Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States of America, was once asked what he thought of William Taft’s performance. Taft was the 27th president of America. Roosevelt famously replied, “I am sure he means well, but he means well, feebly.”

Roosevelt was severely disappointed with Taft. Several renowned presidential historians say Taft made several critical and costly errors which seriously strained relations with America’s closest partners, Canada in particular, and that his divisive leadership style alienated many liberal Republicans who later formed the Progressive Party, which effectively split support for the Republicans in the 1912 presidential election.

Several scholars say this division facilitated victory for the Democrats, and Woodrow Wilson, America’s 28th president. Some noted political scholars say Taft failed miserably in the departments of foresight and statesmanship. He succeeded, they say, in the arenas of grasping after political mileage and self-aggrandisement. “History rhymes,” said American writer Mark Twain. Twain’s wise words are not just true/applicable for America.

Local Rhyming

I said here, among other things, last Sunday, “I believe the passage of Beryl is also an opportunity for all well-thinking Jamaicans to stop and take stock of what some of our leaders are offering as a future. I believe the best time to contemplate and plan for the future of one’s country is in the midst of massive dislocation caused by man-made and/or natural disasters. I am convinced that the future of this country has to continue along the present path of modernisation.”

Reportage in this newspaper and other credible media last week proved my sentiments to be timely. Opposition leader and People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding, Senator Peter Bunting, and others including some who are hankering for State power covertly, made utterances which were alarmingly short-sighted. What do I mean by some who are grabbing for State power covertly? I am referring to some people, for example, who wear the cloak of civil society champions. They do not declare their political affiliations, yet their pronouncements are nearly always perfectly aligned with those of the Opposition. Their masquerade is transparent, except maybe to the conveniently blind and those who wear similar disguises. I will say more another time.

Anyway, I am steadfast that the passage of Hurricane Beryl is a very good opportunity for all well-thinking Jamaicans to stop and take stock. Are our leaders offering practical and fully-funded solutions to long-standing problems related, for example, to natural disasters? Are they simply posing for the cameras? Are they behaving like statesmen or avaricious political wolves “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8)?

Feebly

Following a tour of Portland Cottage, Rocky Point, and Mitchell Town in Clarendon last weekend, Golding upbraided the Government on its management of the recovery effort. He was very careful to distance himself from “the Government”, until he spoke to the prudent financial provisions which have been put in place by the Andrew Holness-led Administration to assist in more speedy recovery, especially in cases of natural disasters.

Said Golding: “We have various financial instruments which have been put in place to provide resources for disasters. And we need for those to be drawn down quickly. And then they need to be distributed in the appropriate way, so that the people here will start to feel the help on the ground.” (Nationwide News Network, July 8, 2024)

Here Golding speaks about “we”, as in Government, which includes the Administration and the Opposition. Why? As I see it, because he figures he can hopefully squeeze some political mileage. Is this statesmanship? I think not. Is this the kind of leadership needed going forward? No! Give credit where credit is due, my late grandfather used to tell me.

Magnanimity is a winning political strategy. Some who seek high and low political office just do not get that. Why? They are high on political aggrandisement, I believe.

Don’t be fooled

Several Sundays ago I noted here that the “pricking of political blood”, a term coined by British politician Roy Jenkins, was not always wise. I don’t believe the PNP and Mark Golding understand this.

There are some in the Opposition who would want us to believe that the loss of important amenities do not happen in especially developed countries during natural disasters.

Consider this: ‘Millions without power after Beryl batters Houston’.
The New York Times item of July 8, 2024 said: “At least four people were killed in the city, and officials warned that it could take days to restore electricity.”

Consider this too: “Beryl leaves millions of Texans without power as dangerous heat descends on the region’.

“Restoring power to millions of Texans slammed by the deadly and destructive storm Beryl could take days or even weeks, posing a dangerous scenario for residents who will not have air conditioning as sweltering heat settles over the state.

“Beryl slammed into southern Texas as a Category 1 hurricane Monday, knocking out power to more than 2.5 million homes and leaving at least eight people dead in Texas and Louisiana.

