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HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Dear Reader,
The fundamental problem affecting Jamaican society is unrighteousness. Somewhere between my mother's generation and this one, and especially over the last three decades, those fundamental values that brought our people through slavery and the hardships of modern life have all but been eroded.
Values of honesty, hard work, common decency, thoughtfulness, courtesy, integrity, brotherly love, have become almost irrelevant in today's Jamaica, and have been replaced by dishonesty, coarseness and rabid individualism. While none of us can be absolved from taking personal responsibility for the current state of affairs in the country, there is no doubt that much of the problem lies in the absence of spiritual and political leadership at all levels of national life.
The latest episodes of boardroom blunders and biases underscore the deepening crisis of national integrity affecting our nation. At a time when the citizens of the country are hungry for bold and uncompromising honesty and transparency, it is far from being forthcoming from those who lead and govern. I can't tell you how disappointed I am personally, though not at all surprised at the less-than-forthright behaviour and pattern of the fairly new JLP administration. Having campaigned on a platform of anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability, the Bruce Golding-led administration has made some critical missteps and is already showing signs of compromise and double standards, bordering on, or at the very least, precipitating corruption.
Quite frankly, I'm still puzzled as to why after only three months in office, the new government felt compelled to change the rules regarding government procurement guidelines for public entities. Even under strong protest from the contractor general whose office dedicated considerable time to designing alternative procurement methodologies that would preserve the integrity of the process while at the same time offering the flexibility that is necessary, the government refused to comply. As a result, several key public sector companies, two of which, Petrojam and the Port Authority - the wealthiest in terms of cash flow - have had critical areas exempted from the established procurement guidelines. So much for transparency and accountability!
Before the country could fully digest the ramifications of that unprecedented move (since 1963, the only area exempted was bauxite), the news broke of the dismissal of the entire board of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). With no warning whatsoever, the UDC board was summarily sacked, leaving the public to speculate on an assortment of rumours and innuendos. Up until now, the people of Jamaica have not been paid the courtesy or respect of being provided with a proper explanation of what transpired. Little wonder then that the issue of the Hydel Group of Schools and its principal Hyacinth Bennett fell into disrepute. It is clear that even with his voluminous political experience, our prime minister has not learnt that in the absence of effective and credible communication, people will draw their own conclusions, however biased and misguided those may be.
As if they had not inflicted enough body blows to themselves, the country was once again sent into shock by the news that all the board members of the Jamaica Tourist Board had resigned en bloc. This time, however, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett pre-empted public speculation, responding quickly to the development. The problem, however, is that his explanation bordered on being ludicrous.
To tell the Jamaican people that accomplished and astute men and women like Earl Jarrett of Jamaica National, Josef Forstmayr, Godfrey Dyer and Carrole Guntley were incapable of adapting to "a changing landscape which has never been seen before demands a new architecture", is an insult to our intelligence. I'm surprised that those board members so disrespected, if not maligned, have not stepped forward to voice their disapproval and to engage in "image repair".
It could be that Jamaica is witnessing martyrs from some unlikely places!
With nobody having the courage and forthrightness to speak the truth, the country, only a few days ago, got a glimpse of what is perhaps the true reason for the board's resignation - the news that John Lynch would not only continue to occupy the position of chairman of the board, but would simultaneously occupy the highest administrative position of director of tourism. If this "two in one" position is not precedent-setting, then it is at the very least, mind-boggling, and totally unacceptable. In one fell swoop, the minister of tourism altered the standard organisational chart of not just public entities, but private ones as well. Reposed in one man is the job of both chairman and director of a key public sector entity. Putting the "checks and balances" spin that the tourism minister offered aside, the question remains, how does a chairman reprimand the director if he is one and the same person, and how does a chairman recommend that the director be fired if he is one and the same person?
It is about time that the sincere and serious patriots of this country send a message to our political leaders that we are not all fools and that not everyone is a political partisan walking around in tinted lenses. It is high time for those with the courage to speak passionately and independently stand up, break ranks, and do away with the old boys' network!
