Dear Editor,

Dr Nigel Clarke is Jamaica’s eleventh finance minister since Independence. The previous finance ministers were: Sir Donald Sangster, Edward Seaga, David Coore, Eric Bell, Hugh Small, Seymour Mullings, P J Patterson, Dr Omar Davies, Audley Shaw, and Dr Peter Phillips.

I’ve seen where political commentators and the public in general are celebrating that he’s the most qualified finance minister of independent Jamaica. I do agree. But history has taught us that qualifications and theories are not what run a successful government ministry.

I consider Edward Seaga and Sir Donald Sangster as our greatest finance ministers, though neither had university training in economics. Seaga was a music producer and promoter with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the social sciences from Harvard University. Sir Donald was a solicitor by profession.

Our first technically gifted, university-trained finance minister may have been David Coore and we all saw what happened under his watch from 1972-1978. And we all saw what happened when a PhD holder was brought in from 1993 -2007.

I’m not preaching doom and gloom. A finance ministry has its technocrats already.

Dr Clarke is the first post-Independence-born finance minister and he wants us to be economically independent. But I want to caution him; books alone won’t do it, he has to use good sense.

We will be watching, Dr Clarke.

Teddylee Gray

Ocho Rios, St Ann

teddylee.gray@gmail.com