Carolyn Cooper | Is Nigel Clarke a figurehead?

The original meaning of ‘figurehead’ is a bust or full-length carving placed at the bow of a sailing ship. According to the Royal Museums Greenwich website, “In the perilous life of an ocean-going ship, figureheads embodied the spirit of the vessel, offering the crew protection from harsh seas and safeguarding their homeward journeys.

“As such, they were often lovingly cared for by the crew. The superstitions of seamen meant that the figurehead held great significance to those on board and they would go to great lengths to protect it.” Is Nigel Clarke, minister of finance and the public service, the figurehead on the Jamaican ship of state? Apparently, not! It seems as if his ministry’s crew is not lovingly caring for him.

A few months ago, there was that Stocks and Securities Ltd (SSL) scandal. The Financial Services Commission sent a damning report on the fraudulent operations of SSL to Clarke’s office. In an article published in The Gleaner on January 28, Clarke made a shocking admission:

“I wish to make it clear, however, that the referenced report was never, ever, brought to my attention. Period. And I did not know of its existence prior to the referenced conversation on Monday night.”

Clarke’s account of the “referenced conversation” went like this: “... a member of the FSC management called me to say that a member of her team told her that the FSC would have sent a copy of a report to my office, among a bundle of other reports, consequent upon an on-site examination of SSL in June 2019.” The turn of phrase “would have sent” seems to raise the possibility that the report might not have actually been sent.

NIGEL CLARKE’S IGNORANCE

In any case, it appears as if Clarke’s crew was not going to great lengths to protect him. He further reports: “The next day, Tuesday, I asked my office to search and verify whether this was indeed the case. They did not find any such report. I personally returned to the cabinets myself, searched approximately five years worth of records and eventually found one report regarding SSL, dated June 25, 2019, which was packaged among other reports, sent by the FSC on April 3, 2020 and stamped ‘received’ by my office on April 15, 2020. This was not a report prepared for me specifically. Rather, it was a copy of an existing FSC report that the FSC uses to do its job.”

Nigel Clarke makes a spurious distinction between an FSC report prepared specifically for him and one that was not. If he held great significance to his crew, they would surely have brought to his attention any FSC report. This troubling matter of Nigel Clarke’s ignorance leads directly to the second meaning of ‘figurehead’, as defined by The Oxford Dictionary: “a nominal leader or head without real power”.

Is Nigel Clarke really in charge of his ministry? It appears as if his staff is keeping him in the dark about crucial matters. And he, in turn, appears to be hiding information from the public. Take, for instance, the business of the cost of the new currency notes. The Central Bank has declined to reveal the figure. Nigel Clarke is defending the bank’s secrecy. What is the justification for refusing to let Jamaican taxpayers know how much the bills cost? Is the figure so high that it would call into question the judgement of those who authorised the purchase?

Then, there is the other clandestine matter of the terms of reference, reports and recommendations of the consultants, EY (Ernst & Young), on the contentious issue of reclassifying the jobs of public servants and determining appropriate salary scales. A Gleaner editorial, published last Sunday, highlighted “the flaccidity of the argument the finance ministry offered” in defence of withholding information: “... projects are not yet finished, and as such, all reports are still being treated as draft documents.”

But some projects are sufficiently finished to the extent that the public now knows the exorbitant salary increase that has been recommended for members of parliament. And the comparatively low levels for many other public servants! Which projects are unfinished? And which reports are “draft documents”? Surely, Jamaican taxpayers are entitled to know the answers to these questions! Remarkably, Clarke has claimed ignorance of the fact that information is being withheld.

ADVOCATES NETWORK JAMAICA

After writing three dissenting columns on the outrageous salary increase for self-serving members of parliament, I decided to take my protest to the street. Two Thursdays ago, I joined the last of the lunchtime demonstrations organised by Advocates Network Jamaica. The email notice was compelling:

“THIS IS IT! Join us tomorrow, Thursday June 15, at National Heroes Circle (opposite the Ministry of Finance) between 12 pm and 2 pm as we host the final day of our physical protests ... this time in the form of a FUNERAL SERVICE. Come dressed in all black, ready to SHOW UP and SHOW OUT!

“We are mourning the death of high moral leadership and empathy for the suffering of Jamaicans by our political directorate and closing off our monthly advocacy action against the high salary increases for our politicians.”

It’s not too late for the Government to roll back the MPs’ immoral pay raise. Nigel Clarke can still rise above the waves of protest and become the kind of figurehead that offers protection from the harsh seas of social injustice. But, perhaps, he prefers to be a head without real power.

- Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a teacher of English language and literature and a specialist on culture and development. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com