The current kerfuffle surrounding the Government of Jamaica’s decision to buy $60 million worth of high-end vehicles for ministers, ministers of state and other state officials has once again brought into sharp focus the double standard and hypocrisy that surround the country’s body politic.

In the first instance, the Portia Simpson Miller administration should have foreseen the maelstrom that would have hit Jamaica House with Sandy-like proportions in the wake of any such revelation. But then, successive governments in Jamaica tend not to be proactive enough as they prefer to ride out what usually are nine-day wonders. On the other hand, the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party really does not have a leg to stand on in this controversial matter. Indeed, as one listens to JLP leader Andrew Holness expatiating in not-so-well-modulated tones on the whys and wherefores of top-ranking politicians, one wonders if it is not a classic case of the pot cursing the kettle?

The government, in the meantime, has gone on the defensive and perhaps too much so because in my book it is not so much a question of affordability, but as has been said very often, timing is the art of politics. That is why the detractors are having a field day because, in an environment of austerity, any act by the government which is rife with profligacy will attract anger and condemnation from civil society and special interest groups who expect the administration to be lean and mean in such a scenario. It is also germane that perception plays a very pivotal role in politics and it is in this context that the People’s National Party administration will have to endure a great deal of battering. A classic case of do as I say but not what I do?

In the final analysis, the vehicles have already been bought and assigned, so it may well end up being much ado about nothing. In my book, it is not that our ministers and other top-ranking officials should not be allowed to drive in apparent luxury, but that they should in the long run deserve such a status by ensuring that the nation gets good, effective governance. After all, in the private sector, when a chief executive officer or anyone of his ilk fails to deliver the goods, he or she is booted and has to hand over the car keys when leaving. The same should apply to our politicians, but they get the attractive option of buying the vehicle at a reduced cost when they leave, performance or no performance. So several JLP former ministers and operatives are now enjoying driving high-end vehicles which they bought prior to this new PNP administration taking office. Oh, what a tangled web!

Jamaican politics has its genesis in Anancyism. The people in more recent times have got wind of this and in turn have been clamouring for their pound of flesh, or as in the case of Brer Anancy and Brer Dawg they want their dumplings even if they have to squeeze them out of the bowels of their members of parliament and councillors. Thus politics has become a business. A tiresome, non-productive business that is like a revolving door.

Let us face it, our politicians are not paid well, yet they are expected to perform with the same level of proficiency and stick-to-itiveness as their counterparts in the private sector. And the bitter irony is that if a politician should be seen driving an old jalopy or a “rent-a-wreck” to Parliament, most of us would resoundingly say “him wutliss sah!” Worse, if he or she “no live no whey!” Yeah, mon, a so we stay!

Yet in the same vein, we insist that MPs should take a cut in salary. Isn’t this in essence a recipe for graft, corruption and ineptitude? Otherwise, only very rich people can and should enter elective politics. Let’s get real, in the long run money runs things, and if our parliamentarians have to continue to exist on meagre salaries, most of which end up in the hands of their less fortunate or greedy constituents, then this is a sure recipe for disaster.

After 50 years of playing dolly house, the time has come for us to take the bull by the horns. The fact of the matter is that most of our politicians, apart from those who may be lucky to end in the executive branch, are not treated well and are often left to the wolves as lambs to the slaughter. As a fledging nation still trying to find the right road to prosperity and good governance, we need to rewind and come again. And for starters, we need to stop crowning then crucifying our politicians. Going to Jerusalem on an ass to be crowned then nailed to the cross is what many Jamaicans expect, albeit some politicians choose to arrive in a posh SUV or “crissas”. What’s the difference?

Lloyd B Smith is a member of parliament and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the People’s National Party.

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com