The Editor, Sir:

I heard the most amazing charge by a Government minister in my entire life from Minister Audley Shaw today. Minister Shaw is accusing the previous minister of finance of being responsible for this Government's agreement with teacher's wage settlement in October 2008.

I cannot believe that 13 months after the JLP's (skin of the teeth) victory in September 2007 Mr Shaw still does not realise that Mr Bruce Golding and the JLP formed the Government of Jamaica. What I also find amazing is that Mr Shaw who was so very strident during the election campaign of 2007 regarding the need to pay policemen, nurses and teachers much more than they were being paid is now the one accusing the former administration of agreeing to pay the teachers too much and causing the new administration to 'hug it up'.

I am sorry for Jamaica. Audley Shaw is still to come to terms with the nurses who were promised a doubling of their salary. Is the past administration also to be blamed for whatever is the outcome of these wage negotiations.

Administration clueless

Let us face it, Jamaica, the present administration is clueless about running the affairs of the country. They made reckless, careless and unattainable promises before the last general election, not realising that if you 'sow the wind, then you are going to reap the whirlwind".

I was minister of state in the Ministry of Finance with responsibility for the public service between 1995-2000 and I am still proud of the relationship we developed with the public servants, their unions and associations.

We built trust between the Government and their employees. This culminated with the historic MOUI between the Minister of Finance Omar Davies and the Jamaica Confed-eration of Trade Unions, representing public sector employees; then there was MOU2.

What's wrong

The fact is that Dr Davies was honest, open and clear in his presentation of the financial and economic analysis in our dialogue with the unions. All parties developed confidence in the words of each other. The competence and sincerely of those at the table were never in doubt.

What has gone wrong? Prime Minister Golding, I previously called on you to rein in members of your Cabinet for reckless and dangerous statements.

I note that we now have a new minister of national security (not that it is making much difference to the crime situation) but the reckless statements are not as blatant.

Prime minister, the economy and the public service are in crisis. Please act now before it is too late.

I am, etc.,

DONALD BUCHANAN

Treasure Beach P.O.

St Elizabeth