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Comedy of Errors!
Minister Mullings Misspoke
Published: Thursday | October 27, 20110 Comments
Devon Dick
BY Devon Dick
I WATCHED on Public Broadcasting Corporation Clive Mullings, minister of mining and energy, defending in Parliament his assertion that there has been no economic growth in two decades. Then on October 21, reporter Daraine Luton wrote an excellent summary of the discussion. He quoted the minister as saying, "... in 1989 there was 7.7 per cent growth, in the succeeding year of 1990, growth was 6.3 per cent. Therefore, if you are going to establish if there is growth or decline, you simply take the year 1990 from 1989 and you will find is a 0.7 per cent decline".
Minister Mullings misspoke because what it means is, assuming a base of 100 points, then the economy having grown by 7.7 per cent would have increased to 107.7 points, and if there was further growth of 6.3 per cent in the following year then you are at 114.49 points. As Dr André Haughton, lecturer in economics, stated, "probably what the minister means is that the rate of growth has not improve". Someone needs to correct the Hansard record.
That Minister Mullings misspoke raises some issues. One would have hoped that he has advisers and he listens to them as it relates to economic matters. One would have hoped that as a Cabinet colleague, he would have consulted the minister of finance before his dissertation on the economy, which is not his portfolio responsibility.
Butt of jokes
Furthermore, Jamaicans need to realise that the world is watching us and scrutinising us. There is a Caribbean territory where this report was discussed in a particular department of a leading financial institution and Jamaicans were the butt of jokes claiming that we cannot do simple mathematics. They are not saying 'a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) minister', but rather, a Jamaican. Indeed, the minister misspoke on two accounts on closer examination of the quote. It would have been better had Mullings interpreted the growth and show that the Seaga administration performed remarkably to facilitate 7.7 per cent economic growth after the devastation of Category five Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. He could have even scored political points and say the growth in the People's National Party (PNP) administration was from the momentum created by the JLP administration.
Finally, the minister tried again, through gymnastic economics, to show how since 2007 the economy grew. Since no one on the government benches corrected Mullings, then it shows why there is a dissonance between the rulers and the ruled. The majority of the ruled are claiming that the country is going in the wrong direction with poverty, unemployment and income inequalities on the increase, while the rulers believe that things on the right track. Again, Minister Mullings misspoke.
Accept the blame
Similarly, the governor general (GG) misspoke at the swearing in of Minister Audley Shaw, who read a document swearing allegiance to the Queen of England. The GG blamed the secretaries for taking out the wrong document. A good leader would have apologised for the mistake and move on. A great leader would have acknowledged that the buck stops with him/her and accept the blame. No one commends the secretaries when they take out the correct documents but when they take out the wrong one they are blamed. The GG did not blame Minister Shaw for not being aware of what he was reading, and in a similar way he should not have blamed the secretaries. He, as GG, should have looked at the documents beforehand. Unfortunately, this is often how secretaries are treated, blamed when things go wrong and no praise when things go well.
Likewise, many members of the working class have had to bear the burden of taxes, redundancies and other adjustments while many leaders continue to misspeak.
Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Comments to columns @gleanerjm.comMinister Mullings Misspoke
Published: Thursday | October 27, 20110 Comments
Devon Dick
BY Devon Dick
I WATCHED on Public Broadcasting Corporation Clive Mullings, minister of mining and energy, defending in Parliament his assertion that there has been no economic growth in two decades. Then on October 21, reporter Daraine Luton wrote an excellent summary of the discussion. He quoted the minister as saying, "... in 1989 there was 7.7 per cent growth, in the succeeding year of 1990, growth was 6.3 per cent. Therefore, if you are going to establish if there is growth or decline, you simply take the year 1990 from 1989 and you will find is a 0.7 per cent decline".
Minister Mullings misspoke because what it means is, assuming a base of 100 points, then the economy having grown by 7.7 per cent would have increased to 107.7 points, and if there was further growth of 6.3 per cent in the following year then you are at 114.49 points. As Dr André Haughton, lecturer in economics, stated, "probably what the minister means is that the rate of growth has not improve". Someone needs to correct the Hansard record.
