Gordon Robinson | Resignations do not solve the problems

The PNP seems determined to turn a once great political party into a persistently puerile poppy show.

2022 could easily be declared Call for Ministers Resignation Year. On August 16, after news of increased teacher migration, PNP education spokesman (oops, sorry, “spokesperson”) Damion Crawford was quoted by The Observer:

“You can change the person or the person can change, so if the minister at current is incapable to get greater vigour and vim and vitality as it relates to the management of the education system, if she is incapable to exert the energy and interest and excitement that it demands, then the minister needs to change.”

On August 20, PNP ex-senator Wensworth Skeffery called for Fayval Williams to resign because in his opinion, “She has no clue about education.”

Then, in late September, Fayval supported a principal’s right to her opinion about long-skirted uniforms. Howls for her resignation came from multiple PNP sources and intensified in early October.

Horace Chang has been a regular on PNP hit lists. On September 15, he was accused of telling police to shoot to kill. His actual words were” “Any time a man tek up a gun against a police, I expect commissioner to train them - when him fire,him mustn’t miss”. The PNP summoned an urgent press conference to call for Horace’s resignation.

He must be accustomed to this by now. At a media briefing on January 25, Mark Golding opened the year with a call for Horace’s resignation. Mark said then that 15.5 per cent increase in murders over the 24 days then completed in 2022 meant that Chang’s tenure had been “an abject failure”.

Holy Hyperbole, Batman!

As at August 14, the year-over-year increase was three per cent. Does this mean that the opposition leader has no clue about national security and should resign?

By October 31, there came yet another call for Chang’s resignation, this time, from the PNP-affiliated Patriots, who considered Chang’s dismissal to be the correct response to the “ increase in murders rocking the nation”.

Sigh.

October opened with PNP chairman (oops, sorry, “chairperson” is the politically correct status symbol so please don’t #MeToo me) Angela Brown-Burke calling for Karl Samuda’s resignation because some farm workers in Canada alleged mistreatment and Samuda too swiftly dismissed their claims.

According to CVM TV, Brown-Burke “questions the minister’s alleged negligence in the matter” and “she says while she’s pleased investigations have been launched into the complaints, it’s simply not enough … She is again calling for the minister’s resignation”.

What was the Opposition’s allegation? Negligence! Samuda spoke too quickly without getting the facts. So what would Angela Brown-Burke say to a leader of the Opposition who browbeats a PM for demolishing illegal construction and threatens a meritless lawsuit apparently without first getting the facts from his own PNP constituency MP who first complained to the PM about the illegal squatters and supported the demolition action? Should the opposition leader resign?

TUFTON’S TURN

On September 25, I tried to help the PNP avoid becoming a bad joke:

“Lookie here, folks. The PM has a pool of about 50 candidates (lucky to have so many) to fill his Cabinet … If he fires every minister who misspeaks or makes an honest error, who will replace that minister?

“Since PMs are barred from selecting from the available pool of three million Jamaicans, it’s arrant nonsense to call for Cabinet resignations unless you suspect a minister of being involved in or facilitating corruption. Absent that, can we have a civilised conversation with ministers with whom we disagree but with whom many Jamaicans agree without knee-jerk calls for sackings?”

The PNP wasn’t deterred. Now it’s Chris Tufton’s turn.

In July, seven confirmed neo-natal deaths occurred at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) due to bacterial infection. The Health Ministry/VJH introduced infection-control measures. Reported deaths were two in August, two more in September, and one in October. Clearly, the outbreak was handled effectively.

So let’s see exactly of what Tufftimes is accused. Apparently, he was informed of the outbreak in late August but made no public statement (unusual for the Market Me expert) nor did he brief Cabinet until the “story” was broken by a radio station on October 26.

The PNP immediately reverted to default mode. Chatty Chatty General Secretary Dayton Campbell, apparently relegating opposition spokesman (there I go again - I meant “Spokesperson”) on health the always unruffled, level-headed Morais Guy, to a spectator, “described Tufton’s acceptance of the deaths of the babies and their families’ trauma as ‘callous and unacceptable’.” (Loop News).

