Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter
ADVISERS, CONSULTANTS and special ambassadors employed in the public service are now defending their posts following a call by Audley Shaw, the Opposition's Spokesman on Finance to downsize some of the 50 posts costing taxpayers some $95 million annually.
Mr. Shaw alleged last week that many of the consultancy posts were being used as political grub for persons close to the governing People's National Party (PNP).
When The Sunday Gleaner tried reaching some of these consultants which include well-known PNP ex-parliamentarians such as Arnold Bertram, Phyllis Mitchell, Marjorie Taylor, David Coore, Q.C., and Canute Brown many of them were either un-reachable at the relevant ministries they are assigned to, or did not return the calls.
When the adviser/consultant attached to the Ministry of Education, Sonia Clarke, was contacted, Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson came out in sharp defence of her only adviser/consultant.
"I am entitled to special assistants and special advisers," she explained on Friday. "I have been very scrupulous. We do more than our fair share of work and we need help. I can't spend my time correcting letters when they are not written properly," said Mrs. Henry-Wilson.
She pointed out that the situation with the consultants/advisers and the Opposition calling for a trimming of the number of consultants has made some people uneasy in their jobs.
"People feel there is a witch-hunt going on," she adds. "I have one adviser/consultant right now. I am entitled to more but I have only one. I have been scrupulous to make sure I do not abuse my office."
However, others such as Rudyard Brown, who is one of 18 advisers/consultants employed to the Office of the Prime Minister, defended their jobs.
Mr. Brown, who is a Category 3 consultant earning just over $1.2 million annually plus allowances, maintains that his post is a legitimate one and "not a political appointment".
"I do my job, I am here everyday and I work very hard for my money, my job relates to communities. I work with some individuals, I deal with welfare. I deal with many things," he said, explaining at one point during the interview that he could be considered as general help of some sorts.
Senior adviser to the Prime Minister on science and technology, Dr. Arnoldo Ventura, who earns just under $2 million plus allowances clearly defined his role and responsibility of overseeing scores of science and technology units islandwide among other duties.
"The science and technology adviser's office is indispensable to the future of Jamaica," said Mr. Ventura, who believes on the contrary that he is being "significantly underpaid", compared with persons with similar responsibilities in his field.
Despite the reactions and the fears, however, Jamaica Confe-deration of Trade Unions (JCTU) vice-president, Senator Dwight Nelson, pointed out that "there certainly needs to be some trimming somewhere".
"As the Opposition has said, it smacks of providing unnecessary employment for cronies. In fact, I am looking at a list of all the consultants and advisers and when, I look at it a lot of them they are political candidates that have been rejected by the electorate," said Senator Nelson.
"All of them are being paid in excess of a million dollars and this is really a shame considering the financial constraints that the Government has explained," he added.
The Government is currently forking out more than $95 million per annum for consultancy fees, including $12 million for ex-parliamentarians connected to the governing People's National Party (PNP).
The information is contained in answers to questions tabled in the House on Tuesday, showing the salaries and job descriptions of the more than 50 consultants, special advisers and ambassadors em-ployed to the Government. The answers were tabled by Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, in response to questions posed by Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) spokesman on Finance, Audley Shaw.
Mr. Shaw argued in parliament last week that there is heavy duplication in the functions of many of these persons and in appointing them to consultancy posts the leadership of the governing party was providing jobs for their friends.
As far as he is concerned, said Mr. Shaw, "this list of consultants can be cut by half."
