Prime Minister David Thompson needs to move fast to fix economic matters that were left hanging during his two-month absence from office because of ill health.
This is the view of political scientist Peter Wickham.
According to Wickham, a major concern was sure to be the fact that while Thompson was absent, “there was no one really defending the Democratic Labour Party’s record on the economy”.
He told the DAILY NATION: “If you would say to me what I think would be his priority I should think that should be his priority – to restore confidence and make people appreciate the extent to which the Dems are in full control of the economy and the fact that there’s a programme in place to deal with our challenges.
“I think that a lot of things were left to chance while he was gone – no question about it.
“There were a lot of issues in the open that left people wondering, and I think that his return, hopefully, would help deal with a lot of those.”
In July, Thompson went on leave and placed the reins of Government in the hands of his deputy, Freundel Stuart.
In a national broadcast, Thompson had disclosed that he might have to undergo major surgery, after “observation, tests and medication”.
A brief statement yesterday from Ilaro Court, the official residence of the Prime Minister, stated that Thompson returned to the island on Sunday and was back at the helm of Government.
During Thompson’s absence, the Opposition continued its criticism of Government’s handing of the economy, repeating calls for the presentation of the delayed national budget.
“Thompson needs to look very carefully at getting people dealing with economic issues and instilling in people a sense of confidence that the economy is being looked after well,” Wickham said.
While Government had a number of issues to address with Thompson’s return, “I don’t really think that a lot of those issues would not have arisen if he was not in the country”, Wickham conceded.