Alexander Bustamante served two terms as chief minister and one term as prime minister.
Which executive head in Jamaica overstayed his/her welcome and created a political dynasty that choked our democratic traditions of voting governments in and out? None.Let us review the tenure of leaders of the executive branch of government for two terms and over. What is it that term limits are expected to achieve? Limiting an individual to 10 years will not necessarily achieve a new dispensation, and making the process mandatory does not guarantee solving a problem not yet defined. Essentially, it would be a law that prohibits behaviour, or lack thereof, which is likely to be injurious to the common good.
In law, statutes or constitutional amendments are enacted to cure a mischief or to deter some act or malfeasance which is inimical to public policy. Interestingly enough, there are no constitutional restrictions on the number of terms a person can serve as vice-president. Even during the second term of Ronald Reagan there were several attempts to repeal the amendment. That a president ought not to serve more than two terms had, nonetheless, been challenged before and after the 22nd amendment to the constitution. This is strongly held tradition in the US. The first section of the amendment holds in part that, "No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of president more than once." In 1947, the 22nd Amendment was passed in the United States Congress, and ratified by the 36 requisite state legislatures four years after, which imposed term limits for the president of the United States. As such, this statutory prohibition is a carbon copy of what obtains in the United States. Unlike Member of Parliament Bunting, Holness has only addressed the office of the prime minister. Where the prime minister, Andrew Holness, is concerned, the current proposal which he intends to implement requires a two-term limit for the head of the executive branch. Simpson Miller is about to complete her 10th year as president. Norman Manley’s presidency was renewed 24 times, his son Michael retired after 23 years, and P J Patterson bowed out after 14 years. The empathy quotient is likely to be a strong deterrent to any constitutional amendment for term limits, particularly as it relates to the presidency of the party. None of the leaders was forced out of office at the insistence of delegates or by resolution at the party’s annual conference. Michael Manley gave up the leadership through ill-health at age 68. P J Patterson handed over the presidency when he was 71 years and Portia Simpson Miller will be 71 years old on December 12, 2016. Three of the four presidents of the PNP served until over 70 years of age Norman Manley was 76 when he retired in 1969. Other issues likely to affect Bunting’s renewal proposal is that of tradition and empathy among delegates. It would also mean that Peter Phillips would have very little hope of being president as he is just three years from the suggested age limit.
That benchmark, if adopted by the PNP, would disqualify the current president, Portia Simpson Miller at age 71, and Robert Pickersgill (74). With the example he gave at that forum about term limits in other countries, one gets the impression that Bunting was suggesting that age 70 would be the ideal age for those in the leadership of the PNP to cease holding office, or in the alternative be limited from holding office ‘for life’. The electorate is likely to want to know how important such an issue is to their life chances.īunting, in addressing a recent forum, suggested that a renewal of the People’s National Party (PNP) should require term or age limits for those in leadership, as a political party "can either continue to embrace the status quo or it can feel compelled to renew". Both seek to promote a sense of renewal in order to limit those of the political class who might be tempted to linger in the departure lounge for longer than is necessary.īoth proposals are fraught with difficulties because the issue has not gained sufficient traction to put the matter for public consideration. Term limits for leadership of party and Government have been proposed by Andrew Holness and Peter Bunting - in the case of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader while on the campaign trail before victory, and in Bunting’s case after the defeat of his party.
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