Jamaica Observer

Dear Editor,

At a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament a few weeks ago, where we were examining the accounts of the Ministry of the Education, I made comments in relation to the compensation package for school bursars.

Those comments have been interpreted by some to suggest that I was saying there was a direct link between increased compensation and honesty.

I made no such assertion.

I wish to state the following points I made.

1) The nature and role of the position of school bursar has changed significantly over the years as schools are required to fund more of their activities.

2) The amounts of money managed by schools now is akin to many businesses, and thus the person who has responsibility for school finances needs to have the requisite skills and expertise to do so.

3) What is currently paid to school bursars is inadequate and not commensurate with the responsibilities assigned to them.

4) Given the increasing levels of fraud within our schools, most of which are not reported publicly, there should be a review and examination of the role of the bursar, which includes the salary package.

Julian J Robinson

Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining

More pay doesn't mean more honesty

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Dear Editor,

We plead with the politicians of this country to grant us mercy, because if we remain on this course anarchy is the sure result. More than that, though, we plead for mercy from God himself, so that He might grant to these leaders a real paradigm shift.

It is no longer 'Jamaica No Problem'; we have some serious problems. Successive leaders of our country have bought into a very destructive notion that pits party against party in the very Parliament; putting partisan politics ahead of proactive, productive non-partisan nation-building.

Although they sing, "Eternal Father, bless our land", yet they apparently cannot subscribe to such a basic guideline given by the Father that, "if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand" (Mark 3:25). Whether it is a family house or Gordon House, where there is division, collapse is inevitable. There must be unity and one vision in Gordon House, "lest we perish" even as the entire nation collapses.

I would wish that they had learnt unity even from looking up at our flag. In the official photos that hang in government buildings the flag is often included, possibly for symbolic/subliminal purposes. Yet, year after year they seem to miss a basic point that can be gained from the flag itself. Raised proudly years ago, the stark truth remains, the Jamaican flag is not all green, nor is the flag orange. This symbol of national pride that we Jamaicans so proudly stand under is a combination of colours. The black, the unmistakable green, and the 'stand-out' gold (akin to orange). The combination should convince PNP and JLP to cooperate. If unity toward nation-building continues to elude them in these tough days, then they do not deserve to represent the Jamaican people. We demand that they stand together or let them stand aside; and may better than they begin to stand up.

Christopher G E Brodber

St Andrew

A house divided

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Dear Editor,

A few Senate sittings ago, Opposition Senator Robert Montague expressed concern about the unavailability of a complete register of places of amusement and the state of their emergency preparedness, with the parish of Westmoreland found most wanting.

As highlighted by Senator Montague, the Westmoreland Parish Council is the only local government entity that does not maintain a register of clubs and places of amusement within the parish.

The licences for such places of amusement are reportedly issued through the Inland Revenue Service, while the fire safety inspections are merely left to the Jamaica Fire Brigade.

There appears to be very little else in place to provide for the satisfaction of other security and public health standards at such establishments.

A recent report revealed further that the Westmoreland Fire Department is seriously compromised, having only two fire trucks operating, with one stationed in Savanna-la-Mar and the other in Negril.

Lives and property remain seriously at risk, given the inadequate service, with a few reported incidents of deaths and damage in the parish from fire in recent weeks. All that when the parish already suffers from the perennial problem of cane field fires.

The inadequate fire service in Westmoreland deserves serious attention. Immediate steps should be taken to at least provide the existing stations with more trucks.

As more funding becomes available, consideration could be given to building a few substations to especially act as first response to fires in the more hilly and rural areas of the parish.

These substations could be constructed/operated in conjunction with other interests, such as the sugar company, or run by community volunteer groups.

Although all Jamaica is challenged, it is a bit disconcerting that Westmoreland has been represented by so many senior government ministers, including a prime minister, and it remains seriously wanting in these and so many other areas.

It is high time our local and parliamentary representatives in the parish shape up and serve the people.

