Lovelette Brooks and Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Writers
PUBLIC PERCEPTION of corruption within the ministry over which he presided, and repeated scandals, have sullied his image. Yet, former Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce (MITEC), Phillip Paulwell, remains unperturbed.
"These hands are clean and once these hands are clean, nothing will cause me to be sleepless for too long," he tells The Sunday Gleaner in an exclusive interview.
Under mounting pressure, last Tuesday, Paulwell resigned as the Opposition Spokesman on Mining and Energy. Kern Spencer, his junior minister in the former Ministry of Industry, Technology and Energy and Commerce, also resigned his shadow minister post.
Questions of fraud
Both men are embroiled in the controversial Cuban light-bulb distribution project which racked up a questionable $276 million distribution cost. The police Fraud Squad, the Auditor General and the Contractor General have commenced investigations into the matter which Mining and Energy Minister Clive Mullings said raised questions of fraud.
Seemingly ignited by the spirit of Michael Manley, Norman Manley, P.J. Patterson and Fidel Castro - all of whose pictures hung from a wall behind him at the People's National Party (PNP) head office in St. Andrew, Paulwell is strident in defending his record.
"There is a level of unkindness that you detect in the system from persons - some of them genuinely concerned about the perception - who are very envious of the track record, and then it makes you wonder if it is worth it," Paulwell reflects.
He would not say where this envy is coming from, but informed sources say some members in the PNP want to see the back of him. Now, Phillip Paulwell says, he is at the lowest point in his political career.
Paulwell, 45, had prime ministerial ambitions. He would not say where this ambition has gone but one thing is for sure. He will have to rise from the ashes if he is to achieve such crowning glory.
A lawyer by profession, Paulwell has been recognised by the editors of U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology Magazine as one of the 50 Most Important Blacks in Technology for 2005.
C&W deal
Another feather in his cap is that as Minister with responsibility for Telecommunications and Commerce, he revolutionised the telecommunications market in Jamaica and skilfully negotiated the end of Cable and Wireless' monopoly in Jamaica at no cost to the country - a feat for which he received the Gleaner Honour Award in 2000.
But that is the bright side to Paulwell.
Member of Parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal since 1997, and a minister of government for 10 years until the PNP fell into Opposition on September 3, 2007, Paulwell has been perceived as a problem-plagued minister.
The bulb issue is the latest in a series of demerit badge to be attached to Paulwell's ragged political garment. The first was Netserv in 2001, involving the alleged mismanagement of the Intech Fund, which was geared at promoting investment in the information communication technology sector. Then, there were the failed Goodyear call centre in St. Thomas, the cement debacle, and the Solutrea affair.
Yet, Paulwell says, he rarely has problems sleeping at nights.
"Let me put that to rest once and for all," says Paulwell, as he gets ready to respond to the question of losing millions of the country's money through bad management. "This nonsense about losing money, just look at how much money I have brought into the country!"
He points to the $3 billion in the Universal Access Fund, and $700 million in foreign direct investments due to the liberalisation of the telecoms market, as being chief among his achievements. Also thrown into the mix are numerous government policies and programmes, which, he says, have made Jamaica one of the easiest places to do business.
"Nobody can dispute that the telecoms revolution is the first phase of Jamaica re-entering the foreign direct investments market," Paulwell says, in dismissing suggestions that he is a failure.
"I can't imagine any minister working as hard as I have done in the last 10 years. Jamaica is far better off for my services, I believe," he says confidently.
Paulwell does not see himself as a liability to any government or any political movement. He says that he has a knack for complex matters and is driven by a vision to help create a better Jamaica.
"I am a risk taker and when you are a risk taker, you are going to have these things," Paulwell says, referring to the number of controversies that emerged under his ministerial watch.
Unfairly treated
He believes he has been unfairly treated by those who perceive him as being corrupt. But history, he says, will prove his detractors wrong, especially those who believe that everything he touches turns to stone.
The Sunday Gleaner suggests to him that he might have cost the PNP the September 3 general election because of the perception that he is corrupt in the wake of the disclosure of the controversial sale of a telecoms licence to Solutrea. But, again, Paulwell says that the perception is false.
"History will judge me for who I am. If you look at the polls, corruption and scandals did not cause us to lose the election," he states. "There are two main things that caused us to lose: free education and the hurricane."
"But I have a philosophy. The good that you do is always going to come to the fore at some point in time. I think people will eventually recognise the achievements, and whatever blemish there might be will pale in significance when you look at the overall track record. I do believe that I have a proud record to defend," the embattled Paulwell says.
But what of the light-bulb programme, the latest of the controversies?
"I assigned it to my junior minister. I think he has meant well in terms of his stewardship. I am looking forward to the day when both the Contractor General and Auditor General can establish that the funds were spent properly. And if there is wrongdoing, (let) the chips fall where they may.
"But I am absolutely confident that there can be no attachment of any wrongdoing," Paulwell states emphatically.