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...D_BREACHES.asp
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Dear Reader,
The fundamental problem affecting Jamaican society is unrighteousness. Somewhere between my mother's generation and this one, and especially over the last three decades, those fundamental values that brought our people through slavery and the hardships of modern life have all but been eroded.
Values of honesty, hard work, common decency, thoughtfulness, courtesy, integrity, brotherly love, have become almost irrelevant in today's Jamaica, and have been replaced by dishonesty, coarseness and rabid individualism. While none of us can be absolved from taking personal responsibility for the current state of affairs in the country, there is no doubt that much of the problem lies in the absence of spiritual and political leadership at all levels of national life.
The latest episodes of boardroom blunders and biases underscore the deepening crisis of national integrity affecting our nation. At a time when the citizens of the country are hungry for bold and uncompromising honesty and transparency, it is far from being forthcoming from those who lead and govern. I can't tell you how disappointed I am personally, though not at all surprised at the less-than-forthright behaviour and pattern of the fairly new JLP administration. Having campaigned on a platform of anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability, the Bruce Golding-led administration has made some critical missteps and is already showing signs of compromise and double standards, bordering on, or at the very least, precipitating corruption.
Quite frankly, I'm still puzzled as to why after only three months in office, the new government felt compelled to change the rules regarding government procurement guidelines for public entities. Even under strong protest from the contractor general whose office dedicated considerable time to designing alternative procurement methodologies that would preserve the integrity of the process while at the same time offering the flexibility that is necessary, the government refused to comply. As a result, several key public sector companies, two of which, Petrojam and the Port Authority - the wealthiest in terms of cash flow - have had critical areas exempted from the established procurement guidelines. So much for transparency and accountability!
Before the country could fully digest the ramifications of that unprecedented move (since 1963, the only area exempted was bauxite), the news broke of the dismissal of the entire board of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). With no warning whatsoever, the UDC board was summarily sacked, leaving the public to speculate on an assortment of rumours and innuendos. Up until now, the people of Jamaica have not been paid the courtesy or respect of being provided with a proper explanation of what transpired. Little wonder then that the issue of the Hydel Group of Schools and its principal Hyacinth Bennett fell into disrepute. It is clear that even with his voluminous political experience, our prime minister has not learnt that in the absence of effective and credible communication, people will draw their own conclusions, however biased and misguided those may be.
As if they had not inflicted enough body blows to themselves, the country was once again sent into shock by the news that all the board members of the Jamaica Tourist Board had resigned en bloc. This time, however, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett pre-empted public speculation, responding quickly to the development. The problem, however, is that his explanation bordered on being ludicrous.
To tell the Jamaican people that accomplished and astute men and women like Earl Jarrett of Jamaica National, Josef Forstmayr, Godfrey Dyer and Carrole Guntley were incapable of adapting to "a changing landscape which has never been seen before demands a new architecture", is an insult to our intelligence. I'm surprised that those board members so disrespected, if not maligned, have not stepped forward to voice their disapproval and to engage in "image repair".
It could be that Jamaica is witnessing martyrs from some unlikely places!
With nobody having the courage and forthrightness to speak the truth, the country, only a few days ago, got a glimpse of what is perhaps the true reason for the board's resignation - the news that John Lynch would not only continue to occupy the position of chairman of the board, but would simultaneously occupy the highest administrative position of director of tourism. If this "two in one" position is not precedent-setting, then it is at the very least, mind-boggling, and totally unacceptable. In one fell swoop, the minister of tourism altered the standard organisational chart of not just public entities, but private ones as well. Reposed in one man is the job of both chairman and director of a key public sector entity. Putting the "checks and balances" spin that the tourism minister offered aside, the question remains, how does a chairman reprimand the director if he is one and the same person, and how does a chairman recommend that the director be fired if he is one and the same person?
It is about time that the sincere and serious patriots of this country send a message to our political leaders that we are not all fools and that not everyone is a political partisan walking around in tinted lenses. It is high time for those with the courage to speak passionately and independently stand up, break ranks, and do away with the old boys' network!
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...D_BREACHES.asp
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