time and space to implement the additional, high priority programme or policy. The matter of free health care for the Jamaican people will require the sole function of a minister of health. The drastic, global changes in the usage and production of food staples, such as corn and wheat, require the attention of a full-time minister of agriculture. Jamaicans do not need to be rocket scientists to understand the motive for the detachment of the portfolio of environment from health, and lands from agriculture.


The delivery of certain results should be expected from certain action taken. And with regard to the lessoning and adding of ministerial portfolio, comes more expectation. It will allow enough leeway to succeed and eliminate excuses for failure form the relevant minister and ministry. And, also, to prove being worthy of the confidence placed in them to deliver on the promises made to Jamaicans by the leader and his super office that the office of the prime minister is designed to be.


The present prime minister has carefully selected his steps and expects the team that he leads to see his office has shouldering the most burden and most efficiently serving the nation. This is to lead by example and is a very lonely path time. However, the prime ministers office is the first amongst equals and will decide on matters, firstly, before they are passed on. The bottom line is that Jamaica has in office, a political leader and prime minister, who seems capable of filling any breach in governance.