That Minister Mullings misspoke raises some issues. One would have hoped that he has advisers and he listens to them as it relates to economic matters. One would have hoped that as a Cabinet colleague, he would have consulted the minister of finance before his dissertation on the economy, which is not his portfolio responsibility.
Butt of jokes
Furthermore, Jamaicans need to realise that the world is watching us and scrutinising us. There is a Caribbean territory where this report was discussed in a particular department of a leading financial institution and Jamaicans were the butt of jokes claiming that we cannot do simple mathematics. They are not saying 'a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) minister', but rather, a Jamaican. Indeed, the minister misspoke on two accounts on closer examination of the quote. It would have been better had Mullings interpreted the growth and show that the Seaga administration performed remarkably to facilitate 7.7 per cent economic growth after the devastation of Category five Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. He could have even scored political points and say the growth in the People's National Party (PNP) administration was from the momentum created by the JLP administration.
Finally, the minister tried again, through gymnastic economics, to show how since 2007 the economy grew. Since no one on the government benches corrected Mullings, then it shows why there is a dissonance between the rulers and the ruled. The majority of the ruled are claiming that the country is going in the wrong direction with poverty, unemployment and income inequalities on the increase, while the rulers believe that things on the right track. Again, Minister Mullings misspoke.
Accept the blame
Similarly, the governor general (GG) misspoke at the swearing in of Minister Audley Shaw, who read a document swearing allegiance to the Queen of England. The GG blamed the secretaries for taking out the wrong document. A good leader would have apologised for the mistake and move on. A great leader would have acknowledged that the buck stops with him/her and accept the blame. No one commends the secretaries when they take out the correct documents but when they take out the wrong one they are blamed. The GG did not blame Minister Shaw for not being aware of what he was reading, and in a similar way he should not have blamed the secretaries. He, as GG, should have looked at the documents beforehand. Unfortunately, this is often how secretaries are treated, blamed when things go wrong and no praise when things go well.
Likewise, many members of the working class have had to bear the burden of taxes, redundancies and other adjustments while many leaders continue to misspeak.
Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Comments to columns @gleanerjm.com
Published: Thursday | October 27, 20110 Comments
Devon Dick
BY Devon Dick
I WATCHED on Public Broadcasting Corporation Clive Mullings, minister of mining and energy, defending in Parliament his assertion that there has been no economic growth in two decades. Then on October 21, reporter Daraine Luton wrote an excellent summary of the discussion. He quoted the minister as saying, "... in 1989 there was 7.7 per cent growth, in the succeeding year of 1990, growth was 6.3 per cent. Therefore, if you are going to establish if there is growth or decline, you simply take the year 1990 from 1989 and you will find is a 0.7 per cent decline".
Minister Mullings misspoke because what it means is, assuming a base of 100 points, then the economy having grown by 7.7 per cent would have increased to 107.7 points, and if there was further growth of 6.3 per cent in the following year then you are at 114.49 points. As Dr André Haughton, lecturer in economics, stated, "probably what the minister means is that the rate of growth has not improve". Someone needs to correct the Hansard record.
That Minister Mullings misspoke raises some issues. One would have hoped that he has advisers and he listens to them as it relates to economic matters. One would have hoped that as a Cabinet colleague, he would have consulted the minister of finance before his dissertation on the economy, which is not his portfolio responsibility.
Butt of jokes
Furthermore, Jamaicans need to realise that the world is watching us and scrutinising us. There is a Caribbean territory where this report was discussed in a particular department of a leading financial institution and Jamaicans were the butt of jokes claiming that we cannot do simple mathematics. They are not saying 'a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) minister', but rather, a Jamaican. Indeed, the minister misspoke on two accounts on closer examination of the quote. It would have been better had Mullings interpreted the growth and show that the Seaga administration performed remarkably to facilitate 7.7 per cent economic growth after the devastation of Category five Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. He could have even scored political points and say the growth in the People's National Party (PNP) administration was from the momentum created by the JLP administration.
