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Tail wagged the dog?

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Dear Editor,

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller came out publicly in defence of the former executive director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) Jennifer Edwards. This is party politics in its purest form and is disgraceful.

Articulating that it was not Edwards who lit the fire at the dump makes it clear that she does not understand the issues involved. It is also clear that she does not know that it is Edwards' responsibility to plan, organise and control the agency's activities. The PM clearly does not know that, as executive director, it is the sole responsibility of Edwards to integrate the different elements of the NSWMA and to make cross-functional decisions to effectively and efficiently run the agency.

I am hereby informing the prime minister that Edwards should have put in place a short-term strategy to properly secure the dump long ago. Also, enough time had passed for her to craft and execute a long-term strategy to put a proper fence at the dump. The money that was used to pay sweeping contractors could have been saved to fence the entire dump.

Prior to Edwards' arrival at NSWMA 95 per cent of the sweepers were directly employed to NSWMA. There were no problems then. However, Edwards contracted out the sweeping, which eventually resulted in the paying of over two times the cost.

When Portia made her comment, Edwards was on a month's extension instead of a three-year contract. After her comments Edwards' contract was not renewed. If the PM were on top of things she would have known that Edwards was not performing. The NSWMA board's decision to not renew Edwards' contract should have left the PM humiliated.

Portia defended Edwards when her own board has implied by not renewing her contract that she is unsuitable for the position and incapable. Edwards is her political friend and they may well be two of a kind.

Portia is not analytical, she does not possess the capacity, the capability and the know-how to critically analyse this nor most issues that confronts this country. Based on what Portia articulated on the behalf of Edwards and the outcome, this is definitely the tail wagging the dog.

K Campbell

St Thomas

Tail wagged the dog?

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