The avoidance of human and man-made catastrophes, as far as is possible, is one of the primary functions of a serious State. Invariably, and for varied reasons, not all citizens or denizens within a State agree with this sensible and time-honoured principle, and so while a serious State tries hard to avoid catastrophes, some within the State are fixated on the invention of catastrophes.

Often when I listen to some people and watch their actions, I am sure they have binged on Chucky and Final Destination — all six films. Like Chicken Little in the 2005 Disney animated production Chicken Little, some are fixated on shouting that the sky is falling. In this film, an acorn falls on the head of Chicken Little, the main character. He begins to think that the sky is falling and panics. He runs to warn all his fellow feathered friends of the supposed approaching catastrophe. His friends share the panic, except for Foxy Loxy, who maintains that Chicken Little and the panicking bunch have been struck by a mistaken notion. A serious society needs more Foxy Loxies and fewer Chicken Littles.

Discernment is a hard currency in an age in which manufactured outrage, fake news, clickbait, instant gratification, dopamine addiction, and conspiracy theories are fuelled by lax algorithms. Today, perhaps more than at any other time, societies need responsible prophets and intelligent listeners.

The former are those who have the knowledge to “separate the wheat from the chaff”. Salesmen who trade in snake oil are aplenty in the land, so too are low-voltage thinkers who are quite happy to sell out Jamaica. We who sincerely cherish this Rock must not cease in our duty to warn, even at the risk of becoming like a Cassandra.

There is no loyalty except to personal gain. Well-thinking Jamaicans must never yield to the double-dealers. For many of us, leaving is not an option if society, the economy, or politics unravel as they once did. We do not hold dual citizenship. Instead, we find a fierce sense of comfort and pride in knowing that we can never be deported.

The Andrew Holness-led Administration needs to focus on the prize: The commitment to build back Jamaica better. The continual genuflecting to those whose raison d’être is the destruction of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is tiresome. If the JLP does not stop this slide now it will only revive the moribund belief that when the JLP is in office the People’s National Party (PNP) is in power.

As I see it, the Government is also allowing its direction to be determined by too many ‘Xperts’. Recall Aesop’s tale of a man and his son walking their donkey to the market. A passer-by mocked them for walking when they had an animal to ride, so the father put his son on the donkey. Soon, onlookers criticised the boy for being lazy and making his old father walk. Hearing this, the boy got off and the father climbed on. Before long, people scolded the father for being selfish and making his young son walk. To please them, the father pulled his son up, and they both rode. However, a crowd quickly shouted that they were cruel for overloading the poor animal. Frustrated and desperate to please everyone, they tied the donkey’s legs to a pole and carried it on their shoulders. As they crossed a bridge, the townspeople laughed so hard at the ridiculous sight that the startled donkey broke free, fell into the river, and drowned. The lesson is clear: If you try to please everyone you will please absolutely no one.

I am seeing this kind of tomfoolery play out in the roll-out of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) — a specialised agency established to manage and fast-track national rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Melissa. NaRRA’s core purpose is to act as a central coordination body and technical hub designed to cut through bureaucratic delays and accelerate infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals.

The public uproar about NaRRA is an own goal by the governing JLP. What in the
Game of Thrones is happening? This false start is not a good advertisement for NaRRA. It was preventable. In my column of May 17, 2025, I noted among other things: “Some high and low figures in the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) appear overly preoccupied with measuring the curtains for a fourth-consecutive term at Jamaica House. Those caught in this snare would do well to remember they must first purchase the drapes. Drapery costs are now considerably higher than nine months ago when the Andrew Holness-led JLP secured its historic and third-straight term.”

Here are two more avoidable own goals:

1) The initial and embarrassing cock-ups in political action and communication regarding the third-country nationals (TCNs) matter.

2) The noticeable gaps in political action and communication regarding the rebuilding, repairs, and readiness of schools for reopening last month.

Those in the governing JLP who are acting as though they can defy political gravity are bleeding precious capital. There is evidently a receding of strategic political action in the governing JLP. In my The Agenda column of September 20, 2026, I said: “One only needs to revisit the messaging in the run-up to the last general election to understand the strength of the JLP’s intellectual control at the time. I say at that time because the JLP’s intellectual control has waned since.” Why is this happening? I think, among other things, too many in the Administration are immersed in the minors to the detriment of the majors. The JLP is cutting off its right hand with its left. If the JLP does not stop digging deeper into this hole, a critical mass that gave them a third-straight term at Jamaica House on September 3, 2025 will lose confidence in it, and undecided voters who are seeking a political home will become more disenchanted, and the next election will become an extremely painful unpopularity contests. In this context the JLP can kiss the fourth term goodbye.

Much of the outrage regarding the salary package of the head of NaRRA could have been avoided if the public had been enlightened about the gargantuan responsibilities, the benefits that the citizenry will get, and the committed timelines for delivery of these benefits. The information on the salary package needed to have come from the Administration first. Instead the governing JLP unwisely left a vacuum, which was quickly taken over by some who are fuelled by theatrical fatalism, alarmism, and political melodrama.

Believe it or not, some are anxious to write the obituary of NaRRA. Recall that recently a voice note of an elected official who is paid by taxpayers, and another high-ranking member of the PNP, were heard discussing how national recovery efforts and the head of the national recovery programmes may be systematically dismantled. The PNP knows that if NaRRA succeeds its chances of emerging from the political cold will likely be delayed for another five years or longer.

I believe the scaling down of the office spaces for NaRRA is a terrible mistake. Folks do not see that action as a humble compromise, as I suspect it was intended. They see it as guilt. The public has been told the scaling down will slow NaRRA’s output. Who benefits here? Those who have already written the obituary of NaRRA have bought large quantities of rum, secured a burial spot, and have secured the services of professional mourners.

A contrite apology to Jamaicans for the failure in political action and communication followed by expert public education on the concrete ways in which NaRRA’s mandate going forward would be expedited should have been the response, I believe.

NaRRA is set to start formal operations next Monday. I am sure that those with a “lean and hungry look” are busy devising ways in which they can scuttle it. Here is an aperture that needs filling, urgently. Given the blood in the water about the head’s salary package, folks are doubtless curious about the salaries of other top posts. NaRRA should publish these. If it allows this vital information to reach the public by way of those who are dusting off old hymnals which have these funeral staples, that will be another own goal.

The JLP must not take it for granted that criticism about NaRRA is mostly fuelled by healthy scepticism. Some are busy sowing seeds of dark cynicism. Believe it or not, some among us want the majority to adopt their reflex position that no good can come of NaRRA. These “bad lampers” include some who put out a trailer load of ‘solutions’ without explaining how they will be afforded, and those who condemn at every turn simply because they do not hold the keys to Jamaica House. Gladly, discerning individuals know the difference between those who are experts at criticising every move but cannot be trusted to manage national affairs.

EGGS OR YOUNG ONES!

Long ago I said here that, “Some political scholars posit that unless a political party can govern for at least three cycles (15 years in our case) it cannot achieve transformative change.” Holness and the JLP have now been given the privilege of a third-consecutive term at Jamaica House so that the modernisation of Jamaica’s roads, water infrastructure, social institutions, courts, housing, environmental protection, human rights protection, and other critical areas can continue along the strongly positive trajectory since February 2016.

Folks are now saying they want its eggs or young ones (meaningful results) from the ruling JLP. The demand is justifiable. The JLP cannot claim it has not had enough time. It cannot claim lack of fiscal space. And it cannot claim undue pressure or lack of support from the international community. The governing JLP must put up or shut up!

Garfield Higgins is an educator and journalist. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.