Kevin Sangster

sangstek@msn.com

Inadequate fire service in Westmoreland

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Dear Editor,

The stabbing death of a male student at Penwood High School by another male student last week has once again highlighted how unsafe our schools have become in recent times and raises the question, what do we intend to do to ensure that our schools are safe once more?

Gone are the days when students had only their books and pen/pencils in their backpacks. Many are armed and dangerous and more incidents such as the one at Penwood will occur if we do not act now in a decisive manner.

Many of us take for granted that once we drop off our children to school they are going to be safe and will return to us at the end of the day. However, this is far from the truth. This was the sad reality of the family of 16-year-old Nario Coleman.

One cannot imagine what it is like to send your child to school only to receive a telephone call telling you that your child has been stabbed by another student. My condolence to the young man's family.

Many of the perpetrators of student-on-student crimes are repeat offenders, some of whom have a history of bullying, vandalism, truancy, or some other maladaptive behaviour. Interestingly, many of the stakeholders within the Jamaican education system continue to turn a blind eye or, at minimum, pay scant attention to the destructive behaviours of these students.

We have had too many violent attacks in our schools which go unreported. Teachers have been physically attacked by students, students have verbally attacked teachers, repeatedly, and list goes on.

We continue to lose valuable teaching time daily because teachers are called upon to settle, manage and control disruptive students. For the most part, our teachers are not equipped to deal with these students with behavioural problems.

The Ministry of Education needs to act now and give clear instructions regarding the removal of these students from school as they are obviously not benefiting from the teaching and learning experience. In fact, by allowing such students to remain in school we are short-changing those who attend daily with the primary purpose of getting an education.

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com

Deal with the issue of disruptive students

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Dear Editor,

When a member of the security forces is killed, all decent, law-abiding citizens are saddened. We may criticise the police for engaging in suspicious killings, but that doesn't negate our concerns when persons who put their lives on the line to protect and serve us are killed.

At the same time, we grieve just the same when hundreds of ordinary Jamaicans going about their daily activities are killed annually. They are our mothers, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, or foes. They, too, have the right to live.

Lady Allen, wife of Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, confessed that she had an impulse to migrate after learning of the murder of 40-year-old Detective Sergeant Courtney Anthony Simpson. He once served as a bodyguard at King's House and she knew him.

Her initial reaction to this horrible murder is understandable. However, there needs to be an unwritten rule, a sort of moral contract, that precludes leaders of this country from even thinking of abandoning us in any circumstance.

We also need to modify the vision that Jamaica must become a place to live, work, raise our families and do business, to include grow old and die.

Mark Clarke

Siloah, St Elizabeth

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com

Leaders shouldn't think of abandoning Ja

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Dear Editor,

On Tuesday, April 9, 2013, the minister of agriculture, Roger Clarke, in his answers to questions I asked, stated in Parliament that the decline in the production of Irish potatoes in South St Elizabeth was because of the farmers getting bad seeds to plant. He said table potatoes were distributed under the JLP Government.

This statement contradicts his budget presentation of May 30, 2012 in which he said, and I quote, "let me briefly address the matter of Irish potato. As we speak, we are experiencing a bumper crop not seen in the last two decades. In fact, production has been increasing sharply since 2008 from 4,929 tons to 15,333 tons in 2011. It is the expectation that the 2012 crop will exceed last year's production".

Let me remind the nation that in 1995 the production of potatoes was 17,036 tons, and under the minister's watch there was the steady decline to 4,929 tons. In 2008, under the JLP Administration, it took only three years to increase the production back to the levels that it was in 1995.

This minister has either been misinformed or...

JC Hutchinson

Shadow spokesman on agriculture

Minister contradicting himself

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Dear Editor,

The vox pop in your Sunday Observer (April 7, 2013) which asked 'Should nurses be paid more than doctors" has left us flabbergasted and dumbfounded at the ignorance of the Jamaican society about the nursing profession.

What we would like the citizens to understand is that nursing is a profession, separate and apart from medicine (doctors). We display our own autonomy as it relates to patient care. We have advanced from the days when nurses would take all instructions from doctors, and are now active participants in making decisions regarding the welfare of patients.

There are different levels and types of nurses:

Registered nursess (RNs) are the bedside nurses with whom you come in contact on the wards.

Specialist nurses, such as anaesthetic nurses, have distinct functions alongside doctors.

RN midwives deliver babies.

The public health nurse's main responsibility is for childcare services.

Nurse practitioners assist in all areas of the health facilities.

The profession starts at level 1 (recent graduate from university with a bachelor's degree) and goes up to level 5 (many years of experience and continued education up to master's degree or PhD); with as much as 16 specialties.

It does not boil down to who has the most important job in the health-care sector or which profession should be paid more. The point is that persons should be justly compensated based on their workload, qualification and job description. Upon graduation from university, both nurses and doctors obtain bachelor's degrees. It is only fair that we are both compensated for our qualification.

In the health sector, nurses and doctors are interdependent, where the success of one is intertwined with the other.

The root of this matter is that the doctors have been protesting as they do not believe that a nurse, at any level, should be getting paid more than their interns.

An intern doctor is a recent university graduate who has not yet obtained a licence to practise medicine. Implying that an intern doctor should be making more than every level of nurse and nursing specialties is preposterous.

Clearly, some specialist nurses will possess more qualifications and experience than an intern.

In light of the recent events, it is clear that our nation does not value nurses. If nursing was such an unimportant profession, why is our Government spending so much to import RNs? Why is the health sector under such strain due to shortage of RNs? Well, if RNs are unimportant let the doctors run the wards.

Dissatisfied Nursing Students

St Andrew

Let the doctors run the wards

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Dear Editor,

They say that if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it will immediately jump out to escape the danger. However, if you put that same frog into a pot that is filled with water at room temperature, and gradually increase the temperature until it starts boiling, the frog will remain, unaware of the danger, until it is too late. The frog will be cooked.

I hope my fellow Jamaicans begin to pay attention, not only to obvious threats, but to more slowly developing ones as well.

Stephen Edwards

Kingston 6

patriot.ja@gmail.com

Pay attention to threats

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Dear Editor,

I am a bit baffled by the current Government's unwillingness to follow the example of US President Obama and show their empathy with the people of Jamaica by cutting their salaries.

What makes this stubborn decision puzzling is that the current administration campaigned on a mantra of people power and continues to proclaim that they love the people of Jamaica.

I would like to know how they are demonstrating the love for Jamaicans when they refuse to make any sacrifice themselves to show the people that they understand their pain and suffering during this time of significant economic downturn.

Many governments across the globe have demonstrated their solidarity with their people and have proven that they understand their pain by cutting costs and their leaders' salaries. This past January, Singapore lawmakers voted for a 28 per cent cut for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and a 31 per cent cut for ministers. Obama and several of his Cabinet ministers also cut their salaries.

In Jamaica, the previous Government took a pay cut in 2009. At that time, the then Opposition, led by Mrs Simpson Miller, vehemently rejected the call for them to also take a cut.

Now, a member of the Opposition has decided to take a 10 per cent cut and the same voices that rejected the cut in 2009 are the same voices that are rejecting it now.

My position is that if a member of the Opposition can show such leadership by taking a salary cut — even though his salary is less than any Government minister — what is the reason the Government has for refusing to show solidarity with the people of Jamaica by taking a cut?

While taking a 10 per cent cut would not dent the budget, the money could be used in a manner that would have societal impact.

If each of the 43 government members of the Jamaican Parliament gave up $10,000 per month, in a salary cut, that would be nearly $5.2 million per year. This money could be used to fix the fence at the Windsor Girls' Home to house the girls currently locked up in adult facilities. Some of this money could also be used to house and feed some of the street people who sleep in front of Jamaica's Supreme Court in Kingston.

If the money is not enough for that task then Government could fix some of the refrigerated trucks that are used to transport milk for children in the School Feeding Programme.

I believe Mrs Simpson Miller has a grand opportunity to do something to inspire Jamaica and restore faith in her Government. She needs to show the people of Jamaica that she really cares about them and is prepared to share in their sacrifice.

If she doesn't, then she will only be showing the Jamaican people that she and her Government do not care and are only interested in power and not people power.

Michelle Bent

Toronto, Canada

mushie2@live.com

Lead by example, PM

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Dear Editor,

We must highlight when our nation's politicians do good.

The recent handing over of 56 tablets to students from seven schools in the Eastern Kingston and Port Royal Constituency with the assistance of Digicel Jamaica is worthy to be mentioned. It was the initiative of Minister Phillip Paulwell.

In this the age of technology and the advancement thereof, the Minister of Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining has a dream that one day every student in Jamaica, from the primary to tertiary level, will have a computer for the purpose of advancing the education process.

It will see fewer burdens on the average Jamaican parent to purchase books, which at times total some $30,000 plus for the year. He has a dream that Jamaica can be among the top-ranking nations, both technologically and educationally, and he is working assiduously towards that.

I write also to highlight the work being done in his constituency with the fixing of roads. These have not been fixed for some 30 plus years. His social intervention programmes, such as the Constituency's Reading Programme, have been running for years. This has facilitated parents and students to advance themselves and create opportunites to achieve more. The minister just recently hosted a treat for the elderly in Port Royal to hand out bun and cheese which was symbolic during the Easter Holidays. There are a slew of other initiatives which have been to the benefit of many. He is ably aided by Councillors Lorraine Dobson and Her Worship the Mayor Angella Brown Burke.

Well done, Phillip, and continue to make Jamaica and your constituency proud!

Kemar Brown

Kemar.a.brown@hotmail.com

Keep working,

Minister Paulwell

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Dear Editor,

The reduction in service by Caribbean Airlines (CAL) was, indeed, expected. Their crew members leave much to be desired and they poorly handle complaints.

Furthermore, the introduction of Fly Jamaica presented a viable alternative to locals and Jamaicans in the diaspora. By these CAL changes Fly Jamaica is sure to expand.

Jamaicans need not worry; we have it within us to succeed. We are a persistent people. Former Air Jamaica employees, especially the ones who lobbied for the airline to be sold to them so it could remain in the hands of Jamaicans, must now be smiling.

The divestment of the airline was a grave injustice to Jamaica and its people. The politicians did not give the Jamaican people a chance. Locals should have been given the opportunity to invest in saving Air Jamaica before divesting it to outsiders. We are not dunces; we are not fools; we are a brilliant, educated, hard-working, ambitious people.

We will not be grounded.

Claudette Harris

claudette_harris@aol.com

Jamaica will fly again

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Dear Editor,

"Love and thanks", the phrase made popular by cultural historian and musicologist, Keith Anthony "Tony" Laing, still resonates with many Jamaicans, more than six years after the programme Laing and Company left the airwaves of Power 106 FM. The phrase drew together people from all walks of life as Laing encouraged them to focus on brand Jamaica and urged for all citizens to see their stake in the country as important.

During his time as host of the programme Laing and Company and before that, through the night programme Power Talk, Tony became a transformative figure, as callers were encouraged to express their views in a non-partisan manner; putting country ahead of personal politics. He also used his extensive experience as a proponent of Jamaican culture to challenge listeners to develop a greater sense of pride in their country.

Laing was also a social activist whose work in the public sphere and behind the scenes engineered change in several areas. Like his father Denzil Laing, Tony was deeply concerned about the preservation of the rich musical heritage of Jamaica. This was evidenced in his significant contribution in the area of copyright advocacy and intellectual property rights, as he worked tirelessly for the protection of the intellectual capital of Jamaican artistes.

Tony Laing's contribution to the talk show market was phenomenal. Indeed, in my many years in the business, I never encountered any talk show host who, although with such a short stint, had a greater impact.

It was a pleasure to have worked with Tony Laing, as I listened to the passion with which he spoke about his beloved Jamaica and encouraged citizens to work hard for the country's growth and development.

Keith Anthony "Tony" Laing, was in many ways a visionary, whose contribution to Jamaica will long be remembered and celebrated. On behalf of the members of the board, management and staff of Independent Radio Company Ltd, owners and operators of Power 106 FM and Music 99 FM, I extend heartfelt condolence to his children, sisters and brother.

Newton James, CD

Managing Director

Independent Radio Company Limited

Love and thanks, Tony Laing

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Dear Editor,

I was a bit taken aback when I saw National Security Minister Peter Bunting being rather emotional at a recent function, as highlighted on national television, confessing that he was very frustrated with our crime problem and it was taking strong faith for him to continue.

According to Minister Bunting, himself a recent victim to the criminal elements, despite the best efforts of the security forces, the criminals seem to be winning. He is of the view that nothing short of divine intervention can help us.

Such a talk sounds like the minister is surrendering, or has effectively concluded that there is nothing more that can possibly be done to arrest our crime problem.

Quitting, after all, is not unfamiliar to Mr Bunting. He quit the Parliament before the expiration of the term upon his election in 1993, when he famously ended the political career of former Prime Minister Hugh Lawson Shearer.

I find the confession rather amazing, given that Mr Bunting, while in Opposition, was of the view that, however idiotically advanced, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke and his criminal organisation were the reasons behind our runaway crime problem. Dudus's extradition to the United States and the dismantling of his organisation in 2010, he contended, would drastically reduce our crime rate.

There was indeed a marked reduction and control of crime as evidenced by the police statistics until January 2012, coincidentally at the time when the PNP assumed office. Since then, our crime problem has become a major issue once more.

Given Mr Bunting's position when he was in Opposition trying to ride the Dudus affair to possibly score cheap political points, it would appear that he assumed the national security portfolio with no real policy prescription or workable crime plan.

After all, if he felt our crime problem was solved by the extradition of Dudus and the dismantling of his gang, why would there be the need for a crime plan?

Mr Bunting has proven himself, since his Opposition days, to be quite out of depth with regard to matters of national security, and he probably should further assist or prompt Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to revamp her poorly constructed Cabinet by tendering his resignation.

Kevin KO Sangster

sangstek@msn.com

Is Bunting throwing in the towel?

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I make reference to your article carried Friday, April 12, 2013 "Mark your metal, Hylton urges". This is not the answer to the problems associated with the restarted scrap metal industry.

To begin with, there is no manufacturing now taking place in Jamaica that produces enough scrap metal to sustain any sort of trade in this form of waste. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong here.

It means that the players in this industry will have to resort to other sources of metal to sustain their operations. Hence stolen cables, vandalised properties and compromised infrastructure like bridges, manholes and the like. I would like Minister Hylton to advise us how to "mark" kilometres of cable to prevent theft. I'd also like Minister Hylton to tell me how to "mark" my wrought iron gate, fence and garbage receptacle to prevent theft. His response to an industry that, I argue, offers a net negative value to the nation speaks volumes as to his absolute lack of appreciation for business basics and operational efficiencies. It is not enough to assure Flow, one of the most recent victims of stolen cables, that "rigorous regulations governing the scrap metal trade would make it difficult for stolen material to be exported". He just does not get it.

The bottom line is that Flow is minus the use of its asset right now, whether the cables are exported now or later, representing a loss in terms of a reduced asset base and reduced income from customers to whom they cannot provide the service without these cables.

Get real, Minister, and get a grip.

Kelly McIntosh

Get a grip on scrap, Minister Hylton

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Dear Editor,

Exactly one year ago, at the centre of the 'Flag Controversy', a minister of the ruling party stated unequivocally that "an error" was made, and it was indeed regretted. The minister stated further that the error would not hurt the PNP. In so doing, he indirectly pandered to the masses who have come to believe that Jamaica is PNP country, where breaches of public trust and confidence by those elected to serve are tantamount to mere nine-day wonders.

Like many right-thinking Jamaicans, I waited to hear the prime minister express her disapproval at the blatant disregard for a national symbol. However, there was no powerful political presence felt at the helm of our Government. In the end, I felt betrayed by the prime minister's silence, which was a clear break of the presumptive trust and confidence that I had previously held of the highest elected office of the land, and expected of all such officials.

Now, a year later, in the middle of the 'Spaldings Market/Azan Controversy', another minster of the ruling party has stated that an error was made, but lawyers were contacted and the matter has since been "regularised". On this occasion, the architect of the error wears the hats of both member of Parliament and junior minister; positions that would see him wield considerable power and influence in all spheres of governance.

Having made a friendly wager with my colleagues that the prime minister's signature posture of ear-piercing silence on the issue would reverberate for more than a week, I nonetheless continue to feel betrayed by her inaction. It may well be that secret political decisions and acts to balance power are being made beyond the purview of those who put them all in power. But the principles of integrity and accountability demand an immediate statement from the prime minister. The allegations in question involve a junior minister no less, and consequently, strike at the very heart of her administration.

To further exacerbate the issues, the junior minster had the audacity to give an interview where he stated, in a rather banal and ill-advised manner, that people call for the resignation of officials all the time and that this is no different. Then in a show of arrogance, he bantered that he wouldn't even say what he really wants to say to those clamouring for his resignation. I wish to remind the junior minister that public service is a matter of public trust, and that if we the people have lost all trust and confidence in him, then we the people can properly clamour for his resignation.

This is not about PNP or JLP, or trying to save an individual's political future. It concerns keeping in check those elected to lead; those in whom much public trust and confidence has been placed; and those who by their actions and inactions must be held accountable by party leaders and the very people themselves. It is time we buried the anachronism that this is "PNP country" and rebuild a nation forged on justice, integrity and accountability for all Jamaicans.

Where is the beloved champion of the poor who so nobly pledged on the campaign trail that she would not tolerate corruption? If the prime minister remains silent on the issue much longer, and if no decisive position is taken, then we the people must also demand her resignation. For, in her persistent silence, she would be harbouring one who, by his "errors", has proven to be more of an enemy of the state than those who erred to criticise her Government's social and economic policies.

Alando N Terrelonge

St Andrew

Of a PM's persistent silence

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Dear Editor,

The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) is once again urging the Government to amend legislation concerning the rate of interest workers in the financial sector pay on concessionary loans, which is legislated as a fringe benefit to them, and also increase the current threshold on such loans.

The union recalls that in 1991 a tax was placed on these loans by the Ministry of Finance and Planning as a revenue-earning measure to assist the Government in financing the budget that year. The legislated interest rates and amounts have not been revised in the 22 years of its existence, and have

now unfairly become a burden on the deserving workers in this sector.

As the trade union which primarily represents workers in the financial sector -- including employees

of the Bank of Jamaica, merchant, commercial, and development banks, insur-ance companies, credit unions, building societies, and trust companies -- we have been seeking the support of the ministry in reviewing these provisions for several years without success. We believe that in light of the current economic situation, and the effect it has been having on these workers, that some attention must be paid to the issue, immediately.

The fact is that employees in most local financial institutions are designated beneficiaries of concessionary loan rates, but are obliged to pay tax on the difference in interest payment between a concessionary rate and a prescribed open market rate.

