Gordon Robinson | More long term reality checks

So, last week ( A very Private Public Service) I complained about the reaction to my critique of the JPS “loan”.

I wrote: “….I’m told to shut up because I’m safe in Kingston and don’t feel what western-based Jamaicans feel.... Based on this puerile proposition, only those with houses and lives destroyed have any say in spending taxpayers’ money to rebuild.”

Why can’t Kingston dwellers analyse post Melissa spending or opine on the way forward? Surely JLP sycophants so convinced that Privy Council must stay because of distance and detachment, should apply the same principle to post hurricane spending analysts?

Who feels it? Who knows it? Speaking at a Christmas lighting ceremony in Half Way Tree, Attorney-at-Law Vaughn Bignall suggested:

“It’s incumbent on all players to make efforts to get some of these lands to the landless including Government stepping in and simply gifting lands to so many of these persons and we can build solid structures not zinc; not board; but concrete structures that can withstand hurricane. It’s a part of our lives and what you realize there’s a correlation between poverty and death – the people who died in the hurricane. Is (sic) poor people who died in the hurricane because they live in substandard conditions! They live in valleys; river banks; gully banks; and very vulnerable areas.”

Vaughn you haven’t told any lies. But be careful lest you be accused of speaking out of turn. YOU weren’t affected. YOU are in Kingston. YOU are able to attend Christmas Lighting Ceremonies. Hush. As you said, the poor were worst affected. Apparently, they alone should critique complicated budgetary allocations and multi-national loan agreements.

Official reports say 48 people (mostly “poor”) died in the storm’s passing and eighteen more are missing. God knows how many have been buried or washed away who might never be counted.

A short while ago, two climate-change-fuelled typhoons and a cyclone swept through Asia causing unprecedented rainfall, flooding and landslides. Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand reported over 1,700 dead. Sri Lanka’s President called it the country’s most challenging natural disaster. In that country, 10% of the population was affected; 607 are confirmed dead; and another 214 missing.

According to Indonesia’s Antara news agency, Indonesia admitted deforestation from mining and illegal logging contributed heavily to the severity of the damage. Its Government has already addressed long term reform requirements by revoking 20 logging companies’ licenses and halted activities of palm oil, mining, and power plant companies operating upstream of the disaster-hit areas.

In Jamaica, deforestation, caused by bauxite mining, illegal logging/charcoal production as well as tourism expansion, is significant. This leads to loss of biodiversity; increased flooding; and water supply issues. Then Melissa exposed some alarming realities we must face. Building code policies and enforcement; environmentally dangerous mining licenses; massive tourism construction; population under-education; failure to address landlessness; inappropriate governance structures significantly contributed to the devastating hurricane’s aftermath.

“Build-back-better” is a snazzy catch phrase but we must go deeper. If working assiduously for 15 years to reduce debt/GDP to 60% only to have to borrow 40% of GDP to deal with one hurricane’s outcome hasn’t taught us we need diverse, real change, nothing will.

This “build-back-better” thingy needs a whole Government effort for effective environmental protection; social policies so homeless can rebuild sturdy homes; and serious land for the landless programs to eliminate dangerous living on river beds.

Both Church and State, landowners as beneficiaries of colonialism, are culpable and must atone!

And don’t get me started on NSWMA/NWC. PM recently celebrated NWC’s new profitability. But We the People’s water supplies are sporadic; national water harvesting archaic; sewage systems embarrassingly inadequate despite high monthly “sewerage” charges fuelling NWC’s profitability. NWSMA’s inadequacies helped to cause excess damage.

But, even more fundamentally, if Government was serious about “build-back-better” it would recognize governance flaws hindering that aspiration. For one, it should now be obvious to all that MPs should reside in constituencies.

Good on Dayton Campbell who has taken a leave of absence as PNP GenSec and set up stall in East Westmoreland. I see Maureen Webber has been temporarily handed his GenSec job (rebranded). She should be permanently appointed. I’ve known Maureen since she was a St. Andrew High School student (mumble mumble) years ago. She’s perfect for that post.

