Thursday, December 13, 2007

Azan Made The Right Choice

Note – The previous article on Mr. Azan was posted the night of his resignation. This is a response to the resignation.

Mr. Gassan Azan’s decision to step down from the chairmanship of the Jamaica Trade and Investment agency is nothing short of noble and dignified. Without any public pressure and only a request from the opposition PNP, referencing his company’s involvement in stolen electricity from JPS, the millionaire businessman has given himself an honourable discharge and saved Jamaica’s integrity both locally and abroad.

There is no doubt that this will be an embarrassment to the Bruce Golding administration and in particular Karl Samuda, the minister who appointed Mr. Azan. There was no way for Mr. Samuda to have predicted the JPS development but I believe that he erred in judgment, by not properly doing his due diligence on Mr. Azan’s record and qualification for the top job.

With this resignation Mr. Samuda now has a second chance to make an appointment based on talent, skills, character, experience and knowledge, which is what is required to execute the mission of this very important organization. His decision to appoint must take into consideration the goals of the government to create “a better way… for a better Jamaica.” Ingrained in this goal is the process of execution, which can only be carried out by the best minds that are available. I am in no way suggesting that Mr. Azan’s mind is not good. Only that there was a misfit between the position and the personnel.

Commendations must go to Mr. Azan for his desire and willingness to serve his country. But he should have turned down the job, knowing quite well that his past has been tainted with a few unfortunate blotches (see previous post), which could have made him a liability rather than an asset in his post. Through his companies he is making a valuable contribution to the nation’s labour market, productivity and economic growth. It is sincerely hoped that he will take solace in this contribution and move forward in his other endeavours.

As mentioned previously, the government’s goal of seeking parliament’s consensus in key appointments is a wonderful step in the right direction. The people of Jamaica will be the sole beneficiary of this process and I hope haste is given to the parliamentary process.

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