Dear Editor,
One of the criticisms often levelled against the Andrew Holness-led government is that they are tone-deaf. So leading up to the local government election, people kept on saying they were not feeling the effects of all the economic gains the Jamaica Labour Party kept on boasting about. However, members of the party kept on insisting that the country was better off and pointed to international reviews that would suggest same. As it turned out, the party lost the popular votes and barely eked out a victory in the closely contested local government election. In fact, some people are of the view that they lost that election, all things considered.
After such a close call, one would have expected the party to be more willing to listen to the concerns of the public, but, Information Minister Robert Morgan’s recent dismissal of the public’s concerns regarding the actions of House Speaker Juliet Holness sends a clear signal that nothing has changed. Based on media reports, the minister has described concerns over Holness’s handling of the house clerk as “immaterial.”
Morgan has also brushed aside questions over whether Holness should release the attorney general’s opinion on the treatment of reports from the country’s anti-corruption agencies. This call has been made by several anti-corruption and civil society groups, as well as churches. Morgan dismissed the concerns on the basis that these are not the concerns of the masses. This is a very arrogant approach to take.
In seeking to prove his point, Morgan referenced the situation in North Central Clarendon, his constituency. He noted that when he goes there, nobody is asking him about a letter to the speaker, but is instead asking about water, roads, and more vehicles for the police station. While the government has a responsibility to provide these, it is also imperative that they are accountable and limit any perception of corruption.
Morgan was just as confident in his assertion that Councillor Romaine Morris was very unpopular in the Mocho Division. A poll was also provided to support this view. It was public knowledge that Morgan and Morris were not getting along, and Morris eventually crossed the floor to join the opposition, the People’s National Party. As it turned out, Morris took the division for the PNP in the local government election.
Less than 30% of the population voted in the last local government election. What is clear is that many Jamaicans feel they have been taken for a ride by both political parties. In each election, party representatives make promises that are generally unfulfilled. People have been clamouring for a change. They want accountability, honesty, and respect. Perhaps Morgan’s constituents are clamouring for good roads, water, and vehicles at the police station because he has not been providing them. It stands to reason that if they had them, they wouldn’t be asking for them. The fact is, a number of people have been asking for the AG’s opinion to be shared, not just members of the opposition party. The JLP is only furthering speculations that they have something to hide by withholding it.
I am,
A concerned citizen
