IN KEEPING with the best traditions of the Westminster model, two ministers in the Barbados Government should do the honourable thing and resign.
If I was Minister of Education Ronald Jones, I would place my resignation at the disposal of the Prime Minister for my abysmal failure to manage the impasse between the principal and the majority of teachers at Alexandra School.
I would be ashamed that I had knowledge of the serious fracture in the relationship between the principal and teachers, and how that was impacting the St Peter school, yet did little to defuse it.
I would be hurt that my ministry’s inaction on the recommendations made in an independent institutional inspection of the school, reportedly delivered to my ministry last April, was ignored. This led to the teachers taking matters into their own hands and withholding their services for 15 days.
When I reflect on my Prime Minister’s words that the impasse “should not have got to this stage”, and his calls on my ministry to “take hold of [the institutional] report and do all the things that need to be done based on the recommendations contained in it”, I would have conclusive evidence that my boss is not happy with my performance in this matter.
Beg for forgiveness
I would have to apologize to the students and their parents too.
To the children, I would have to beg for their forgiveness for making them lose three full weeks of tuition in a term when sports events tend to decrease the teaching hours available.
As for the parents, I would say sorry for not taking the lead as they would have expected me, as a Cabinet minister, to do. I would further explain why it was so important that I remained overseas so long in the midst of this dispute, instead of urgently returning here and trying to resolve it.
I would also ask my Cabinet colleagues for forgiveness for allowing this matter to be blown up to the point where people began to question not only the effectiveness of my ministry but the Government as a whole.
Most of all, if I was Ronald Jones I would realize that I did not live up to the high standards I usually set myself.
Would ask why
I would therefore ask myself why this happened. How could I have allowed this situation to frustrate me as it did, to the point that I initially turned it over to the Prime Minister, and after he put it back into my lap, I remarked: “If I was able to tell you [when the impasse will be resolved], I will be able to tell you when Christ is coming back”.
If I was Prime Minister Freundel Stuart I would not only be expecting the resignation of Jones to be placed at my disposal, I would also be wondering if my Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler would consider doing the same thing.
I would have to ask Sinckler how he could be quoted as saying that the social security systems of Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines were going to invest in the Four Seasons project, only to have those countries’ prime ministers – Roosevelt Skerrit and Dr Ralph Gonsalves – deny this.
As the country’s leader, I would ask my minister if he realizes that people take him at his word, therefore anything he says in public must be accurate as a rebuttal makes him, and by extension the Government, look bad.
Public action rare
I believe there is little likelihood of either of these scenarios playing out, because though we practise many aspects of the Westminster system of government, our leaders rarely discipline their ministers publicly for gaffes with dismissal.
Usually when a minister messes up the worst public action taken against him or her is that they are reshuffled.
The exception to this was when George Payne and Liz Thompson were fired by Prime Minister Owen Arthur.
In the case of Jones and Sinckler, the Prime Minister should discipline both as their level of responsibility is such that they cannot have fundamental errors occur under their watch and be allowed to stay in place without public sanction.
If the public are to have confidence in Stuart’s leadership, and his Government’s ability to get the awesome job needed to steer this country through the treacherous economic waters that exist today, they must believe that his ministers can do what they are paid to do.
This is essential!
However, given the closeness of the next general election and the pivotal role both Jones and Sinckler play, it is unlikely anything would be done to cause any ripples within the ruling Democratic Labour Party at this time.
Hopefully, both these gentlemen would have recognized their shortcomings in these recent matters and will strive to ensure that such mistakes are not made again. I live in hope.
• Sanka Price is the WEEKEND NATION and SATURDAY SUN editor. Email him [email protected].
