Dear Editor,

International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde has confirmed what many of us knew all along — the IMF doesn’t care about who is “dutty” or who is clean, neither does it care about political parties.

Her organisation was angry that the Jamaica Labour Party Government’s IMF deal went off track, and when the People’s National Party came to power the anger remained. It was not until a number of congresswomen, and a congressman approached her on Christmas Eve 2012 and begged her to help poor Jamaica that the IMF started looking Jamaica’s way.

Mrs Lagarde stressed the importance of these women in determining her decision.

Dr Peter Phillips said that he was humiliated during the IMF negotiations, Roger Clarke said that the Government grovelled before the IMF to secure a deal, and members of the US Congress begged for us to get help.

Everything about this deal reeks of supplication and genuflecting. Our country is on its knees. No longer can we stand as proud citizens.

But maybe it is poetic justice, as those who drove us to the edge of the precipice with scandal upon scandal and corruption must now steer us clear of danger.

Mrs Lagarde leaves us with several lessons: the IMF does not discriminate, its programmes will not be swayed by how poor or downtrodden our citizens are, and, if we allow ourselves to be side-tracked by election spending the measures afterwards will be much harsher, if that is at all possible.

Mark Clarke

Siloah PO, St Elizabeth

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com

Christine Lagarde