Golding must go!

KINGSTON – Former prime minister Edward Seaga has come out in support of calls for the Jamaican leader Bruce Golding’s resignation over his handling of the Christopher “Dudus” Coke saga that has resulted in over 70 deaths to date.Seaga, the former leader of the now ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has described Golding’s leadership as a major failure while contending that the ongoing security operation in the constituency of West Kingston was an unnecessary outcome of a long drawn out dispute over the United States request for Coke’s extradition.“I have never known a prime minister to display such a lack of moral rectitude . . . he is showing day by day that he cannot cope . . . the Prime Minister ought not to have interfered with the service of the warrant that led to Coke’s rejection of it and that led to the need to go and get Coke and that led to the calling of the state of emergency and all the atrocities that have taken place,” Seaga said.The former prime minister, who served as member of parliament for West Kingston for 43 years before he was succeeded by Golding in that constituency in 2005, also suggested that Golding should give up the embattled constituency and seek another seat.So far, members of the ruling party have refused to comment on Seaga’s damning assessment of Golding.However, political commentator Lloyd B. Smith is in agreement with the former prime minister and believes that Golding is facing a representational crisis in the constituency.“If he [Golding] hopes to recoup his political career he needs to try somewhere else and of course where will that be is another matter because he not only faces a constituency crisis, he also faces a national crisis in terms of his overall performance,” Smith said.Latest police reports indicate that 73 people have lost their lives in the recent battles involving security forces and gunmen loyal to Coke. Several residents of Tivoli Gardens have been venting their anger at Golding, claiming that the man who has represented them for the last five years has let them down.In the meantime, US media reports have indicated that Coke was seeking to make a deal with US authorities and has volunteered to surrender to US officials.“After attempts to arrest him in Kingston turned into urban warfare that left dozens dead, Coke began negotiating with US authorities. The 41-year-old alleged head of the notorious Shower Posse [so named because they are known to shower their victims with bullets] could be in custody in Manhattan by the end of the weekend,” reported the New York Daily News, in an article published on Friday.On Thursday, the US network ABC News also reported that US law enforcement officials have put planes on standby pending the outcome of the investigations and that the Drug Enforcement Agency was in a wait-and-see mode to see if Coke would be brought out of Jamaica in handcuffs or in a body bag.Despite continued appeals from the police high command for Coke to turn himself in, there has still be no response from him to date. The latest appeal from the police made late Thursday followed reports that Coke had slipped out of Tivoli Gardens and was now on the run.The police have also called on Coke’s brother and other gang leaders to turn themselves over to lawmen. (CMC)