'We must never betray trust'

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner : Wednesday | September 5, 2007

The following are excerpts from JLP leader Bruce Golding's speech on Monday night at the party's Belmont Road headquarters in St. Andrew.

As it exits at the moment, the Jamaica labour Party commands the majority of the seats in the House of Parliament. But I want to make it clear that the narrowness of this result poses significant challenges not just for me and not just for the team that I lead but indeed for the country.

I know that the supporters of the party are in a celebratory mood because the last time we felt this way would have been 27 years ago in 1980. But I want to suggest to you that while no one begrudges your cause of celebration, it is more a time for engagement. It may very well be that the people of Jamaica, in their own profound wisdom, are sending a clear message that the time has come for constructive engagement among the political forces of the country.

New framework

I had hoped before I came here to address you that I would have had a conversation with the Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller; regrettably that conversation has not taken place because regardless of what was the margin of victory, I had planned to indicate that under my leadership and under a government that I would lead, we would seek to establish a new framework that would seek to establish an inclusiveness in the relationship between the Government and the Opposition.

I say that because we make a mistake if we believe that any party, no matter how large its majority, we make a mistake if we believe that a party becoming Government is going to be able to take this government as fast as this country needs to go, if it does so on its own steam without the cooperation of all the people of Jamaica and to the extent that the People's National Party represents a significant body in the country, it is important in going forward, it is important for there to be a serious programme, a new paradigm of constructive engagement. I regret that we perhaps will have to wait until the final determination is made, as to the result of those seats that were narrowly won or lost before we are going to be able to embark on that important initiative.

Honour trust

It has been a long campaign, it has been a long election period and I want to give thanks this evening that in most constituencies, the election were held peacefully and orderly. And that demonstrate the remarkable capacity of our democracy to effect change and to facilitate the transition of power in an orderly and constructive way.

This evening I ask, I ask you and the people of Jamaica to join me in praying God's blessing and guidance on all of us, on the new government I plan to lead and the country that will look to me for leadership for the next five years.

I want to thank the Jamaican people for this support; on the preliminary count, we not only won a majority of the seats, we won a majority of the votes a small majority; but it's a reflection of the support that the people gave us. And I want to thank them for that. The majority of the people of Jamaica have placed their trust in us. We must honour that trust. We must never betray that trust.