No MP should be a political party’s General Secretary. GenSec works for the Party. MPs work for us.

But politicians aren’t concerned about us. So they haggle endlessly about Privy Council vs CCJ despite JLP/PNP agreeing Privy Council must go. So abolish Privy Council and haggle over a replacement, if any, later. There are more urgent constitutional impediments to recovery and development.

One flawed governance impediment Melissa highlighted is too many Ministries. If focus is high paying ministerial placements for Legislators, governance becomes confused and knotty. I’ve always proposed the Constitution should mandate a limit of twelve named Ministries. Portfolio responsibilities must find a fit.

Take Health and Wellness. That Ministry should include environment, water, climate change, veterinary services and waste management. Every one of these “portfolios” is critical to Jamaica’s health (and wellness). A sick environment adversely affects health and wellness as does any disease.

But we’ve two separate Ministers; two separate offices; two staffs dealing with these integrated issues.

Veterinary Services fall within Agriculture Ministry. Why? Animal health is intertwined with human health. Don’t believe me? Ask recent victims of Leptospirosis. Ask anyone with a “seeing-eye” dog or an emotional support animal. So now we’ve THREE Ministers dealing with health issues.

Finally, we come to the irrational, unnecessary, redundant creature known as Local Government Ministry. The name alone is an oxymoron. Does Jamaica have “Local Government” or vassals obeying orders from MPs/central government? Post Melissa, Local Government Minister Desmond Mckenzie announced an emergency overhaul of Jamaica’s infirmary system to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

Why the guguleego is an “infirmary system” not in Health and Wellness? Who do we blame for infirmaries’ disgraceful condition posing grave health risks to residents? Desmond? Or Councilors/Mayors?

I got a girl who’s always late

anytime we have a date

but I love her, yes, I love her.

I’m gonna walk right up to her gate

and see if I can get it straight

’cause I want her, I’m gonna ask her:

Is you is or is you ain’t my baby?

Way you actin’ lately makes me doubt.

You’se is still my baby, baby.

Seems my flame in your heart’s done gone out.

Trelawny has zero infirmaries. Post Melissa, Desmond announced Government was procuring four retrofitted container-style units as a temporary infirmary.

WHAT?

After disaster hits, Government NOW moves to look after indigent Trelawny residents? Using “containers”? While Central Government’s Local Government Ministry works on increasing revenues from markets, health and wellness of elderly and infirm takes a back seat. Infirmaries belong in Health or Social Security.

During Melissa, Trelawny residents sheltered at William Knibb. Now Desmond seems anxious to find a way to “be able to put them down and make sure Christmas can catch the residents not at William Knibb but in a home prepared for them.” So Christmas is the issue? Hurried visits; assessments and measurements in Trelawny and Westmoreland are suddenly on his agenda. St. Ann infirmary’s location suddenly deemed “unsafe”. St. Elizabeth’s infirmary suddenly needs extensive engineering redesign?

As my Chinese food Chef would say “Wok the heck?”

Blues classic Is you is or is you ain’t my Baby was written by blues legend Louis Jordan (with Billy Austin) and first recorded by Jordan in 1943. It calls upon a young lady to make up her mind.

Jamaica should make up its mind about local government. Where was the Ministry BEFORE Melissa hit? If it didn’t know the deficiencies before it should’ve known after Beryl. What were Councilors doing down there except squabbling with central government about fiscal allocations?

NOW, like a day old puppy, Desmond’s eyes are opened. He said “We must rebuild smarter. We are going to….urgently find land, redesign spaces, and put proper systems in place. I’m not going to make any mistakes when it comes to our infirmaries.”

But you’ve already made several.

Time to abolish Local Government Ministry! Most portfolio subjects should be at Health; Works; or Social Security. Community services like street lighting, markets; fire and rural electrification should be left to Parish Councils.

Peace and Love.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com