Mark Wignall | Bad move with ODPEM

Had I not stored up a somewhat acute understanding of our local political community, I would have found it most peculiar that the PM sent us a body shift and moved the office of ODPEM under the umbrella of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). Let us get this straight. The OPM is a mega bureaucracy itself. And the prime minister is still a politician.

The ODPEM should be a stand-alone entity, run independently by qualified staff who do not have to suffer under the oppression of politics. On the other hand, the OPM is highly political. Recognising that the post-Melissa period calls for tightening up of the understanding between the people and the political directorate, is it natural that we want to hold back from beating up Dr Holness? One hopes that ODPEM is not being made the sacrificial lamb and that no new blame game is being played.

There is plenty of time to do a detailed analysis of what agencies performed well and what agencies need improvement regarding hurricane preparedness. Why do what he did less than 10 days after the passage of Melissa? Not a good look.

ARE THE CHINESE SPECIAL?

Making up a major section of the lobby of the Washington Plaza hotel is a comfortable lounge and a variety store. Seventeen years ago on a September afternoon, I purchased a desk top replica of well-known sections of DC. From the variety store, moderately priced. Stamped at the base of the gift, made in China.

We are in a Sandals gift shop on a warm day way back in paradise. The lady buys a knitted beach hat, I buy a Sandals-logo cap and T-shirt. All expensive, All tagged, made in China.

A month ago, I bought a cap embossed with our Jamaican colours. From a Chinese-run haberdashery. Extremely cheap. J$500. A six-inch kitchen knife. $250. Which Jamaican-run shop can compete with those prices?

Two Fridays ago, The Gleaner reported, ‘Chinese community secures $100 million hurricane relief support for western Jamaica.’ After Melissa unleashed its most destructive rampage on many of Jamaica’s western communities, the adding up of the costs to build back is staggering. Articles like that please reasonable people like us. But I have a concern. I’ll explain.

The most important Chinese persons now operating in Jamaica are those connected to the China-run multinational companies involved in highway and general construction. The Chinese are much better at road-building than Jamaicans. Apart from two or three local road-building contractors, most Jamaicans building roads are scamps. Many times, many items in the bill of quantities never quite make it into the finished product. So, they end up graduating close to the top of the school with a PhD in pothole production.

And, most of us know that our local road-building companies cannot compete with the financial terms and political acrobatics of the Chinese.

At many times in the post-Independence history of Jamaica, our people have seemingly given up significant social and economic space to new arrivals of Chinese while somehow accepting that many black skinned, uneducated Jamaicans are not exactly priority ‘items’. We say this even as we acknowledge that racial and economic tensions have existed at times.

The unity of the Chinese seems directly correlated to the growth and maintenance of their equity, while many ‘typical Jamaicans’ are disunited and culturally disposed to consuming high percentages of their equity.

It should not be a surprise that the Jamaican Chinese community can identify in just one instance and, in such quick time, $100 million of hurricane relief funds. Fact is, in almost every rural and semi-rural small town, urban centre and parish capitals, the trade in food and grocery items and haberdashery is dominated by the Chinese. Black ownership has disappeared.

TRANSPARENCY OVER RELIEF FUNDS, THE PNP

If indeed the catastrophe bond insurance has been paid out and a large amount of money has been tendered to the government of Jamaica, more needs to be said. As I said before, I know the government is busy dealing with the aftermath of Melissa. But, has the government briefed the people of Jamaica about this money?

One reader wrote, “Have they advised how much has been received to date? Where has it been deposited? What protocols have been established for the use of the money. I think complete transparency is critical. Corruption is prevalent in Jamaica. Being transparent about the money received would be well received by Jamaicans.”

The government must be in a state of a virulent attack of the jitters. The picture of the widespread destruction of the west, land slippages in hilly regions islandwide, overfilled aquifers, and lake formations must all be dealt with before Christmas. Seaga (assisted by the US government) ensured that electric power was restored by Christmas after the destruction by Hurricane Gilbert in September 1988.

In a perfect world, party politics would be largely absent as JLP, PNP, civil society and every Jamaican who is able put their energies together to begin the gargantuan task of building back.

The reality is, the PNP came close but could not win the September general election.

Some may believe that, at some stage, an important element of the relief effort headed by the government will slip off the rails and all the PNP has to do is make a lot of noise and blow it up to uncontrollable proportions. The danger of that move is that, although there are numerous complaints about the long-time relief is absent, there is still a level of understanding by the public that has existed since last September’s elections.

Now we can ask if the patience will hold, or will it wear thin?

Mark Wignall is a political and public affairs analyst. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and mawigsr@gmail.com