BARBADOS – THE NEWEST REPUBLIC

Not only do we get accustomed to breaking news about numerous people being killed daily or weekly, including children, and “combo” parties taking place in Waterford, Portmore, but we also anticipate the weekly political scandals in this “patty shop country” called Jamaica, as my teacher friend Justin Kerr would say, a soon-to-be republic?

We have spent the past few weeks and days admiring Mia Mottley, prime minister of Barbados, who demonstrated world-class leadership at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) summit held in the United Kingdom early last month, and then, last week, led her country to becoming the latest republic in the Commonwealth. We also know that she conferred the honour of national hero of Barbados on international singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

I will not comment on the appropriateness of her being bestowed with such a title or on her choice of dress. That is for the Barbadians to do. However, it would still be appreciated if people could voice their divergent views in a respectable manner. Frankly, our conversations on this matter have shown a lack of basic civility. 

POLITICAL SPEAK

Opposition leader and People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding was berated recently for comments he made regarding Transport and Mining Minister Robert Montague, and inciting Comrades to “get wicked pon dem” — the Labourites — while he was encouraging his party supporters to ensure that the PNP wins the local government elections.

It cannot be stressed enough that politicians need to be careful in their discourse, especially as certain words and phrases have different connotations. We are quick to lay blame on dancehall artistes for the upheaval of crime and violence, but some politicians are equal contributors.

Notwithstanding, it is about time we cancelled these politicians and affiliates who have been engaged in white-collar crimes. The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has reached the stage where it could be renamed the Jamaica ‘Love-a-scandal’ Party. 

PAPERS VS PORTFOLIO 

Now to the meat of the matter. The news media released information regarding the hiring of Lerone Laing at the Toll Authority of Jamaica, questioning whether he has the basic requirements for the job. It was further reported that the information initially given through the Ministry of Transport and Mining was later contradicted by the same ministry, which indicated that Laing was indeed qualified for the post, having done graduate studies in economics.

Firstly, it is important to underscore that having a qualification by education or training does not necessarily mean that an individual is competent. The former certifies that an individual has attended and completed a course or programme, while competence means successful demonstration of all the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

For such certifications there is no guarantee that the participant will have all the relevant knowledge, be able to demonstrate the whole range of skills involved, and be able to apply said knowledge and skill appropriately in a real world context. For example, having a degree in education does not mean that its holder is competent in lesson delivery either in the classroom or online.

Both qualification and competence are needed whenever applying for jobs at the supervisory/management level, but should one be prioritised over the other? What happens when companies circulate job adverts that require the applicant to have an unreasonable number of years of experience and some qualities that have absolutely nothing to do with their job functions? It would appear that many young, brilliant, and competent individuals have to wait until they are in their mid to late thirties before they can occupy certain positions.

Just like the word professionalism, the notion of experience must adopt an extended meaning. It should be project- and performance-based as opposed to just accumulating years of experience. Many people who are considered veterans have simply spent their time repeating their daily duties in a monotonous way. There is no creativity or innovation. Some of these same people are often only promoted because of seniority or links. We see it too often in politics and the education system, for example.

On the one hand, it is wrong for qualified people not to be given a fair chance to vie for certain employment opportunities; however, on the other hand, if a less qualified person, on paper, is performing competently, should we overlook him or her?

We live in a technology-rich era in which several companies are more interested in the portfolio of competencies that an individual brings to their company, instead of mere academics and years of experience. Consequently, many of us will be shocked when companies start to pay less-qualified people far more than some of us with doctoral degrees.

Notwithstanding, there is a call for us to correct practices at different levels. Human resource managers need to better create job ads in a practical way. Interview panels need to avoid conflicts of interest as best as possible, and job applicants need a fair chance throughout the recruitment process.

Additionally, politicians need to raise the bar in terms of who they hire and appoint.

Furthermore, let us normalise paying people better salaries. We are so used to being underpaid that we find it strange that a manager in the public sector is earning $3.5 million. People should be able to work and earn comfortably after all the investments they have made financially to pursue higher education.

Lastly, it is incumbent on journalists/media houses to be more responsible in how they create their headlines and disseminate information — they are at times misleading. It is for this reason readers are often left confused and sometimes wonder if a particular journalist or media house has a certain agenda or if they are affiliated with a specific political party. 

Oneil Madden is a PhD candidate in didactics and linguistics at the Université Clermont Auvergne, France, and president of the Association of Jamaican Nationals in France (JAMINFRANCE). Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or oneil.madden@uca.fr.