GOOD SENSE has prevailed and the Minister of Finance Dr. Omar Davies has expanded the scope of his mea culpa and has now apologised to the Jamaica Employers Federation for accusing its membership of stealing money from the financial sector.
The earlier apology from the Minister over his controversial speech at a party conference was specific to the manner and tone of that speech which implied that he was standing behind its contents.
As we said in an earlier editorial Dr. Davies was clearly not apologising for the slander of the membership of the JEF and what was more he had the support of the Prime Minister for his position.
We therefore congratulate the Council of Presidents of the Private Sector Organisation for brokering a meeting with Dr. Davies where the Council quite rightly rapped the Minister for his comments describing them as inappropriate, unacceptable and seriously impacting on his credibility. Dr. Davies has now apologised unreservedly for the comments that he made about the membership of the JEF. The Prime Minister should follow suit since he had endorsed the stance of his Minister.
We support the Council in its call on the Prime Minister to address with urgency the issue of governance to ensure that the proper checks and balances are in place which will hold the civil service accountable for implementing and monitoring budgets and agreed targets and that the necessary mechanisms are in place for reporting on these targets.
We believe that if the control had remained with the civil service where it properly belongs some of the excesses and the economic problems that the country now faces might have been avoided. The blurring of the distinctions between the policy-making role of the Executive and the responsibilities for implementation of the Administration is being revealed more and more as a prescription for disaster.
A return to the way things ought to be might obviate the need for more ministerial apologies in the future.
And, as the PSOJ council says, it is time to return attention to the serious economic and social challenges facing the nation. This is more vital than any political warfare between Government and Opposition.
