Politics... A Season of Hostility: The Election Cycle in Jamaica - Pt 5- Where does all that money go?

Jamaica is a middle-income debtor nation that is teetering on the brink of financial collapse if one goes by the horrendous national debt of 1.76 trillion dollars, a doubling in poverty (below US$2/day= $170JAD), a debt to GDP ratio that rivals Greece, soaring unemployment, devastated productivity and outrageous power rates (40cents US per kW/h compared to 24 cents US for solar and wind energy).

Roughly half of the increase in national debt has come in the last 4 years of the Jamaica Labour Party led government under the leadership of the now-disgraced Bruce Golding and the current and continuing Finance Minister Audley Shaw.

Currently Jamaica is all abuzz about the web of controversy that surrounds the JDIP, The Jamaica Development and Infrastructure Programme which has the laudable goal of fixing (some) of Jamaica's terrible car and truck tracks.

It is programme run by the NWA, the National Works Agency and bossed by Mike Henry, the Minister of Transport. This was true up to this weekend when the implications of the Auditor General's Report into the financial activities of the JDIP hit the fan, propelled there in no small part by former Finance Minister Omar Davies of the PNP and a rising chorus of civil society voices.

The essence of the accusations seem to be based on allegations of misuse and reallocation of funds as well as a critical examination of the elusive 'value for money' mantra. On the face of it, the accusations are pretty damning. Cost overruns in the hundreds of percent, road maintenance money used to revamp corporate headquarters, cost increases on stock already in inventory, substandard contractors, the list is endless it would seem.

It was apparently a matter of small notice, to judge from his elliptical remarks on the matter, when Prime Minister Andrew Holness left on his trip to Washington.

In a stunning volte face however, the Prime Minister was forced to cut short his trip to fire the head of the NWA, Patrick Wong and to discharge Minister Henry of his obligations under the JDIP.

This move has political consequences in no small part, because Mr Henry ( who has his own power base to prop him up) was less than acclamatory at Mr Holness' recent coronation and because of Mr Holness' own involvement in politically managing the matter by deflecting parliamentary queries by the Opposition while in Parliament as the Leader of Government Business. Mr Holness, therefore, does not come to the table with an entirely unblemished record in the matter and the extent of it will soon be made public as the revelations come in. He has called for the inevitable consultant's report and made the usual noises about financial probity.

Elsewhere, he has made other noises suggesting a December election with a theme of finance.

In Jamaica's topsy-turvy social landscape, it is an absolute certainty that the looming financial catastrophe will be sidestepped by all and sundry as they participate in that uniquely Jamaican activity of 'ostritching' (hiding one's head in the sand) while loudly boasting of their courage and verbosity. Soon the one will seek to outdo the other with ever increasing and mellifluous even mendacious political promises; while an entranced and mostly illiterate population looks on enviously, waiting for their chance to join the system, unaware of the debt that mounts on their backs through the thrift of their stewards.

This is probably because of the 9 day wonder phenomenon that attaches to political events in Jamaica. The usual trick is to speak a variation of English unintelligible to even the most learned to a population which has no appropriate translation in the vernacular and although there are persons such as Business Editor , Economist Ralston Hyman, who attempt to demystify the financial implications, in general it is a case of manly attributes over intellect when it comes to Jamaica's finances.

It is fair to say that the Government of Jamaica and its governing party have been bedeviled with scandal or its odour for the duration of its tenure so far. Despite these and other problems, one would have hoped that both party and Government would have taken some stock of their political legacy and sought to have become better stewards of taxpayer money.

The Economist magazine, while remarking on Mr Golding's departure and suggesting reasons for it, also described Mr Golding in these somewhat glowing terms:

And, sometimes almost despite himself, he has been Jamaica’s most successful leader in decades.

How interesting would it be, had they had also thought it a propos , while undoubtedly smoking Jamaican high-grade, to advise the Government of Jamaica to legalize Cannabis (Ganja Marijuana).
It would have undoubtedly gotten a higher rating among the populace and perhaps not have deflected a much earlier examination of the pressing national question:.

Where does the money go?