The recent rollback of the previously announced tax measures is a clear indication that the current Government of Jamaica is weak, unfocused and visionless.

While I am not trying to determine which tax package is fairer, it is an absolute disgrace that a package was presented to the country without apparent thought or reason and within days, is rolled back! This recent show of weakness tells me that the administration is muddling along without a clear plan to bring the Jamaican economy from the brink of collapse.

Ever since I could understand politics, it was my understanding that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was the more conservative and pro-capitalist party in Jamaica. Today, I am not sure what the organisation I wish to join stands for. Sir Alexander Bustamante and other JLP stalwarts who have passed on must be turning in their graves. Edward Seaga must be sick to his stomach to see this terrible display of leadership by the current JLP leader.

Mr Golding, your reluctance to tell the Jamaican people what you inherited from the last administration and the absolutely terrible job of communicating your government's plans to remedy the situation, and your recent flip-flop on the tax package have done considerable damage to the JLP.

As a result, the people who created the mess can now grandstand and make demands that, surprisingly, you follow. You got baited into rushing to get an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and that is why a package was rushed on the country and had to be hastily retracted.

Feel-good politics

This government has now got caught up with the argument about the poor, which will solve nothing in the long term to repair Jamaica's ills. This is feel- good politics, the same type that got Jamaica into the mess it is now in. At present, Jamaica does not need a populist government. This is not about winning the next election; Jamaica needs an unyielding, decisive and visionary government.

Mr Golding, I ask you to sit down with your best people and develop a plan for Jamaica. Delay the IMF agreement if you have to. Be frank with the country, and present to Jamaica a clearly studied set of objectives and a clearly articulated plan of action to achieve those objectives in April 2010.

I am, etc.,

AUDLEY GILPIN JR

audleygilpin@yahoo.com

Toronto, Canada