Finally, the minister tried again, through gymnastic economics, to show how since 2007 the economy grew. Since no one on the government benches corrected Mullings, then it shows why there is a dissonance between the rulers and the ruled. The majority of the ruled are claiming that the country is going in the wrong direction with poverty, unemployment and income inequalities on the increase, while the rulers believe that things on the right track. Again, Minister Mullings misspoke.
Accept the blame
Similarly, the governor general (GG) misspoke at the swearing in of Minister Audley Shaw, who read a document swearing allegiance to the Queen of England. The GG blamed the secretaries for taking out the wrong document. A good leader would have apologised for the mistake and move on. A great leader would have acknowledged that the buck stops with him/her and accept the blame. No one commends the secretaries when they take out the correct documents but when they take out the wrong one they are blamed. The GG did not blame Minister Shaw for not being aware of what he was reading, and in a similar way he should not have blamed the secretaries. He, as GG, should have looked at the documents beforehand. Unfortunately, this is often how secretaries are treated, blamed when things go wrong and no praise when things go well.
Likewise, many members of the working class have had to bear the burden of taxes, redundancies and other adjustments while many leaders continue to misspeak.
Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Comments to columns @gleanerjm.comMinister Mullings Misspoke
Published: Thursday | October 27, 20110 Comments
Devon Dick
BY Devon Dick
I WATCHED on Public Broadcasting Corporation Clive Mullings, minister of mining and energy, defending in Parliament his assertion that there has been no economic growth in two decades. Then on October 21, reporter Daraine Luton wrote an excellent summary of the discussion. He quoted the minister as saying, "... in 1989 there was 7.7 per cent growth, in the succeeding year of 1990, growth was 6.3 per cent. Therefore, if you are going to establish if there is growth or decline, you simply take the year 1990 from 1989 and you will find is a 0.7 per cent decline".
Minister Mullings misspoke because what it means is, assuming a base of 100 points, then the economy having grown by 7.7 per cent would have increased to 107.7 points, and if there was further growth of 6.3 per cent in the following year then you are at 114.49 points. As Dr André Haughton, lecturer in economics, stated, "probably what the minister means is that the rate of growth has not improve". Someone needs to correct the Hansard record.
That Minister Mullings misspoke raises some issues. One would have hoped that he has advisers and he listens to them as it relates to economic matters. One would have hoped that as a Cabinet colleague, he would have consulted the minister of finance before his dissertation on the economy, which is not his portfolio responsibility.
Butt of jokes
Furthermore, Jamaicans need to realise that the world is watching us and scrutinising us. There is a Caribbean territory where this report was discussed in a particular department of a leading financial institution and Jamaicans were the butt of jokes claiming that we cannot do simple mathematics. They are not saying 'a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) minister', but rather, a Jamaican. Indeed, the minister misspoke on two accounts on closer examination of the quote. It would have been better had Mullings interpreted the growth and show that the Seaga administration performed remarkably to facilitate 7.7 per cent economic growth after the devastation of Category five Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. He could have even scored political points and say the growth in the People's National Party (PNP) administration was from the momentum created by the JLP administration.
Finally, the minister tried again, through gymnastic economics, to show how since 2007 the economy grew. Since no one on the government benches corrected Mullings, then it shows why there is a dissonance between the rulers and the ruled. The majority of the ruled are claiming that the country is going in the wrong direction with poverty, unemployment and income inequalities on the increase, while the rulers believe that things on the right track. Again, Minister Mullings misspoke.
Accept the blame
Similarly, the governor general (GG) misspoke at the swearing in of Minister Audley Shaw, who read a document swearing allegiance to the Queen of England. The GG blamed the secretaries for taking out the wrong document. A good leader would have apologised for the mistake and move on. A great leader would have acknowledged that the buck stops with him/her and accept the blame. No one commends the secretaries when they take out the correct documents but when they take out the wrong one they are blamed. The GG did not blame Minister Shaw for not being aware of what he was reading, and in a similar way he should not have blamed the secretaries. He, as GG, should have looked at the documents beforehand. Unfortunately, this is often how secretaries are treated, blamed when things go wrong and no praise when things go well.
Likewise, many members of the working class have had to bear the burden of taxes, redundancies and other adjustments while many leaders continue to misspeak.
Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Comments to columns @gleanerjm.com
