( L - R )Sangster, Davies,

( L - R ) Nethersole, Seaga

Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer

Finance Minister Omar Davies opened the annual Budget Debate last Thursday, and reminded the House of Representatives that this was the 14th consecutive occasion that he was doing so.

Five more to go!

His cabinet colleague and friend, Danny Buchanan, in his usual not-so-sotto voce style, was quick to 'inform' the parliamentary opposition that he had "five more to go!" This was a clear expression of confidence that the governing People's National Party would win the upcoming general election. This assertion was met with amused and derisive sneers from the opposition members, obviously assured that they will snap the PNP's winning streak, and consequently, Davies's long tenure.

It was in December 1993 that Dr. Davies entered the House of Representatives, having won a by-election for the constituency of South St. Andrew. This paved the way for his appointment as Minister of Finance & Planning, succeeding Hugh Small, who had resigned earlier that year. He made his first budget presentation in 1994 and has repeated the act 13 times.

Edward Seaga had two stints in the job - 1967 to 1972 and 1980 to 1989. Mr. Seaga presented the budget on 13 occasions (one less than Davies) - 1967 to 1971, and then from 1981 to 1988 - when he also headed the Government as Prime Minister.

Dr. Davies, in highlighting his longevity in the finance minister's job, said that it was "not anexperience I would will on anybody else".

Sobering bit of history

In making that statement, he may have had in mind a rather sobering bit of history relating to some of his predecessors (as I was reminded by the respected political historian, Troy Cain).

Since Jamaica was granted Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944 the country has had eleven finance ministers, or minister responsible for finance (as the post was first called). Three of them took sick and died while preparing the annual budget. The first was Sir Harold Allan, the Independent member, appointed by Sir Alexander Bustamante, in the Jamaica Labour Party's first administration in 1945. He died on February 18, 1953.

The second was Noel N. Nethersole, appointed by Norman Manley in the PNP's first term in office. He died on March 17, 1959.

Donald Sangster, newly elected Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, collapsed on March 21, 1967 while preparing the first budget after that year's general election, and died on April 11 at a hospital in Canada. He was knighted shortly before he died.

Davies, a keen cricket fan, shares that passion with some of his predecessors. Seaga, an accomplished wicketkeeper-batsman, played the game at his high school, Wolmer's. Nethersole went one better, playing 16 times for Jamaica.

The current form of the West Indies in the Cricket World Cup is not likely to lower the minister's stress level. A better performance might have served to mute some of the criticisms regarding the amount of public expenditure disbursed in preparing for the event. No such luck, however, for the longest serving (long suffering?) finance minister!