Rain does not fall on one roof alone. — Kenyan proverb

Trouble comes to everyone at one time or another. Political administrations are no different. There is no utopian political administration anywhere in the world. For me, a key indicator of good governance is a demonstrated willingness [action] on the part of an administration to put a finger in the dike and, thereafter, repair the dam quickly. This is a fundamental difference between this Andrew Holness-led Administration and that of former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. She simply allowed the country to flood.

Since the allegations of breaches at the State-owned oil refinery Petrojam became public Phillip Paulwell, Opposition spokesperson on energy, and the People’s National Party (PNP) have immersed themselves in a political feeding frenzy. I am not surprised. That is the general instinct of competitive party politics globally. The PNP feels there is blood in the political waters. Additionally, 89 Old Hope Road is anxious to deflect political heat away from a growing corruption scandal which is engulfing the PNP-controlled Manchester Municipal Corporation. What is now being called the “Sticky Finger Probe” in some sections of the media, among other things, has raised numerous questions about the sudden resignations of the deputy chairman of the Manchester Municipal Corporation and councillor for the Spur Tree Division, the PNP’s Ervin Facey, plus two officers in the Accounting Department of the central Jamaica local authority.

The birds tweet that the Manchester Municipal Corporation scandal is sending shock waves through the crevices, corners and corridors of 89 Old Hope Road. The birds warble that some people are making frequent trips to the bathroom. Some have taken to numerous prescribed and home-made concoctions. The birds, those reliable Black-Bellied Plovers, John Chewits, and Banana Quits, are singing that verbal cannons are being fired hither and thither in Norman Manley’s party.

They also sing that the PNP is desperately searching for a scandal of the magnitude of Outameni, ‘dead babies’, or the PNP’s internal campaign fund scandal to rattle the foundation of the sitting Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Administration. The fine-feathered creatures whistle that there is great political wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth in the inner sanctum of the PNP due to its failure on this front. I strongly suspect that those in the PNP who are wishing for hellfire, damnation, and pestilence to befall Jamaica and her people because of the change in Administration on February 25, 2016 will continue to be sorely disappointed.

Consistent with what I perceive as the Administration’s ‘finger in the dike, quick repair’ approach, this intervention came last week: “Cabinet has approved the following persons to the board of Petrojam. The new board members are: Paul Hoo, former chairman of Supreme Ventures Limited; Rosie Pilner, former vice-president, Scotiabank; Wayne Powell, former vice-president, Scotiabank. Cabinet last night discussed the issues regarding Petrojam that are of concern in the public domain. The Cabinet has directed the Cabinet secretary to task the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology to prepare a report on the operations of Petrojam, with specific attention to various allegations in the public domain. The report is to be ready for the next meeting of Cabinet where it is expected that the permanent secretary and the senior management team of Petrojam will attend and present the report.”

Contrast this approach to that of the previous Administration in which Simpson Miller and the PNP fiddled while Rome burned.

When junior minister Richard Azan was reprimanded in a scathing report by the contractor general, and universally condemned by civil society, he was later reinstated in Nicodemus-like fashion, ignoring howls of protests from all sectors of the Jamaican society.

When Anthony Hylton embarrassed Jamaica with the Krauck and Anchor cock-up, he was given political hugs and kisses by Portia Simpson Miller. He did not offer his resignation and he was not relieved of his ministerial functions.

When septuagenarian A J Nicholson made the dastardly “flexi-rape” remark in Parliament, he did not resign, and the prime minister did not fire him. Nicholson remained the majority leader in the Senate, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, and a senior Cabinet minister.

When Dr Fenton Ferguson, as minister of health, presided over inadequate preparation for the arrival of chikungunya on our shores, he was defended by the prime minister. Under Ferguson’s watch there was country-wide suffering, which cost the economy, conservatively, $7 billion and 13 million lost man-hours of production time, according to data from the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica.

The Simpson Miller Administration spent $350 million to extinguish a preventable fire at Riverton dump. Simpson Miller defended the erstwhile chief executive officer of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), her close friend and president of the PNP’s Women’s Movement, Jennifer Edwards, with the words: “She [Jennifer] did not start the fire!” Just over $100 million could not be properly accounted for at the NSWMA.

In October 2012 the country found out that near $200 million of National Housing Trust funds had been used to purchase the Outameni property, ostensibly to establish a kind of ‘Emancipation Park’ in the west — at least that is one of several explanations the country got. The prime minister said she heard about the matter in the media.

Auditor General Pamela Munroe Ellis later delivered a body blow to the wavering stories by the then board: “The Auditor General’s Department says that the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) purchase of the Orange Grove/Outameni property in Trelawny in 2013 was a buyout of a bad debt owed by the owners of the property to a local merchant bank.

“The decision to purchase the property followed a letter from the owners, Orange Valley Holdings Limited (OVHL), in November 2012, bringing to the attention of the NHT board its indebtedness and urging it to negotiate a buyout of the bank loan covering the realty.” ( Jamaica Observer, April 22, 2015)

“The purchase was consummated, although a site assessment of the property conducted by the Trust’s Construction and Development Unit had indicated ‘that the property does not appear to facilitate the NHT’s mandate for affordable housing solutions and is more suited for recreational/heritage-type facility’.” ( Jamaica Observer, April 21, 2015)

The NHT falls under the responsibility of the prime minister. What action did she take in light of public outrage? She reappointed Senator Lambert Brown, Sonia Hyman, Percival LaTouche, and Robert Budhan — four members of the board that presided over the cock-up.

