What is happening in the Ministry of Finance?

I thought the good Minister of Finance recently stated that the reason he was not a part of the IMF discussions in Washington was because those discussions were preliminary. By stating that “the minister is not involved at such a preliminary stage,” the Finance Minister, by implication, suggested that he would get involved at a later stage — when things would no longer be… uhm… “preliminary!” This was the response he gave at a campaign stop to questions presented by the Leader of the Opposition and Dr. Omar Davies.

If those statements were true, then what is this I’m reading (in the “Latest News” section of the Gleaner) that the minister has obtained approval from Cabinet to resume borrowing from the IMF? Did the minister participate in discussions with the IMF after Wehby and the technical team returned from Washington? If not, is the Minister now making decisions based on “preliminary” information?

Also, if the minister did not participate in the IMF negotiations, and they were handled by (the very competent) Senator Wehby, what was the purpose of Mr. Shaw’s spiel? Was he concerned about the need for a “responsible Opposition” or was he trying to save face because the Opposition pointed out to the nation that the bright young Senator was the Prime Minister’s choice to represent Jamaica in these negotiations?

Why do our politicians spend so much time trying to save face (and protect political capital) instead of using their energies to address the problems at hand?