Dear Editor,

It seems like every time Prime Minister Andrew Holness tries to make a step forward he turns around and makes a few steps backwards.

The recent appointment of former Minister of Science and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley to participate in a government study to recommend social intervention measures to reduce poverty was another example of a blatant lapse in judgement by the prime minister.

Wheatley was the minister who was responsible for State-run entities such as Petrojam and National Energy Solutions Limited (NESol) which became embroiled in scandals which embarrassed the Government. Wheatley was forced to resign after news surfaced about questionable expenditure; allegations of corruption, mismanagement, cost overruns, breaches in procurement policy, nepotism, and cronyism involving entities under his charge. The calls for his resignation and termination came from many sectors, including private sector and civil society groups; it was not limited by politicians. In many countries Wheatley would’ve been banished from Parliament, investigated and may even have faced criminal charges. Not so in Jamaica.

I believe the prime minister could’ve found countless other qualified individuals to sit on this social intervention committee; many outside of Parliament would’ve volunteered willingly to add their input. Instead, as if showing defiance against the Wheatley backlash, Holness chose to show that he still supports him and still has the confidence in him by giving him added responsibilities related to government matters.

I believe Wheatley proved, as minister, that he lacked reasonable insight and did not provide adequate oversight and has no business now assisting Government on public policy matters. It does not matter whether he has staff assisting or government resources at his disposal, as stated in a release from the Office of the Prime Minister.

This is not the first time Holness has blundered, counteracting public sentiment. I recall recently in an interview when he referred to those who dared to have another opinion on the controversial national identification system (NIDS) set to roll out this year as “backward”. This type of arrogance and defiance has no business in modern-day government. A good leader listens first, and tries to find a reasonable balance by keeping in tune with public opinion.

P Chin

chin_p@yahoo.com