At the opening ceremony for the new police station at Little London, Westmoreland, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness was obviously incensed, to put it mildly, at what he described as the tissue of lies and misinformation regarding his Government’s handling of the Hurricane Melissa recovery effort.

The prime minister’s indignation is understandable. He believes that he and his Government are doing their best to ensure that the recovery is conducted on a bipartisan basis, free from any taint of discrimination and corruption.

Most well-thinking Jamaicans will agree that this is so despite the initial hiccups in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. The international goodwill that has come to Jamaica is a testament to the high regard in which the country is held by the international community. This is not just the doing of any one political party, but successive governments over the years.

But the massive deployment of international capital in the wake of the hurricane’s devastation to the tune of almost seven billion United States dollars is directly attributable to the work that has been done by the Holness Administration in stabilising the economy and creating the strong fiscal position that the country now enjoys. It is as if the international community is applauding this work and is thus prepared to give the Administration the help it needs to get the country back on a strong, solid path.

Yet his critics, especially those of the political Opposition, are not applauding the Government’s recovery effort. They believe that it is not robust enough and that it is being done on a partisan basis. What seems clear to me is that given the tarnished image that has been appended to any such big operations since Independence, it would be naïve, if not fool-hardy, to believe that unjustifiable criticisms by various sectors of the society would not be forthcoming.

It is clear that in the age of non-traditional media, when everyone with a social media account can become an instant “journalist” or at least have a word to say which can be easily disseminated to hundreds in a variegated audience, all kinds of falsehoods and innuendoes will be spewed. The question is: What does one choose to respond to? And if one does respond, what benefits are there to be derived from that response?

As we heard in Little London, the prime minister’s chosen path is to wage all-out war on his detractors. How he will be able to do this at a time when every sinew of his being ought to be preoccupied with dealing with the devastation wrought on the country by one of the worst natural disasters to hit it in our living memory is left to be seen. Declared the prime minister: “If it is one thing that you can say about me, mi nuh fraid ah nuhbody. All who want to talk, mek meme, gwaan; mi will go wid yuh toe to toe. Every nonsense you talk, I will respond to it.” Really, Prime Minister. Where will you find time to do all this?

Like others, I have seen some of the downright lies and propaganda of which the prime minister speaks. In a growing culture of “deliberate mischief”, as he describes it, the gullible can be easily misled and falsehoods and fabrications can do a great deal of damage to the body politic, especially in the context of a national tragedy.

If you believe you have been doing a good job in the circumstances, these falsehoods can hurt at the very core of your being. But a leader, especially one who heads a country, has to pick his or her battles and determine what to respond to. The above quote and aspects of the speech could be interpreted by some, especially his detractors, as an intemperate outburst indicating that he is not able to take the heat in the kitchen, which, for this prime minister, is definitely not the case.

It is well known that when you squeal too much about a matter or take too defensive a position on it, you give credence and traction to your critics that something is really going on, whether in reality or by perception. A vociferous response to every perceived peeve is for some an indication that there is some truth in what the critic is alleging.

I know the prime minister and the Government he leads are under a lot of pressure. No Government in the post-Independence history of Jamaica has had to deal with the kind of crisis that has been imposed upon the country by Melissa. You would have to be the most dog-hearted person to not empathise with a Government in the context of this distress.

Those who peddle lies or are committed to derailing the recovery effort live in a kind of swamp culture in which no well-thinking Jamaican would want to reside. For a prime minister who should be busy about the recovery effort, you have no time to do gladiatorial battle with them or be distracted by every splash you hear from the swamp. You have to hold your head high, square your shoulders, be steadfast in what you are doing, and let the results of your effort be your final vindicator.

At the end of the day, this is what really matters. It is the results by which the Government shall be judged, not by the way in which you respond to the rantings of your critics. And any wise leader will listen to fair and cogent criticisms of his or her actions. Make no mistake about it, like the zinc scandal of a past tragedy, what is done in the dark, as the ‘Good Book’ reminds us, will be ultimately exposed in the light.

Far be it from me to advise any prime minister who, at any given time, ought to have a great deal on his or her plate. But if I should be so presumptuous to do so as a citizen deeply concerned about the country in its hour of great need, I would venture to advise the prime minister and his Government to spend every hour of its waking moments making sure that the mechanisms of accountability for the spending of money, whether given by international sources or drawn from the national treasury, be accounted for. It must ensure that there is a fair distribution of resources, especially to those who need it most. “Suffering” and “need” are the operative words here, not political affiliation.

Those who want to use the vulnerable in their political chess games must be identified for who they are so that those kinds of people will never again be given the opportunity to preside over the interests of the Jamaican people. They are predators who must be given no safe harbour. But there is a caveat here: Sound, objective, and well-meaning criticisms must be listened to and, where necessary, acted upon.

There is work to be done and we need to see proactive engagement with the people’s needs being at the forefront of our actions. Let us not give energy and fuel to liars and those bent on propaganda because they have an agenda. If you do not give them traction, they tend to return to the rocks from under which they have crawled. But you, Prime Minister, you have a lot of work to do. Be focused and do not allow yourself to be distracted by the kind of noise you derided in Little London. Rise above it and let your stewardship in this hour be your final vindicator.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard