Political commentator Kevin O’Brien Chang has praised the appointment of Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke to the role of deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying it’s a good look for Jamaica and the Andrew Holness Administration.

 In fact, Chang went as far as saying that any Jamaican who disagreed with the appointment or argued that Clarke took up the post for monetary gain was “mad” or bad-minded to think that way.

“I don’t think [Nigel] is a poor man. Who doesn’t want to rise to the top of their field — and as a mathematics, finance man, I’m going to the second-highest position in the biggest financial institution in the world. Anybody who ascribes that to money, I think… money is the last thing on his mind,” Chang told Our Today.

“It’s only very bad-minded people would say he’s going for money. And he would be very limited in his vision and bad-minded to think that. Wanting to be the best in your field, I think, is every human being’s desire,” Chang added.

The IMF on Monday, August 26, announced that Clarke would be its next deputy managing director, the second-highest post in the organisation.

The announcement was met with widescale praise, led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who said he was proud of the appointment and that his replacement as finance minister has already been identified.

However, some have said Clarke is leaving for the money at a time when the Government is encouraging teachers and nurses to remain on the island instead of taking jobs overseas.

But Chang said the two things are different, as teachers and nurses leaving is affecting the island’s health and educational sectors.

He said Clarke’s departure can only be a plus for the country.

“You couldn’t want any bigger commendation for Jamaica to have the first non-white man become the deputy director for the IMF?” Chang said.

He added: “The IMF is the Olympics of finance. Do you think that every Jamaican wasn’t proud when Bolt won? You don’t think every Jamaica is proud of Nigel? As a Jamaican, you must be glad when a black man from a mostly black country rises to this level. You have to be extremely bad-minded to think that Nigel’s appointment isn’t good for Jamaica.

“Your mind has to be in the gutter to think that way. We always talk about athletics, and how Jamaicans are fast. This shows that Jamaica has brains. It shows that in Jamaica we are not just fast — we can sing, we can run, but we can also think. The first non-white man in this position, little Jamaica — how can that not be good for the country and a good signal for the world?”

He also said this is a signal that the Holness Administration isn’t as corrupt as people like to say. He said the IMF wouldn’t have considered Clarke if the Administration wasn’t a “decent administration by worldwide standard”.

“That’s one of the big takeaways of this thing,” Chang said, “unless the IMF is full of idiots, and I hardly think so.”