Garth RattrayOur unfortunate Minister of Finance finally apologised for the "manner and tone" of statements that he made at last week Sunday's PNP North West St. Andrew constituency conference. He said in essence that he would not stop any project just prior to the October General Election even if there were other more pressing national exigencies. He dug himself deeper into a hole when he said that he may "have held back on other things to deal with the flood damage-- but there was no time and I am not going to make any apologies for it". But his tenacity of purpose was short-lived as an unrelenting deluge of calls for his resignation poured in from all quarters.
Let me be brutally frank, I am a bit surprised at the reaction of many to Dr. Davies' revealing speech. You mean to tell me that his statement comes as a surprise? Or perhaps it was his open 'confession' that has shocked so many. It seems that politicians earnestly believe that their party is best for the country. Evidently they think that the end justifies the means. The 'end' being the acquisition of parliamentary control.
This is not the first time that policies have been compromised and proper procedures abandoned in the name of politics. In the past I have heard of grants from benevolent foreign countries being redirected to more politically profitable projects around election time. I know of individuals who were unceremoniously put aside because they were not willing to 'play ball' for the sake of the advancement of purely political goals.
I am not lambasting or defending one particular political Party. This sort of conduct is not exclusive to the PNP, it is simply a political phenomenon. But the PNP has had more than its fair share of unprecedented flagrant departures from procedures. In most other countries such behaviour would precipitate a rash of resignations. But Jamaicans are a very forgiving people with very short memories. A few distractions and several weeks down the road, the dust will settle and it will be back to business as usual.
Initially I found it difficult to understand what got into Dr. Davies and made him utter what he did. I know that this sort of thing takes place behind our backs all the time, but why speak about it openly? Many have called him arrogant but on deeper analysis I have come to the conclusion that he is suffering from the dreaded 'foot in mouth' disease.
It has several characteristics and behaves like some other aggressive infections.
It afflicts those who possess an affinity for politics. The political mind is susceptible to this disease because it has an imperfect grasp of right and wrong. Like nocturnal creatures that have mostly rods instead of cones within the retina of their eyes, a politician sees the world in shades of grey where
right and wrong, good and bad often merge variably and imperceptibly one into the other, depending on the point of view.
Foot in mouth disease quickly attacks those who have been given great power and a free hand to run the lives of millions of people.
Foot in mouth disease easily infects those who are given the power to make decisions in an atmosphere of desperation and paucity.
The disease enters the body aided and abetted by a healthy perception of self.
It crosses the blood-brain barrier and seeks out the frontal lobe where higher reasoning takes place. Once there it subverts common sense and influences the speech area to initiate uncommon glibness.
There is a dissociation of reasoning and speech. These leads to unwise, poorly thought out expressions that inevitably come back to haunt the victim.
So you see, it's not really Dr. Davies' fault. He is not well. It could happen to anyone of us in the same situation. As yet there is really no cure for this malady, eating crow helps but as with many other infections prevention is the key. This involves the fostering of a genuine and deep respect for the people who entrust their future to you. It involves doing your moral best to serve those who depend on your honest, unbiased judgement...Party politics aside. Remember that politics is a public service-oriented profession (emphasis on public). With these prophylactic measures in place, there will be little chance of judgmental errors and no need for apologies given to save one's political career and Party from ruin.
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical
doctor with a family practice.