Oh dear. Did Chatty Chatty hear Tuftimes say something uncaring to the families? Is “acceptance” that dead babies died “callous and unacceptable”? Why was Morais sidelined? Does he agree with this “boy-crying-wolf” caricature created whenever ministerial error or misstatement is perceived?

Christ on a crutch, where does the politicking end?

Chatty Chatty went on:

“While neonatal mortality due to infection isn’t uncommon, a 43 per cent mortality rate is alarming and people must be held accountable for this massive death toll.”

Let’s try to ignore the abuse of statistics. Why is Tufftimes “accountable for this massive death toll”? How many did he cause to die? How?

NOW I GET IT

Ah, dead babies! Now I get it. PNP is still livid over the treatment meted out to Fenton “Fenky-Fenky” Ferguson when babies died from the same bacteria and he callously declared they weren’t babies in a real sense. So, Chatty Chatty couldn’t resist mentioning “ministers of previous Government administrations have lost their portfolios for neonatal deaths with far lower mortality rates.” (Loop News)

Political tit-for-tat trumps reason. But Fenky-Fenky’s tat wasn’t mortality rates. It was insensitive statements. Tufftimes’ tit (accused of silence NOT cruel speech) isn’t equal to Fenky-Fenky’s tat.

When Fenky-Fenky fell on his sword, I wrote a satirical column, “The Essence of Illusion ” (December 6, 2015) criticising JLP Opposition for running around yelling “dead babies” instead of focusing on the real issue:

“Proper debate post-mortem would expose PNP’s three-card trick of simply substituting new political hacks on boards for old without spending a dollar more improving healthcare.”

I advised the Opposition JLP: “Instead of dogmatically pursuing ‘dead babies’ sound bites … could’ve asked ‘What next? Fire doctors?’”

Swept away by his own verbal diarrhoea, Chatty Chatty amended his call for “accountability” from “for this massive death toll” to accountability for not informing Cabinet or the public about the outbreak.

Yes, Tufftimes should’ve briefed Cabinet. But, I understand why, when Cabinet is wrestling with so many seemingly intractable issues, he’d decide not to add this to the list when it was already addressed effectively at the local level. This could also be a reaction to the times he seemed to disagree with Cabinet on pandemic policy. Although he never said so explicitly, he was careful to credit “Cabinet led by Andrew Holness” with unpopular decisions.

Allegations of “cover-up” are ludicrous. If 12 babies died, then at least 12 sets of parents and grandparents knew, plus innumerable healthcare workers. Any attempt at cover-up would be foolish, and nobody has ever accused Tufftimes of being foolish.

Why encourage extensive alarm with the matter already under control?

WHY RISK CHAOS?

The first day a COVID case was announced,, parents descended on schools in swarms to retrieve children. COVID was infamous worldwide before arriving here. Bacterial outbreaks are regular, if not often so, deadly occurrences in hospitals. Based on Tufftimes’ when-did-I-know the timeline (which does look ‘a way’), the outbreak wasn’t then an existential or any threat. Why risk chaos?

On the other hand, the PNP, seemingly, has no difficulty wreaking widespread panic in pursuit of political gain as Chatty Chatty mounted a pathetic public protest outside of the Spanish Town Hospital based on unfounded rumour (SERHA has emphatically denied any newborn deaths there from bacterial infection). He also threatened more local- level protests as local government elections loom. Sad. But that’s where the PNP’s political compass has directed its decline.

Let’s calm down and avoid frenzied crisis creation. But we must address systemic issues that include the dismal way healthcare is funded and resourced in Jamaica.

In a response to critics published in The Gleaner (October 31), Tufftimes himself adverted to one of the glaring problems, namely: the JLP introduced the no-user-fee policy.

He wrote:

“Managing public health in Jamaica is a challenging task. The neglect we have seen over the years, the underinvestment, the system that allows for free healthcare without distinguishing those who can pay from those who cannot, and the massive staff migration have made the task of providing proper healthcare very difficult.”

You might have missed it because it was hidden in plain sight. But these are some of the problems for which the Opposition should be proposing solutions. Running around like chickens with their heads cut off screaming “Resign! Resign!” accomplishes nothing but providing fillers for media newscasts.

Jamaica needs and deserves more.

Peace and Love!

- Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com