May God help us

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I write in horror and incredulity after reading the articles on the troubling questions surrounding our prime minister’s financial dealings, including Trevor Munroe’s thorough dissection of ministerial ethical standards. The revelations outlined by the Integrity Commission about assets disproportionate to lawful earnings and opaque financial transfers between the prime minister’s companies have rocked my faith in the leadership of this country.

Puppa Jezas!

How is it that we find ourselves here, with the head of our Government under scrutiny? Why is there no clear and urgent accountability from someone who has, time and time again, demanded the resignation of ministers for far less?

The prime minister’s wealth, coupled with the alleged dance of inter-company transactions and tax irregularities, stinks to high heaven, and yet the silence from his office is deafening. Where is the openness and transparency that is expected of a leader, as Prof Munroe so rightly asks?

This is not just about a questionable $2-million discrepancy. This is about the trust we place in those who govern us being shattered. My own writing recently raised the issue of a profound erosion of trust in Jamaican society, and this latest scandal serves as both symptom and cause. How can we ask the citizens of this country to believe in a system where those at the top seem immune from the consequences of their actions? How can we ask young Jamaicans to believe that integrity matters when the prime minister himself refuses to take the moral path?

I commend Prof Munroe for his diligent research and clear-eyed analysis of the ministerial code, a document meant to uphold the dignity and trust of the office. We are now seeing the consequences of ignoring that code, and I fear what will follow if this issue is swept under the rug. The rot goes deep, and it must be rooted out before it destroys the very fabric of our democracy.

Jamaica deserves better. We deserve leaders who lead by example, not by duplicity.

DENNIS MINOTT