Let us not be afraid to seek and speak the truth; it has no colour,
political allegiance or nationality. If the truth hurts a White man, do not
accuse the truth of being Black. If the truth hurts a Black man, do not accuse
it of being White. If the truth hurts the PNP, do not accuse it of being JLP, and
if the truth hurts the JLP, it must not be accused of being PNP. The truth will
make naked, those who are clothed in lies.
Since the prolific Chikungunya virus pitched on our shores, many
Jamaicans have been experiencing biting pains and nagging joint aches rendering
them immobile. When honest, sincere and concerned Jamaicans raised the alarm
and revealed the truth of this epidemic, our responsible Ministry in the person
of Minister Fergusson went on the defensive, pitched a net and resolved to
shielding the government from responsibility, by downplaying, if not outright denying
the severity of the outbreak. True to form, the
speakers of truth were branded as ‘alarmists’, and accused of ‘political
mischief making’. But, like the meshed fabric that we use in defense against
the aedes aegypti vermin, Dr. Fergusson’s covering had holes, and all Jamaicans,
except those blinded by political loyalties, could clearly see through.
In spite of reports from the Jamaica Manufacturers Association that
20,000 man hours were lost and approximately 490 persons took sick leave owing
to ailments attributed to Chik V, our esteemed Minister thought it prudent to
repeat the mantra that there were only 35 confirmed cases. In spite of the
Yallas Primary school’s alarming incident of approximately 200 students being absent
on suspicion of Chik V infection, the refrain continued like the sound you hear
from the nagging gnat that ambushes us like a thief in the day. Pharmacies are
out of paracetamol. The Opposition repeatedly called upon the government to
initiate cleaning of our drains, removal of garbage and effect fogging, among
other suggestions; they urged the government to ramp up public education and to
speak the truth of the epidemic proportions of Chik V. The erudite Dr. Kenneth
Baugh was the visible and credible voice of reason, providing information and
suggestions fitting of a proactive Minister of Health.
Efforts to educate the public and call on the government to act were not
scare tactics. Thousands are now sick and never had to be. Several of my
colleagues, clients and workers are unwell. Several Jamaicans can account for
many of their friends, family and colleagues who are also unwell. We
pussyfooted with this outbreak. If leadership was more honest, the better our
response would have been. The truth is that the authorities did not handle this
crisis well. More people will suffer unduly and more productivity will be lost.
This economy and the people of Jamaica cannot afford this kind of foul up – not
now and not anytime in the near future. Given the way in which this Chik V
outbreak has been dealt with, I shudder to think what will happen if Ebola paid
us a visit. Public Health is no joke, and must neither be treated lightly nor dealt
with as an afterthought.
I know it's hard, but please, let us not allow political allegiance and defense to blind us to evident truths. We have a problem. Hundreds of people have
presented with identical symptoms indicative of Chikungunya and our authorities
failed to lead from the front in managing this crisis. Of course, Jamaicans will
welcome and support the belated actions now being taken by the Government of Jamaica,
following the calls from Leader of the Opposition et al. But we must agree that
reactionary treatment for this public health ailment is not good enough. You
don't have to be a supporter of any political party to recognize that confidence
is lost and people are now left with greater suspicion of the authorities as
well as conspiracy theories breeding several stories and versions of how Chik V
is contracted. This causes people to be at greater risk, and is a direct result
of how this matter was handled from the beginning. Denying this or downplaying
the negative impact cannot help - it has and is likely to continue to make the
situation worse. Listening to the current defense suggesting that this outbreak
was not that bad, and that nothing wrong was done, is as painful and irritable
as the aches and rashes brought on by Chik V. The people of Jamaica
deserves better leadership; leadership that is more proactive, honest and
accountable. We cannot continue with more of the same.
Mr Frith I have seen in this blog where you have shown your colour politically. is it the government that's spreading chik v? please don't join the rabble rousing tactics that is being used by the JLP.. Manipulating the ignorance of the masses.. both political leaders lack vision, it is said when our leaders lack vision, the people perish.. this country is yet to see the leader who shall rise from the people and lead the people to unity and prosperity..
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Ubuntu. That's a powerful name/concept out of Africa. In my 37 years on this planet, I have been dealing with issues on their merit as I see them. I have been accused by other people of being a socialist, when a particular issue is highly critical of a conservative or capitalist outlook. I have also been accused of toeing the line and being non committal, when I speak in a neutral way. There is a reason I started my opening the way I did. We both know that both political parties have had & continue to have their issues that need to be unraveled, and all well-thinking Jamaicans deserve better leadership & accountability from both or all sides. What does not help, is if each time someone points out errors, bad management or negligence on the part of any responsible public official, we ignore the issues & resort to the same old characterization that the only motivation is politics. The FACT is, any Minister of Health with 2 years old information on an impending virus, has an obligation, in the nation's interest, to be proactive and ensure that people are properly briefed and action is taken to minimize the impact. That's not a JLP or PNP fact. The fact is, hundreds of people just do not believe that Chik V is mosquito borne, therefore, it impedes their precautionary measures. The MOH is responsible for ensuring public ed. Fact is, when hundreds of people were presenting with symptoms, the Minister ignored that the situation was as bad as others were suggesting. No one is accusing the Minister of bringing Chik V here, but we have a right to demand better leadership from any public official, PNP or JLP. My life's work has been to advocate for better conditions especially for marginalized people; for justice, accountability and better governance, from PNP, JLP or whomever has responsibility. The same way in we demand better leadership, we should also demand better citizenship; we cannot simply continue to ignore the merits of an issue by accusing people of showing their political colours.
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