Indications are that the #deadbabiesscandal has been hurting the People’s National Party (PNP) in its contemplated push towards early elections, as the Labourites have become far more energised around the issue than had been anticipated.

I am not surprised and I am on record for stating publicly since information on this most recent crisis became public that had the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) been more organised, better funded, and more focused, they could have, through this very issue, placed the Government against the proverbial wall and nailed them.

That is what a political Opposition is supposed to do, as by my own assessment the Government dragged its feet in its handling of the issue, not only because they thought that it was always theirs to handle, but also because of its lack of regard for the demonstrated quality of political Opposition that has so far been provided.

That view may, in fact, be changing. Images of the JLP leader sprinting from Morant Point in the east to Negril Point in the west does provide signs of a reinvigorated party coalescing around its leader on a common cause. It may be that the voices of these babies have reawakened the Labourites after all.

Only the politically blind could support the handling of the affair by the Ministry of Health, which has been abysmal to say the least. And if nothing else, it should have demonstrated to the Government that politicians are elected to represent the people of the country, not to dictate to them, as has been the case with this issue.

Fenton Ferguson’s stewardship as minister of health has left a lot to be desired, and it was refreshing to see the rallying of members of civil society behind an issue that is of national importance. From the reports gleaned, too, it was only after an impassioned discussion by some of the youth groups, women’s groups, and members of other civil society groupings, along with the private sector, that it was clearly outlined to the prime minister and the minister of health that this type of crisis is made far worse by the mere fact that there is an audit that is being withheld from the public.

This Government needed a strong reminder that it has a sworn duty to the public that it serves, and that when information is not forthcoming, this opens up the question of lack of trust and transparency and suggests to the public that the Government has something that it is attempting to hide. Perception, they say, is always more dangerous than reality, and the perception that the public holds regarding the Ministry of Health is that it has failed the people. It does not matter that the failures originated with the previous Administration, as they are no longer in Government, and whatever the challenges that exist, without open communication from the leadership of the health ministry, people’s perceptions become their realities. Fenton’s leadership has been textbook disastrous, and each time he has attempted to speak he has only succeeded in shoving his foot further down his own throat, including his expressed decision to hold the health audit for a while longer.

The prime minister’s intervention took far too long in coming, and that she had to issue instructions to jettison Ferguson, after ordering him as minister to immediately release the health audit, comes in sharp contrast to her silent defence of her loyal Comrade. Whether my friends in the PNP like it or not, it does support the public perception that Fenton Ferguson was totally inept and that even in the final hours his slip continued to show.

My sense is that the prime minister’s decision to shift Ferguson to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security only serves to partially satisfy the public outcry for his dismissal, and in so doing provide some degree of appeasement to the different camps. Her decision appeases the party interests, on the one hand, to look after a loyalist; while suggesting to the public that she has done something to address the issue at the Ministry of Health.

In my opinion, though, this decision represents a short-changing of the country, as she has simply shifted this source of ineptness to another ministry. Ferguson is not only incompetent as a manager, but he also serves as clear example of a first-class political disaster and ought to have been fired — plain and simple. If for no other reason, this decision by the prime minister may turn around and bite the PNP and bring them down like the proverbial albatross.

It is time that we all desist with the burying of our heads in the face of incontrovertible facts and be prepared to hold responsible officials to book. Floating global statistics around to show the death rate of premature babies in hospitals elsewhere in the world was the height of insensitivity, and it does not remove or reduce the pain of the mothers or soothe those parents for their loss.

The realisation, too, that among the general public this issue had taken on particularly rancid political flavour and that, even though elections have not been announced, views were being expressed in a “for-or-against” tone depending on the camp being sampled, speaks woefully to our sense of humanity.

Maybe the JLP will find the strength to unite around this issue and use it to shove the PNP out of Jamaica House. It could be that the cries of the affected mothers and the distressed families were not loud enough for the Government to hear, but they may have been sufficiently loud enough to rally the voters to the JLP’s side of the voting ledger.

Regardless of how either camp sees the issue, it is my opinion that basic human decency ought to have dictated that we recognise that lives have been lost. The only takeaway ought to have been that the Government answers to the people of the country and not to the PNP/JLP, or among themselves, only as government politicians.

One wonders just how loudly these dead babies will speak as this unannounced election contest heats up.

Richard Hugh Blackford is a self-taught artist, writer and social commentator. He shares his time between Coral Springs, Florida, and Kingston, Jamaica. www.yardabraawd.com. Send comments to the Observer or richardhblackford@gmail.com

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PULL QUOTE

Images of the JLP leader sprinting from Morant Point in the east to Negril Point in the west does provide signs of a re-invigorated party coalescing around its leader on a common cause. It may be that the voices of these babies have reawakened the Labourites after all. Only the politically blind could support the handling of the affair by the Ministry of Health, which has been abysmal to say the least. And if nothing else, it should have demonstrated to the Government that politicians are elected to represent the people of the country, not to dictate to them