Letter of the Day | Lack of accountability stifling Jamaica

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The Gleaner editorial of December 11, ‘SSL clarity, please’ has raised the important concern about accountability. The ease with which the Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) premises had been breached–with computers/laptops stolen–in the middle of the investigation, indicates that those responsible for security were found ‘napping’ or plain negligent. The editorial says, “The reflex assumption will be that this was no random act of thievery, but an orchestrated effort by someone who either wishes to contaminate evidence, or to know what information investigators may have unearthed about the real state of the finances of the company. Either way, it is important to get to the truth.”

That last sentence, “it is important to get to the truth”, has been needling me, for too often breaches occur in events that are important but the ‘nine-day wonder’ virus kicks in and nothing happens. There is no accountability. The ‘a nuh nuttin’ mentality kicks in and, sooner or later, we forget. People’s well-earned money is involved, and a lackadaisical attitude - be it investigation or security - must not be tolerated. A similar lackadaisical attitude towards the nation’s (hence taxpayers’) money was featured in your September 26 front-page article, ‘Finance Ministry withdraws surcharge against Grace McLean, former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education’.

In this case, we are talking about “the loss of $11.2 million wrongly allocated to the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE)”. That healthy sum that could have been invested in Early Childhood Education ( a la Patterson Commission recommendations) is ‘gone with the wind’. Why? The article states, “The letter stated that the surcharge notice was withdrawn because three years had passed, hence the notice was not legally enforceable.” Just like that? And no one was held accountable! Were this a private corporation, heads would have rolled. But, with the nation’s money – the taxpayers money, mind you – “ah nuh nuttin!” Such a lackadaisical attitude and lack of accountability does not further Jamaica’s cause. Both cases referenced, i.e., the pertinent government ministries and the SSL fraud investigation, with a blasé modus operandi, perpetuate corruption! Jamaica, with limited resources, cannot afford to continue down that road. Someone must be held responsible!

MOST REV DONALD REECE

Archbishop Emeritus of

Kingston