Last Sunday’s analysis of NaRRA’s purpose generated more than usual amount of feedback.
A Jamaican/American/German Attorney, born and nurtured here but migrated in 1977 and runs a Florida family law practice, e-mailed me:
“I enjoyed your 18 October Gleaner column very much. You are spot on. NaRRA is being used by JLP for election purposes in the next general election. The sluggish pace of movement is truly astounding…..
“As for Major General Anderson’s huge compensation package I wonder what government will do when future wage negotiations start for public sector workers such as police, teachers, doctors, nurses and civil servants. All those workers will want their ‘market value’ too.”
He raises a very intriguing point about future public sector wage negotiations (Lammy, are you there?) which I’ll address later.
Naturally, there was also negative feedback. Online Gleaner attracted acerbic comment from a regular contributor (handle XAMYCA):
“If we are to take the cost of rental seriously….that somehow paying $116Million per year on rental in (sic) somehow avoidable and not the best option of spending public money, then we must firstly attack and address EXISTING RENTALS (sic) agreements in EXCESS or of SIMILAR amounts.”
Like where? Which public agency?
“Money is money so it matters not who is renting where the SAME RATIONALE would apply.”
No it doesn’t. Private entities are entitled to spend their money as they like. Public agencies have constraints.
“..let’s begin with those 6 PLUS agencies whose current rental exceeds that reported for NaRRA if we are really SERIOUS about spending public money.”
I apologize on XAMYCA’s behalf to readers as confused as I by the almost incoherent rant about rent. I apologize to XAMYCA in advance if I’ve misunderstood XAMYCA’s point which I’ll try to summarize. XAMYCA seems to be asserting the rental rate was commensurate with similar rentals therefore ok.
XAMYCA’s unsupported, unspecified rental comparisons presumes offices in Kingston and two floors of high-rise space in a work-from-home era are essential to monitor/speed up reconstruction work in St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland. If that’s why XAMYCA is discontented with my column then I’m forced to describe it as utter rubbish. In fact, if NaRRA’s true purpose is to hurry up Melissa recovery and not, as I surmise, to win the next election for JLP by circumventing public service procurement rules to hurry up legacy projects, then Kingston would be the worst location for its headquarters.
As another well-known correspondent (who I’m certain prefers to remain anonymous) wrote to me: “one might have thought that a better/more strategic site for its operational base would be Mandeville. That town is basically half-way between Kingston and the zone of destruction, so site visits etc would be more easily deployed from there and physical check-ins with Kingston would only be an hour’s drive.”
Let the congregation say Amen! Oh, and btw, rent is cheaper in Manchester, especially Mandeville, than Kingston.
As I wrote before, everything about the creation, staffing and location of NaRRA points to Melissa reconstruction being its excuse NOT true purpose. The more likely reason for rushing to secure a Kingston location would be to stay close to Jamaica House NOT close to the areas needing Melissa-inspired reconstruction. The 40-million-dollar man said NaRRA will oversee Hermitage Dam expansion and Kingston’s sewage system upgrade.
Melissa who?
XAMYCA continued:
“It’s true govt. could buy land and build their own offices….it probably would cost more than $600Million UP FRONT and become available in TWO YEARS at quickest…not to mention the cost to maintain, repair….etc the building EVERY YEAR. It is for these reasons why Jamaica has been in a financial/fiscal hellhole for decades….we’ve had too many lawyers doing our mathematics…and following too many politicians who have no knowledge of accounting or finance. For example $116Million today isn’t $116Million one, two, three, four or five years from now. LOL!!!!”
XAMYCA moralized that expenditure would’ve been greater had Government constructed and maintained its own building.
But NOBODY suggested Government should buy land and build offices. Still, contrary to XAMYCA’s fuzzy math, it’s always more economical to buy than rent. Assets’ value increases. Rent is flushed down a swirling waste collector.
