Gross indiscretion!

Rev Dr Alvin Bailey, presiding Bishop of the Holiness Christian Church in Jamaica, has criticised the Government for not optimising the opportunities to convince the Jamaican public to adhere to the established COVID-19 protocols and to get vaccinated, amid the alarming rise in the number of persons dying from the virus.

Being careful to declare that his views were personal – and not representative of the church community as a whole – Bishop Bailey said Prime Minister Andrew Holness has shown gross indiscretion in many of his decisions, which has resulted in deaths and irreversible damage to the local economy. He said that among the ill-advised decisions taken by the Government, under the leadership of the prime minister, have been the reopening of the country’s borders too soon and facilitating national events, a number of which have been hosted by privately owned entities.

In a scathing criticism of the leadership of the country, Bishop Bailey said: “Notwithstanding all the missteps, the prime minister continues to project himself as acting on behalf of all citizens by declaring partial lockdown measures that do not reflect consultation with known, competent non-governmental organisations and qualified local experts, who continue to voice their recommendations, to which Mr Holness seems to show scant regard.”

According to Bishop Bailey, it is discouraging and demotivating to those outside of the government service whose efforts to support the control of the virus are not recognised in the regular updates given through national broadcasts and press releases. He said what is of significance, also, is the number of Jamaicans who are being infected by COVID-19 and do not have access to early intervention or the public health system, resulting in serious illnesses and deaths not being reported.

INFLUENTIAL GROUP

“It is also imperative that the Government acknowledges the efforts of the church community in the promotion of the vaccine, as one of the most influential groups and loudest non-government voice. In fact, the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches represents over 96 per cent of Christians locally, and hundreds of churches islandwide have made their facilities available as vaccine centres, yet that fact is not included in the updates,” said Bishop Bailey.

He went on to say that, in addition, many social media seminars have been conducted by Christian experts, among them doctors who have been providing medical advice and answers to questions from church members and other interested persons. “Yet, no mention is made of this,” Bishop Bailey noted.

The head of the Holiness Christian Church went on to say that many private doctors were doing independent work in saving hundreds of lives by using other methods and medications. And they, too, have not been acknowledged publicly.

“The prime minister’s seemingly self-serving and ‘profiling’ announcements have resulted in a non-compliant response from the general public to the COVID-19 initiatives, and this is becoming an embarrassment to the leader and his Government,” Bishop Bailey said.

“The prime minister needs to play the role of leader of the nation and allow ministers of government to take the lead for their respective portfolios, to ensure that the COVID-19 protocols are applied as relevant. At present, the areas of crime and violence, social services, agriculture and tourism are not reflecting an optimum response to the COVID-19 crisis. Against this background, it is my view that where any minister is proving incompetent, Mr Holness should consider the recourse of reshuffling his Cabinet,” he noted.

“The time has come for the Government to formally include and incorporate other private-sector stakeholders and interventions from medical experts and the Opposition, if [the] Government [wants to] show sustained seriousness about enforcing COVID-19 protocols aimed at saving lives and bringing the country back to some order,” he noted.