When Phillip Paulwell, minister of science, technology, energy, and mining, bungled and botched the 381-megawatt energy project, he was stoutly defended and embraced by Simpson Miller in Parliament: “ ‘Let me make it quite clear: I have a minister of energy in place. Unless he does something wrong that would affect and impact the Jamaican people in a serious way and the Government of Jamaica [he will not be fired],’ Simpson Miller said, in responding to a question from Opposition Leader Andrew Holness.” ( Jamaica Observer, June 4, 2014)

Phillip Paulwell and his “youthful exuberance” has cost this country dearly. He has adorned himself in political white robes since being booted from his ministerial perch. He evidently wants to convince the Jamaican people that he is a new creation and a brand new man. To complement his political garb Paulwell seems to have adopted the mantra: The guillotine at once!

“People’s National Party (PNP) shadow minister of energy Phillip Paulwell says the resignation of the Jamaican directors of Petrojam is only a step in the right direction, but this does not go far enough in addressing the corruption and deepening crisis at the nation’s sole oil refinery.

“Paulwell said the ongoing investigations by the auditor general and the Office of the Contractor General must continue to completion and those responsible for acts of corruption or fraud or any other breach must be held accountable.” ( Jamaica Observer, June 19, 2018)

A more discerning and informed populace is asking: Are you not the same Paulwell who was the minister of science, technology, energy and mining in the previous Administration? I say, let the investigation in accordance with the law take its proper course, and let the chips fall where they may.

98 consultants

I have received numerous e-mail from my readers asking that I pinpoint how many consultants there were in the previous Administration. For all those readers, I hope this bit helps. The Gleaner of November 7, 2012 published a story entitled ‘Massive consultants bill — State pays more than $250 million to support staff’. The story said, among other things: “Ninety-eight consultants have been engaged by the Portia Simpson Miller-led Government, at a cost of more than $255 million, since the Administration took power in January.

“The information was provided by Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips in response to questions tabled by Opposition Member of Parliament Audley Shaw.

“Several politicians who carry the flag of the governing PNP are included among the list of consultants. Among them are Basil Waite, Phyllis Mitchell, Marjorie Taylor, Burchell Whiteman, Delano Franklyn, and Lucius Thomas.”

On July 8, 2012, The Gleaner had this screaming headline: ‘Big bucks For Gov’t advisers, eight of 16 ministries paying out close to $100m for 40 consultants and assistants ‘. The story said, inter alia: “While Minister of Finance Dr Peter Phillips has presented the country with an austerity budget to reflect the choppy waters the economy is sailing through, it appears that members of the Cabinet are facing no such restraints.

“ The Sunday Gleaner has confirmed that even as Phillips was tacking on tax to certain basic food items to raise revenue, at least eight members of the Portia Simpson Miller-led Cabinet were busy adding millions annually to the Government’s wage bill.

“Information released through Access To Information requests show the eight Cabinet members committing close to $100 million annually in wages to some 40 consultants and executive/personal assistants who were hired between January and June of this year.

“That figure could grow when the contracts expire, as most have a gratuity clause, usually 25 per cent of basic salary per annum, written into the agreements.

“Official documents gleaned under the Access to Information Act revealed that the Ministry of Finance and Planning, headed by Phillips, was responsible for hiring the most advisers and assistants of the eight ministries randomly placed under the microscope.

“The documents show that the finance and planning ministry hired nine contract officers to assist Phillips. The ministry now has a new chief technical adviser, an adviser, a special adviser, a communications adviser, two special assistants, two executive assistants, and an administrative assistant — at a cost of $22.6 million.

“All of the advisers and assistants hired by the finance and planning ministry are assigned to the executive office.”

Great news for Jamaica

All right-thinking Jamaicans must have been overjoyed at this banner headline last week, ‘JHTA president declares MoBay safest place In Jamaica’.

The story said, among other things: “President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Omar Robinson has declared Jamaica’s tourism capital of Montego Bay, St James, the safest place in Jamaica.

“After recording alarming murder figures in the parish of St James, and the imposition of enhanced security measures earlier this year, which sees heavy police and military being placed in the city, Montego Bay is now seeing a sharp decline in the murder rate.

“Speaking at the JHTA 57th annual general meeting at the Moon Palace Jamaica Grande yesterday, Robinson said the enhanced security measures introduced on January 18 have yielded positive results, despite initial negative press abroad.

“ ‘The JHTA supported this move by Government and cautioned that respect for human rights be maintained amidst increased powers being granted to the security forces,’ said the JHTA president.”

This is indeed a very pleasant shift. A few months ago Montego Bay was the murder capital of Jamaica.

Jamaica’s best days are ahead. I am betting on Jamaica, full stop!

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome. — Dr Samuel Johnson

Garfield Higgins is an educator; journalist; and advisor to the minister of education, youth and information. Send comments to the Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.