If we lived in a perfect Jamaica, the brouhaha that led to the clash between entertainer Mr Mark “Buju Banton” Myrie and Transport Minister Mr Daryl Vaz would have unfolded in a whole different way that put the fragile image of the island at such a critical moment above all else.

After Mr Myrie’s very public outrage and Mr Vaz’s equally loud statements, one is still not certain what transpired over the entertainer’s claims of stolen items from among relief supplies he shipped from the United States, or whether the minister’s investigation was sufficient to satisfy all parties involved.

To begin with, Mr Myrie, who is given to public rants, ought to have considered that with all eyes on Jamaica his accusations of stolen items could bring the country into disrepute, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the many international agencies responding to our plight and wanting to believe that the relief supplies they send are reaching the people for whom they were destined.

If indeed his goods had been stolen, he would have every right to be angry. In the past, many Jamaicans have complained about missing goods at the sea and air ports, sent to them by hard-working relatives abroad. However, before accusing local handlers at Norman Manley International Airport, he had a duty to at least try to determine at what point the theft occurred, knowing that local airport employees do not have any monopoly on theft.

Moreover, he had the option of making inquiries at Customs and, as Mr Vaz intimated, he could have used his links with the minister to try to find out the fate of the missing Starlink devices, stove, and other items.

If at that point he could not get any satisfaction, then few could blame him for complaining publicly. After all, with his reggae superstar status, he might help to prevent future theft which could hurt the relief endeavour.

But the matter doesn’t end there, for Mr Vaz was not at his finest hour. Clearly under pressure working non-stop since the hurricane struck, the dreadful scenes of despair and devastation playing in his mind, he reacted to Mr Myrie’s profanity-laced accusations by doubting the accuracy of the claims.

We suggest that Mr Vaz could have played a better hand by using his self-confessed links to Mr Myrie to call him up and quietly, together, investigate the matter.

Mr Myrie made matters worse by singling out the fact that, among the relief supplies were items marked for members of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP).

It seemed unnecessary to mention the PNP in that instance, as that is only pouring fuel on our tribalist fire. Nothing is wrong with people sending relief supplies to the PNP or the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), for that matter. So far, the authorities have not been telling the country specifically to whom items are being sent.

Of course, we have no doubt that the minister believed that he needed to jump on the accusations in order to protect Jamaica’s image, lest any organisation or individuals become discouraged or despondent. In the bigger picture, that might have been the immediate priority.

It has since been reported that Mr Myrie removed his social media posts in which he doubled down on his accusations.

This was not his finest hour.