XAMYCA wasn’t done:
“It’s SILLY to argue $40Million is ‘too much’ for NaRRA’s CEO…or the nonsensical argument that $40Million could go a far way in helping hurricane victims…as if the CHOICE is between NaRRA (a multi-billion rebuilding program) vs repairing houses for storm victims…which is NOT the case. The COST of a CEO for NaRRA would have been decided BEFORE the current holder was hired…and the question would be ‘How much pay would be necessary to attract the high quality managers required to lead the organization’…not whether $40Million is too much…Too much is relative.”
Sigh. XAMYCA again flees when no one pursueth. I wrote not one word suggesting $40 million salary was “too much” or would be better spent directly with hurricane victims. So who is XAMYCA quoting?
Not me.
But I did call his salary “a small fortune”. Because, in the public sector, it is!
Lookie here: Governor-General’s salary is approximately $35 million per year. After recent public sector salary reforms
PM’s basic salary approximately $28.5 million per year;
Cabinet Ministers $22.8 million;
MPs $14.2 million;
There was hue and cry when parliamentary salaries increased. No MP’s, after 200-300% increase, or public servant’s salary entered the neighbourhood of $40 million per year basic pay.
DPP’s annual salary range $17.7-20 million;
Top-tier civil servants’ (e.g. Permanent Secretaries/Senior Executives) range $14-18.7 million;
After public sector compensation restructuring, major statutory bodies/public corporations’ top executives’ basic pay ranges $13.9-$18.8 million; up from $9 million;
UDC head earns $13-18 million basic pay. NWA’s CEO earns about $17-17.5 million basic.
Is $40 million per year “too much”? You tell me.
Regarding XAMYCA’s speculation about salary fixing timing, what about timing of deciding who’d be CEO and the recruitment process? Those were as transparent as mud. We’re told 85 applicants were reduced to 7 shortlisted but Government refused to divulge names, qualifications, experience, gender or residence of the other 84 (or 6).
On April 24, addressing a Jamaica House launch of World Bank’s Report on Digital Financial Inclusion and Transformation in Jamaica, Andrew Holness told the gathering what NaRRA was created to do. According to J.I.S:
“Melissa has forced reconstruction of roads, schools, health facilities and housing at a scale that would otherwise have taken decades…. The question is whether we do this with the systems and standards of the past or whether we use this moment to embed digital infrastructure, resilient design and modern governance into the foundations of the Jamaica we are building forward. That is the obligation of leadership – to ensure the Jamaica which emerges from this is stronger, more connected, and more prepared than the one that existed before Melissa,”
Catch the rake? “Melissa” begins and ends this excerpt but is a mere smokescreen for a plan to “use this moment to embed digital infrastructure, resilient design and modern governance into the foundations of the Jamaica we are building.” NaRRA’s mission is a mirage! In reality, it’s agent of PM’s oft expressed impatience with bureaucracy’s reliance on procurement rules.
Is there any doubt Government intends to destroy the bureaucracy worse than Melissa devastated western Jamaica; substitute political whimsy; thus placing Jamaica’s civil service and governance in mortal danger?
Not after J.I.S’s further report of PM’s NaRRA explanation:
“NaRRA will function as the central coordinating authority for post-hurricane reconstruction, designed to eliminate bureaucracy, reduce fragmentation, and prevent project delays.”
But the “central coordinating authority for post-hurricane reconstruction” is headquartered at the other end of Jamaica in luxurious high-rise accommodations costing $500 million rent; run by a CEO paid the highest salary in the public service by a mile and a furlong; unencumbered by a supervisory Board, genuine oversight save, perhaps, by PM (who wasn’t given a heads-up about the rental); is granted legislative authority to circumvent government procurement rules and “designed to eliminate bureaucracy”.
All this to speed up recovery from a hurricane that left a year ago? If that’s so, you can call me Pearl.
Peace and Love.
Gordon Robinson is an attorney at law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com
