Dawn Ritch, Columnist

That Finance Minister Omar Davies has a doctorate at all is a demonstration that he has been educated well beyond his own competence. For he is the duncest man I know. Yet, he has ministerial responsibility for Air Jamaica.

The Finance Minister on his own recognisance has sold Air Jamaica's slots at Heathrow Airport in London. He has, with untold arrogance, reduced the Cabinet of the country to a mere rubber stamp. He gave them a fait accompli. It was the first time it was being brought to their attention, but he had already given the slots and the London route to Branson's Virgin Atlantic airlines.

It should be noted that Heathrow is the world's largest and busiest airport. Airlines kill to get spots there, because they are so limited and so rare. We have had ours since 1960, and this nincompoop disposes of them without even discussing it with Cabinet or Parliament.

These slots are probably more valuable than Air Jamaica itself. Dr. Davies has given them up for a little code sharing with a maverick, newcomer airline, Virgin, which is competing against a supplier to this island of 60 years standing. I refer, of course, to British Airways, one of the biggest airlines in the world and with the broadest and deepest reach. Code sharing between that airline and Air Jamaica would mean something.

Already before aJoint Select Committee

Bear in mind that the business of Air Jamaica and its way forward is a matter before the Joint Select Committee of Parliament. It was set up to review the operations of the troubled airline. The new board and management of Air Jamaica had told this committee that it did not want to follow the Vin Lawrence (the previous Air Jamaica chairman) business plan, and would return to Parliament with another plan for the airline. In the meantime, the airline went ahead and finalised a deal with Branson to dispose of its assets.

If two deals were on the table, both the Air Jamaica board and the Finance Minister responsible had a duty to take them to Cabinet, and indeed the Joint Select Committee of Parliament considering the future of Air Jamaica. I completely agree with JLP MP Mike Henry in declaring no confidence in the administration of Air Jamaica. He quite rightly pointed out that its actions were in contempt of Parliament.

But Mr. Henry does not go nearly far enough. The minister of government responsible, Dr. Davies, should be run out of town on a rail. This man almost single-handedly destroyed the financial sector, made a nonsense of the finances of the Government-owned Sugar Company, and now on a whim and without prior authority, he has sold Air Jamaica's London route to Virgin Atlantic and kicked our Heathrow slots over to them. This is insane.

Even if we could afford as a country to buy those slots again in the future, we probably couldn't get them. His impudence knows no bounds.

Madam Prime Minister's Finance Minister wears a dunce cap. It should be glued to his head, and he be made to face the corner for the balance of his life. With him as Finance Minister, it really will be a miracle if she wins the next general election. Any fisherman would do a better job than he.

Readers will remember that the Sugar Company was once privatised to a consortium that included O.K. Melhado and Cliff Cameron. Under their stewardship, it racked up even more billions of dollars of losses. Dr. Davies was responsible for divesting it, and for taking it back when it continues to haemorrhage. All of it is shrouded in secrecy. When we finally hear the total bill for that one, it might make Air Jamaica look like small change.

That performance hardly recommended Mr. Melhado to be chairman of anything. Nevertheless, Dr. Davies made him chairman of Air Jamaica after Vin Lawrence departed. Who could imagine things could have got worse?

Whose permission?

No company, much less one owned by the people of the country, should dispose of its assets without the prior knowledge and permission of its owners. Anything less, inevitably, raises the question of hanky panky at worst, or incompetence and indecent haste at best. Neither scenario is in the least bit comforting. And why did Dr. Davies not think that the Prime Minister might like to make that decision herself? He's behaving as though he won the presidency of the PNP and not she. When will he be impeached or when will a class action be taken against this arrogant Finance Minister?

Another one whose impudence knows no bounds is Solicitor General Michael Hylton. He withdrew his application for the post of Chief Justice for reasons best known to himself. After that, the name of Zaila McCalla surfaced in this newspaper as the possible Chief Justice.

Following an address to the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's Job Creation Awards ceremony, Mr. Hylton gave the press an interview. He said Ms. McCalla was an excellent candidate for the job and that he supported her candidacy. Bear in mind that Mr. Hylton is still Solicitor General, and Ms. McCalla may become Chief Justice. The Chief Justice is the head of the judicial services and has wide powers to oversee and investigate the judiciary.

It is, therefore, unseemly and grossly inappropriate for the Solicitor General to appear publicly to be trying to curry favour with the next Chief Justice. It matters not at all what he thinks of Ms. McCalla's appointment, and still less that he 'backs the PM's choice for Chief Justice'. The best interpretation is that he is being patronising towards them both, and even that utterly fails to inspire any confidence in him. Had he not approved, it is hardly likely he would have said so.

Neither Dr. Davies nor Mr. Hylton seems in the slightest bit concerned with what appears to be the damage done to the reputation of their constitutional positions.