Well, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won handsomely on September 3, 2020, the last time a general election was held in Jamaica.

So why would anyone think it odd that Prime Minister Andrew Holness would not summon the people of Jamaica to the polls on that day this year, to mark the anniversary?

The general view is that the election would have been held by mid-year, and that is still a possibility. But I do not think it will happen, as with the ruling JLP trailing in the credible Don Anderson opinion poll, why would the leader of that party rush to get the confidence of the majority, when he could use additional time to build his stock and better arrange things within the organisation?

September 3 falls on a Wednesday, and normally, the new school year begins on the first Monday in September, which in this case would be September 1.

Pushing back the start of the year to the eighth of the month would harm no one. I suspect too, that the JLP would want to use the month of August to ensure that its back-to-school apparatus is in place and clicking, so, again, why should September 3 be ruled out?

We are now in April, and the earliest that we, based on the Representation of the People Act, could have an election is May. Would the prime minister want to disrupt school activities, especially examinations, in that month, or June, and would he not want to accept with pride the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) when that group meets here in July for the baton to be handed over to him by none other than Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley?

• RELATED: Jamaica to host 49th CARICOM conference as Holness assumes chairmanship

In the time remaining, one of the things that the prime minister needs to do, if he is serious about another term in office, is to caution some of his trusted people against talking about some of the foolishness that has been making the rounds.

The one that readily jumps to mind is the package of utterances unveiled by the minister of legal and constitutional affairs in respect of the constitutional date for the general election.

I would not waste time now by going over what Mrs Malahoo Forte said, but the prime minister now finds himself in a position that he must offer some clarity. He will not rap his minister on the knuckles for misleading the public, we know, but somehow, he must whisper in her ear and try and convince her (that’s not easy to do, but it’s worth a try) to refrain from putting the Government in such an uncomfortable position in the future.

Another move that Holness could make now is appoint Dr Elon Thompson as state minister for health, as at this stage everyone knows that the incumbent minister will not be changed.

I must confess that Elon is my good friend…no…very good friend, and we go way back. Someone with his background ought to have been pushed into the hot chair long ago, as only an individual who understands the rigours that accompany health care in this country, would know how to jump out of his seat and address the challenges without having to make certain phone calls to specialists in the State make-up.

People will tell you that crime is Jamaica’s main problem. I disagree. Healthcare is. Just take a visit to any public hospital on any given day and you would see why. Too many people have died because the right approach to attack the root causes was not taken by successive political administrations. Much more can be achieved as a nation, with a better approach. 

Harsh reality of the gaming industry

Last Sunday, the Gleaner newspaper carried an article which disclosed that one of the relatively new gambling companies in Jamaica – Mahoe Gaming – was facing serious challenges in its day-to-day operations and had scaled things down with the suspension of four games in the midst of a drop in sales.

It was bound to happen. When the licence was handed out in 2020, much was promised by Mahoe Gaming, which failed to deliver the package and led to disenchantment within their space, with vendors, starting with my good friend in Petersfield, Westmoreland, complaining about all manner of setbacks. It had come at a time of fear that the additional players within the industry would have led to a loss in revenue to the Government, in term of taxes from the sector, instead of when one entity was in charge.

A country like Jamaica—with a population, based on the last census, and common sense, of 2.8 million people—really does not need a proliferation of gaming companies. And yes, punters could always do with options, but there was little to choose from as far as the new boys were concerned.

Those not in favour of gambling, mainly from the Church, continue to find ways to denounce the practice. The reality is gambling can go on, but for best results, being able to manage it, and not having to chop it up like sharing Christmas cake, is the only way. In addition, people have a right to do what they desire, as long as the law allows it. By extension, gambling, especially that element associated with the lottery and horse racing, has raised the standard of living for many Jamaicans.

Industry players have advised me that running games of chance (including a national lottery) is no small village thing. For entities to go against an established ‘big guy’ like Supreme Ventures, it would always be a matter of life and death. And now I wonder if the business undertaker in the Corporate Area is gassing up his vehicle to make a stop at a certain address before long.

People, in particular those with intimidating bank balances, enter some businesses with promises aplenty. But some courses are not for the faint of heart and not all the king’s horses and even his men will survive that often tough and rugged terrain.

How evil people used cricketer John Campbell

In a major turnaround, Cricket West Indies has withdrawn an unwarranted penalty imposed on Jamaica’s cricket captain, John Campbell, following a ruling of the Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Tribunal.

Those in the leadership of the Jamaica Cricket Association should hang their collective heads in shame, for forcing the Jamaica captain against such a tough wall, so soon after his unnecessary 22-month ban for a violation of an anti-doping rule.

Last November during the final of the regional 50-over competition, weather affected the match with Barbados, and in the end, the umpires determined that a 20-over-a-side match could be held. So, both captains, Campbell and Raymon Reifer mysteriously disappeared and no toss was spun. The long and short of it? Campbell was forced by Jamaica’s administrators to apologise and was suspended for four matches, the result of him being used as the fall guy for a team decision that was taken, while Reifer and the Barbados Cricket Association decided to rightly fight any possible disciplinary action, which resulted in the independent panel having to deal with the matter. The Bajan won by way of the Review Tribunal, so it stood to reason that if Reifer was found not guilty, you could not penalise Campbell too. 

I wonder if Dr Don Bennett, who leads the JCA, is not ashamed. Campbell has had so many challenges to face, from as far back as a boy growing up in St Mary. To have poured more fuel on him in an attempt to burn him at the stake, was vulgar. Now, justice has won.

Hooray, Brathwaite has gone away

As cricket is so much in the air, news that Barbadian Kraigg Brathwaite has stepped down as captain of the West Indies Test team was like winning the lottery.

For one who has played almost 100 Test matches (98 to be exact) and averaging 33 as an opening batsman (batter is something else), no cheers were earned. Now that he has walked away as team leader, he should not be considered as a player. Australia will be here in June, and you don’t want to continue seeing a man at the crease scoring 20 runs from 140 balls. That is not the kind of punishment that any crowd deserves.

Almost simultaneous with that announcement was the appointment of Shai Hope as captain of the T20 team, to go along with his 50-over obligation. Not a bad move, although I would love to have seen the Caribbean’s best batsman in charge of the Test team instead of the T20 because he is not outstanding in that format.

It would be silly to appoint Hope as Test captain now, as some are saying, because that would be too much work for him. Cricket West Indies should then look at two possibilities: Appointing Jamaican Brandon King as Test captain or look at Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer, who led the Under-19 team to World Cup victory in 2016, and convince him that his style still suits the game’s longest version.