Dicey juggle for Campbell

THE APPOINTMENT of Leslie Campbell as minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation might represent a gift to a Holness loyalist, says political commentator Dr Christopher Charles.

Yesterday, Jamaica House said that Prime Minister Andrew Holness recommended the appointment of the St Catherine North East member of parliament to bolster the management of the country’s economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is unclear whether the prime minister’s appointment was strategically to raise Campbell’s national profile in a marginal seat with the hope of giving him a second wind as a general election draws nearer.

STOPGAP MEASURE

Charles, a professor of political and social psychology at The University of the West Indies, believes, however, that Campbell’s appointment could be a stopgap measure. After the polls, constitutionally due in early 2021, the MP might not be reappointed to the Cabinet, Charles suggested.

“Also, remember the strategic interest of the prime minister consolidating his power,” he said.

Campbell will have the task of balancing his ministerial responsibilities with servicing his constituency, which he won by a slim margin of 122 votes in 2016.

Soundings in his vast and mainly rural seat indicate that Campbell might be hard-pressed to address the needs of his constituents, many of whom have complained bitterly about the lack of water.