Santa Nigel versus the Grinch
Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, who also has responsibility for the public service portfolio, in the traditional spirit of Christmas came down the chimney with lots of goodies in his sleigh for thousands of public sector workers by way of hefty salary packages. Despite the expected glitches, the minister and the Andrew Holness-led Administration can proudly take a bow for having taken on a gargantuan task that had befuddled previous administrations because of its many complexities.
Let’s face it, Minister Clarke has become a major asset to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) because of his confident grip on the country’s finances as well as his knowledgeable assuredness in crunching the figures and standing up to his detractors in and outside of Parliament. Though he sometimes comes across as nerdy or even aloof and somewhat arrogant, it is fair to say his heart is in the right place and that he means his beloved country well. For me, he is like a compassionate teacher with a firm hand.
However, Dr Clarke has the daunting task of whipping an unwieldy and oftentimes grossly incompetent public sector into shape, in terms of good customer service and deliverables. To whom much is given, much is expected, and now that civil servants have got their respective windfalls it is only fair that they should show that they are deserving of having been given a huge chunk of taxpayers’ money. The age-old image of the typical public servant being non-productive, grumpy, slovenly, and downright lazy has not changed much over the years. Then there is the vexing matter of corruption, which is ever present in the halls of power and privilege.
Now that many public servants may have fewer reasons to pillage the public purse there ought to be an intense education campaign to influence those with sticky fingers to back off and focus on giving value for money at the workplace. While it is safe to say that there have been varying levels of improvement in the quality of service being offered to the general citizenry, there are certain departments of government that have had failing grades for too long.
The dastardly, callous, and unkind attitudes and actions towards pensioners is one such example. The shameful ways in which the elderly have been treated by the State have continued unabated. The Holness Administration needs to begin to crack the whip as well as read the Riot Act when such acts of incompetence, dereliction of duty, and deliberate sabotage is fulsomely dealt, including sanctions, name and shame, or retrenchment. It is well known and accepted in some quarters that it is not easy or the done thing to fire civil servants. Perhaps that is why so many of them so frequently get away with “blue murder”.
Another villain in the piece are the trade unions and staff associations which, wittingly or unwittingly, help to create the scenario in which pocketbook issues must, at all times, supersede the national interest. Frankly, from all indications, the island’s major trade unions have lost their way, in terms of their narrow focus. What about accountability at the workplace? What about worker education and personal development? What about productivity, which is so sadly at a low rate in the workplace? It is time that our trade unions set out to reinvent themselves and become more responsive and responsible within the framework of nation-building. Yes, workers’ rights are important but so too is national development.
Santa Nigel, like St George, must confront these dragons because, even as we go into the festive season there are these grinches who are hell-bent on spoiling the party. Of course, he will have to “mash many corns”. After all, the big elephant in the room is “political appointments” emboldened by cronyism and nepotism. Too many public sector entities are populated by party hacks, their relatives and friends. And what adds more fuel to the fire is that, in many instances, they are not qualified for the posts to which they are assigned.
Against this backdrop billions of dollars are going down the drain because of waste, corruption, and “bandoolooism”. The finance minister comes across as squeaky clean with very little baggage, is highly respected across the aisle, and is the most suitable person in the Andrew Holness Administration to head such a charge. Needless to say, he will have to watch his back because already there are those in his party with a lean and hungry look. Et tu, Brute? Plus there will be those who would not want him to upset the apple cart, but, if not him, who? And if not now, when?
In the meantime, the other Grinch hovering ominously on the Jamaican landscape is the crime monster, which, so far, his Cabinet colleagues, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and his deputy and National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang have failed, from a policy perspective, to tame. Indeed, crime untamed has the potential and propensity to wipe out all the gains made at the macroeconomic level, inclusive of the gross domestic product (GDP). Already, praedial larceny has been ravaging the agricultural sector, murder and mayhem are at our doors and windows. Even when we lock them tight our fragile tourism industry stands threatened and could be doing even better if public safety was not such a critical issue. Meanwhile, many productive man hours are being lost because of the indiscipline and lawlessness that pervade the land.
So, even as thousands of public servants can have an “irie” Christmas thanks to Santa Nigel, it behoves all of us to come together and stand firm against the forces of evil. Who will lead the charge?
Lloyd B Smith had been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 46 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.