“More than 2.2 million people throughout Texas were still without power Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.” (CNN, July 9, 2024)

No one has the power to shout abracadabra and return electricity, water, Internet, and other amenities in any country.

There are some, too, who would want us to believe that if they were at Jamaica House that impossibility would be possible. Rubbish!

No one can wave any magic wand and return services post a severe weather system like Beryl.

I am not discounting for a single moment that dozens of Jamaicans without the mentioned amenities as a consequence of the passage of Beryl are hurting. I accept that we have a reasonable right to expect speedy resumption. Here is a crucial reality, though, which I believe all well-thinking Jamaicans understand: Resumption of critical services takes time, and the most important input which makes quick resumption possible is human beings. They have families. They are feeling the pinch too. Does 89 Old Hope understand this reality?

Those who are using dislocation by Beryl to seek political mileage via the spinning of false hopes and, in some instances, the spewing of false compassion which exploits the vulnerabilities of people do not mean this country any good. Again they have shown who they are. We must believe them.

Quick and Careful

As I said here last Sunday, we must take the long view in the rebuilding process. Yes, we need to repair and build back fast, but as Prime Minister Andrew Holness said last week we also must simultaneously build back in a sustained manner.

Speaking with journalists Holness pointed out that the hurricane season had just started. He noted too that, while we hope and pray no more damaging weather systems hit Jamaica, we best prepare for that possibility based on the projections of scientists.

These comments in particular by the prime minister grabbed my attention: “I understand that we are in an emergency, but an emergency does not suspend the need for accountability and transparency. So even in an emergency situation there will be a process…

“Every recipient of government assistance will need to provide a signature and valid identification to ensure all government funds can be accurately tracked to their intended beneficiaries, preventing misuse or diversion.” (Jamaica Observer, July 7, 2024)

Recall the Zinc Scandal. An insightful two-part article by then former prime minister of Jamaica and distinguished fellow at The University of the West Indies (UWI) and chancellor, University of Technology, Jamaica, (UTech), Edward Seaga, in this newspaper, chronicled the corrupt manner in which zinc was used to secure political favour and votes to win the local government election of 1990.

Seaga wrote, among other things: “The outgoing JLP [Jamaica Labour Party] Government in 1989 left behind $400 million of zinc imported for the relief of the victims of Hurricane Gilbert. This was to be distributed according to the needs of all hurricane victims prepared from impartial surveys carried out by the Jamaica Defence Force and other agencies of Government. No sooner had the PNP taken office than they ignored the official list of beneficiaries and began the corrupt distribution of the zinc to supporters and gang members on both sides to implicate both parties, while the hurricane victims remained roofless.

Political activists became dealers in zinc and drove a zinc factory (GI Industries) out of business. Zinc was used instead of money to bribe voters in the 1990 Local Government Election and even a jail sentence could not prevent a PNP activist being released from prison to sell zinc and speak on an election platform in 1990. The smell of the zinc scandal was so high that a commission of enquiry under Ombudsman EG Green was set up to look into the scandal. It produced no concrete evidence of what had transpired; no one was made to answer to the courts, but Green turned out pages of baroque prose blaming Government for excessive importation of zinc without laying blame on the corrupt transaction.” (Jamaica Observer, March 30, 2019)

We must strenuously and democratically resist the temptation of some to trap us into their snare of an unusable past. Prime Minister Holness is right. Let us work “quick and fast”, as we say in the streets, but let us also ensure that we carry out the restoration in an above board manner. I expect some will even interpret transparency as corruption. They like that.

Earned Self-credit

Compared to other countries that were hit by Beryl we are advancing creditably. Nearly 100 per cent of roads blocked during the hurricane have been reopened by the National Works Agency (NWA) and their partners. The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has projected that some 97 per cent of customers would have got back electricity by yesterday. And this bit of good news from the Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke should make us feel proud: “Hurricane Beryl has triggered the Government of Jamaica’s Tropical Cyclone Policy with the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) with a payment of approximately US$16.3 million or approximately $2.5 billion.” (The Gleaner, July 8, 2024)

This means we do not have to go cap in hand to anyone/country, as was the modus operandi of the past. Jamaica is headed in the right direction.