THE MINISTER of Finance, Dr. Omar Davies, owes the Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF) an apology for his churlish attack on the organisation for daring to criticise the salary increase which parliamentarians provided for themselves.
We would like to believe that we still live in a democracy, which gives the right of free speech to everyone. The JEF exercised that right as have many other groups and individuals in the society in criticising the percentage of the increases at a time when groups in the public sector have been offered increases of three per cent. Dr. Davies has an equal right to free speech but the vitriolic and, yes, churlish nature of his attack on the JEF is uncalled for.
Speaking at a People's National Party meeting on the weekend Dr. Davies accused the JEF of remaining silent when persons stole millions from the banking sector. This is an allegation that Dr. Davies trots out ever so often but we would remind him that nobody has been convicted in a court of law in connection with the meltdown in the financial sector and we are not aware of any charges being laid against anyone for the theft of these millions. It is about time that Dr. Davies substantiates these allegations or shuts up.
The Finance Minister said a great deal more in his speech to the party faithful on the weekend. He had no apologies for the expenditures which the Government made in the run-up to the recent elections to ensure the fourth term, as in his words, he was not about to stop the progress. Some commentators have characterised these expenditures as smacking of fiscal recklessness, which has now returned to haunt all of us in the widening budget deficit.
In his defence of the parliamentary salary increases Dr. Davies has spoken of politicians who end their days in poverty. The same can be said of teachers, nurses, judges and a host of other public servants. We are not aware of anyone being dragooned into service as a politician.
Some, it would seem, enter the political arena for the aura of power that it conveys and there is no evidence that we are aware of which substantiates the assumption that paying politicians well provides a guarantee against corruption.
Dr. Davies has had a long run, some ten years as Minister of Finance. His intemperate and churlish attack on the JEF would seem to indicate that the pressures of the office are beginning to get to him.
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