Dear Editor,

The following is an open letter to Audley Shaw, minister of finance and the public service:

On Monday, July 10, 2017, I read an article which highlighted exorbitant phone usage and costs associated with your assigned Government cellphone. While I understand the minister of finance’s continuous effort to partner with the right power players, both locally and internationally, to ensure sustainability of Jamaica’s economic programmes and to finance the budget, I find the phone usage costs, and explanation to substantiate these costs, to be unacceptable.

With tight budget constraints and added burden on the people of Jamaica, we cannot and should not allow government officials the luxury to waste the resources of the people. Hence, we, the people of Jamaica, demand a full refund of $8.3 million (less $2.6 million explicitly stated to have been paid for personal roaming data usage) with immediate effect.

Sir, there are many children who could have benefited from that amount. In fact, my organisation has tirelessly tried to raise resources to fund 100 high school students in Jamaica and I am outraged that government officials are wasting resources that could benefit the educational development of our needy children.

As we continue to seek ways to reduce crime in Jamaica, officials must show consideration to the people of Jamaica. It is this type of callous practice from our Governments, over the years, that has led to an unstable economy and unnecessary debt for our country.

We have demanded accountability from our government officials, which seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Ironically, only recently, I listened to your budget debate address in response to the Opposition spokesman for finance, where you clearly stated: “Mr Speaker, I must ask the question of the Opposition spokesman, which budget is more pro-growth; the one with the lower capital spending or the one with the higher capital spending?” I wish to ask you then, Sir, which cost is more pro-growth; the cost with a lower phone usage or the cost with the higher phone usage?

The budget debate provides the Government with the opportunity to take stock of its performance over the previous fiscal year, measure its progress in relation to the targets previously set, and to assess the effectiveness of its management of the country’s finances. Why, then, is the country still at a crossroads regarding government phone usage after the 2015 incident in which a junior minister in the Government racked up phone usage in excess of $1 million? Is this a clear indication, therefore, of the ineffectiveness of the Government’s stewardship of the country’s finances?

Shouldn’t the Ministry of Finance have implemented stronger policies to mitigate these excessive phone usage and the following costs, or at least a system to ensure officials are held accountable for any costs exceeding a specified amount?

I remain appalled that this situation persists.

Horace A Daley

President

Professional Jamaicans for Jamaica, Inc

horace.daley@pjfj.org