Dawes apologises to McKenzie after age remark sparks uproar at Standing Finance Committee

Opposition Spokesperson on Health and Wellness, Dr Alfred Dawes, has issued an apology to West Kingston Member of Parliament Desmond McKenzie for commenting on his age during last week’s sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament.

Dawes offered his “unreserved and unqualified” apology to McKenzie in a video posted to his TikTok account yesterday.

“I made a remark during a heated exchange with Minister Desmond McKenzie. That remark referred to his age, and although I privately apologised to him, which he accepted, I still think that it is necessary to offer a public apology, as it was out of character and it is not following the principle which I subscribe to of ‘first, do no harm’,” he said.

McKenzie, a prominent figure in Jamaican politics, is 73 years old and has served in national and local governance for more than two decades.

He is currently the Minister of Local Government and Community Development.

The rumpus occurred while Dawes was pressing Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, who was before the committee, about whether the chief executive officer at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) would be resuming his post after returning from vacation.

UHWI’s management has come under scrutiny after a recent Auditor General’s report revealed significant procurement breaches.

The CEO, Fitzgerald Mitchell, subsequently went on three months’ leave, and the hospital’s board called in the police fraud squad to investigate.

In response to Dawes’ queries, Tufton noted that Mitchell’s return to his post would be the board’s decision and asked Dawes to move on from the issue.

McKenzie, who is a committee member, was heard making a comment in the background, to which Dawes responded: “Why are you still here at your age? Go home and play with your grandparents, man… go play with your grandchildren,” he said amid chuckles.

An offended McKenzie shouted across the room: “Yuh shudda shame a yuhself, whole a uno a hypocrite… Ya respect my age, ya respect my age… Go weh! Ya respect my age, look pon you, look pon you!” he said while pointing at Dawes.

The exchange sent the committee meeting into chaos, with some members giggling at the comment while others shouted, “This is an outrage! It is an outrage!”

Committee Chairman Heroy Clarke desperately tried to regain some semblance of order, but it was Tufton who ultimately calmed the uproar.

“I am in the chair, and I am prepared to respond to the questions, and we don’t need to do it in a disrespectful way. The member has an opportunity to ask his questions, and the idea of age being a factor in this House — the member from West Kingston had the highest number of votes in the last election, and that’s the only thing that qualifies him to be here, nothing else — not his age or anything else. In other words, let’s just move on,” he said.

Dawes, in his apology, stated that he was told by McKenzie that such exchanges were “part of the cut and thrust” of Parliament, but said he will “just have to learn not to replicate that and be measured in my responses”.

He further disclosed that his son and Desmond McKenzie’s grandson are friends, adding that “I think it set a bad example, and I would not want it to affect them or anyone else who would be looking on the parliamentary proceedings”.

The normal retirement age for public servants in Jamaica is 65.

- Sashana Small

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