Portia admits her government is not in a position to protect the poor.

Portia Simpson Miller expressed concerns about the rapid decline in the Jamaican dollar and the impact it will have on food prices , but indicated her government was in no position to defend the dollar . She really is therefore admitting that despite her loving care for the poor and the brimstone and fire she brought  to bear on the JLP when she was in opposition, she cannot protect the most vulnerable in the country, what a monumental letdown .

In keeping with her usual rhetoric when she sees failure on her part, Portia has tuned up the ante and is WARNING merchants about EXCESSIVE price increases and has indicated that the  “consumer protection agency should( not will) take steps to prevent unfair increases by merchants”.  What PM has carefully done here is to once again seek to setup the public against the merchants, who(themselves) are faced with a sliding dollar, rising fuel prices, higher taxes and shortage of foreign exchange and having to buy the scarce dollar at high rates just to survive in the hostile business environment which was created by the PNP government.

This was the PNP and “concerned” groups position in 2011

“The Opposition is allowing the Government some time to follow-up on this initial response with a more meaningful and comprehensive tax reduction package,” Pickersgill said. ( Bold is my emphasis)

According to the PNP, the reduction will not go far enough in reducing the burden of high prices and cost of living.

Since that time and now the PNP has added $16B worth of taxes on the poor, despite them asking for a REDUCTION in the tax package, I wonder what spin Pickersgill would put on that if asked today. I bet he would say is IMF fault 🙂

Meantime, Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, pressed about the concerns raised by interest groups as to whether an islandwide protest was the best option, said the party represents a broader constituency than these groups.

“We have a responsibility as opposition to defend the rights of the Jamaican people,” she said.

Who is now defending the rights of the Jamaican people ? Andrew Holness and the JLP why are you NOT defending the rights of the Jamaican people.

Danny Roberts, vice-president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), said the JCTU’s demand for tax to be placed on gas price at $80 per litre has been met in a sense, since fuel was at $75 per litre when the tax was first imposed.

However, he said this has to be a permanent measure if steps are to be taken to reduce the onerous burden being placed on the working class.

“Any review of this measure must represent a review to reduce and if not eliminate this tax,” he told the Observer, adding that he too felt that the cancellation of the protest was best in light of the announced reprieve

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/PNP-prods-Government-to-follow-up-on-tax-rollback_8663186#ixzz2PhNz3VZH
Why the deafening silence from the so called concerned groups. Today gas prices are on average $125/lt or more than 50% above the prices when the PNP and its affiliates threaten to“lock dung d country”

I’d rather have bad times with you (PNP), than good times with someone else

I’d rather be beside you(PNP) in a storm , than warm and safe by myself

I’d rather have hard times together( PNP and Jamaicans), than to have it easy apart

Portia on the offensive in 2009

She argued that the JLP was increasingly seeking to blame Jamaica’s crisis on the global financial meltdown, and claimed this was not a true reflection of what has taken place.

“No proactive steps were taken to cushion the crisis Jamaica is now facing,” Simpson Miller said. “Many of the problems being experienced are of their own making and cannot be blamed on the global crisis. Virtually every sector is in a predicament and it’s only the poor and the disadvantaged who often pay the price.

“We are calling for transformation, management and leadership,” she said. [ Wow did Portia really say all of this 🙂 ]

“As a result, many of the problems we are now facing are the creation of this administration’s inability to display the management acumen and decisive, inspirational and participatory leadership that is required.

Hahaha , if it was not serious I would have a good laugh, because as I read the above I could easily replaced ” Simpson Miller said” by virtually  “anyone” today.

Portia Simpson Miller and the PNP has been a monumental failure , but their ability to fool up the Jamaican people and win election is not so much a reflection of a great strategy of the PNP ( and I must admit they do have a good election winning strategy), but its more so lack of critical thinking from the masses that the PNP is successful  in appealing to, despite their poor record of managing the economy to actual help these very folks attain a much improved standard of living.

At the same time its a POOR reflection of the JLP whose failure to sort out  its own internal problems and present a truly united from coupled with its inability to appear to be concerned about the masses, has kept it in opposition for a long time.

The JLP needs to have internal elections and Tufton needs to challenge the lackluster  Andrew Holness  for the top position The party must seek to have  a democratic process and get it right once and for all and then put themselves in a position to take over the leadership of the country from a party who clearly is out of its depths.

I like the following statement from Portia Simpson Miller , which she made in 2009 and I will close by repeating it.

“We are calling for transformation, management and leadership,” she(Portia) said.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090202/lead/lead4.html

I think Portia should definitely take her own advise.