By Garwin Davis, Assistant News Editor
Patterson (right) believes "Davies will discharge fiduciary responsibilities".
UNDAUNTED BY calls for him to sack or, at the least, publicly rebuke Finance Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, for remarks made at a People's National Party (PNP) constituency conference, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said yesterday that the Minister has his full backing and support.
The Prime Minister also said Cabinet will issue a statement on the controversial matter but did not say when.
Speaking to reporters at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, the Prime Minister said he has seen nothing to indicate that the Minister had ever sacrificed the national interest for partisan consideration, noting that any suggestion to the contrary was without foundation.
"I am sure it is not difficult for you to fathom why the Minister of Finance is with me at this press conference," Mr. Patterson said. "Let me say firstly, that the Minister has acknowledged that the tone and manner in which he addressed the conference were regrettable and for this he has issued an unreserved apology."
The apology Mr. Patterson was referring to, was Dr. Davies statement on the weekend that he apologised "unreservedly for the manner in which he spoke and the interpretation arising from comments" he made at the constituency conference. The Minister, in his address to party supporters, had said that prior to last October's General Election, the Government made public spending decisions on some major projects at the expense of other pressing matters facing the country at the time. The flood rains were used as an example.
But, the Prime Minister sought to downplay the remarks, saying they bore little by way of logic and clearly were taken out of context.
"Let me go, however, to the substantive question," Mr. Patterson continued. "Let me begin in doing so by reminding you that at the opening of the Cabinet retreat last year, I indicated that there would be no new projects undertaken by the Government, even though it was election year."
He added: "Our emphasis, we decided, was to complete those projects that had already been started. The budget provided expenditure to complete a number of infrastructure projects, the Old Harbour Bypass and Segment One of the North Coast Highway included. In January of last year, we had major flooding in eastern Jamaica (and) we had to find the money to undertake the relief activities and to repair the roads. Just when we were recovering from that, we had unprecedented flooding that affected all Jamaica, but five parishes in particular... from St. Elizabeth to St. Thomas."
The Prime Minister said that the magnitude of the damage was so severe that the Government had to seek sources of external financing. "We did not wait until that external financing had arrived to start the rescue and relief effort," he said.
"And, in some cases, we were actually, and still are, looking at how we can get reimbursements for the external funding that we secure from the work that we ourselves undertook. If that was not enough, after I had announced the elections, we had flooding all over Jamaica, particularly in portions of St. Andrew and St. Thomas that were devastated. I had to interrupt my election schedule to deal with those matters. I convened a meeting in the banquet hall at which the Finance Minister was present. The Finance Minister said then that whatever was necessary we will have to provide."
The Prime Minister said that criticisms suggesting that the Finance Minister had turned his back on the flood-ravaged areas for partisan purposes were disingenuous. "Any suggestion or misinterpretation of what was said... that the Minister of Finance in any way failed to provide resources to deal with the ravages of the flood disaster in order to advance other projects for political purposes is untrue and without any foundation whatsoever," Mr. Patterson added. "The Minister retains my full confidence as Prime Minister. I firmly believe that he will discharge with diligence and integrity, his fiduciary responsibilities."
Clearly buoyed by the ringing endorsement he received from his party leader, Dr. Davies noted that he had already apologised for the tone and tenor of his remarks and that outside of that he wasn't sure about what else he could do.
Meanwhile, criticisms of Dr. Davies continued to pour in yesterday.
The Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF) issued a statement calling Dr. Davies' reference to the Federation as being involved in thievery in the financial sector was "unacceptable and unwarranted" and calling for an apology from him.
The Jamaica Labour Party Area Four, (western Jamaica) at its meeting on Sunday, called for the immediate resignation of Dr. Davies claiming that the country "has lost confidence" in him as Minister of Finance. And joining the fray, National Democratic Movement (NDM) president, Hyacinth Bennett, called for the entire Cabinet to resign.
"In the wake of Minister Omar Davies' apology of sorts, the NDM is adamant that nothing short of the resignation of the entire Cabinet will suffice," she said.