The difference between the concessionary rates granted by a financial institution and the open market rate represents a cost saving to the borrower, and this was declared by the ministry as income, under Income Tax law, and as such has attracted a tax of 25 per cent on interest saved on loans that exceed a threshold of $1.5 million. Loans of up to $1.5 million were, however, exempted from this tax. But with these provisions unchanged over the past 22 years, the concessionary nature of these loans has been severely reduced and serving to disenfranchise these workers.

The BITU, in the meantime, has been seeking to draw the attention of the Ministry of Finance and Planning to the disadvantages which have been created by its failure to review these provisions, because we do not think that it is fair that a fringe benefit granted by employers to employees, as part of their compensation package, should be reduced to a disincentive because of the Government's insistence of disregarding the intent of the provision of the relevant legislation.

The BITU is again seeking the cooperation of the ministry in revising the provisions of this imposition, in keeping with current concessionary loans trends, as well as current general market trends.

We are asking that the Ministry of Finance and Planning revise the open market rate prescribed in the provision from 14 per cent, and anticipate that the applied interest rates will be no less favourable that the percentages reflected in the recently signed Heads of Agreement for Public

Sector Workers.

We are also proposing a revision of the exemption threshold from the limit of $1.5 million to an amount reflective of current costs associated with the stipulated purposes, as these loans are only applicable to: purchasing house for owner's occupancy; purchasing a motor vehicle for

private use; purchase of land; education; emergency

needs (compassionate loans); training; and furnishing of residence for owner's occupancy.

We are urging the ministry to give immediate attention to this prolonged issue, as it has become a matter of great disaffection among workers in these institutions, especially in the current economic climate and environment of austerity.

Kavan A Gayle, OD

President General

Bustamante Industrial Trade Union

Review concessionary loans tax for workers

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Dear Editor,

Open letter to the Prime Minister:

Cabinet reshuffles have the potential to create the impression of a new start; but if meaningful change is not forthcoming, sooner rather than later the image begins to be tarnished instead of being burnished.

A reshuffle, if it is indeed being considered by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, can transform the Government and its operations and so make a qualitative difference to the lives of the citizens.

I would urge the prime minister to appoint a smaller Cabinet, in keeping with the recommendations of the Public Sector Transformation Unit; one which strikes the right balance between experience, expertise and youthfulness.

I make the following recommendations to Mrs Simpson Miller.

* The Office of the Prime Minister should retain portfolio responsibility for development, sports, and information. Lisa Hanna's expertise should be utilised as minister of information.

* Ministry of Tourism and Culture: Tourists come to Jamaica not only for our white sandy beaches and laid-back lifestyle, but to take in our diverse and colourful culture. This ministry has the potential to transform all aspects of our diversity and fully incorporate minority groups into brand Jamaica, attracting tourists from non-traditional markets such as Israel, India, Africa, and the Middle East. Dr Wykeham McNeill should remain as minister.

* Ministry of Transport, Housing and Sustainable Development: This super ministry would focus on the consolidation of all infrastructure functions. Sustainable development would include portfolio responsibility for land, water and climate change This ministry would also focus on affordable housing solutions for lower and middle-income earners. Dr Omar Davis will retain this portfolio with Raymond Pryce as his new junior minister.

* Ministry of National Security: I recommend that the prime minister should appoint, through the Senate, a national security expert, with particular expertise in intelligence, surveillance and crime prevention, to serve as her new security minister.

* Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade: Anthony Hylton should be reassigned to this ministry with Senator Sandrea Falconer as state minister.

* Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Marine Life is self-explanatory. The young and articulate Julian Robinson should head this new super ministry with Ian Hayles as state minister.

* Ministry of Finance and Planning: Dr Peter Phillips and Horace Dalley will retain their respective portfolio responsibilities.

* Ministry of Education and Youth: Rev Ronald Thwaites will remain as minister, while the young Mikael Phillips should be the new junior minister.

* Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce: Peter Bunting, being a successful businessman, should be reassigned to this ministry.

* Ministry of Labour and Social Security: Dr Morais Guy should be reassigned to this ministry.

* Ministry of Health and Environment: Dr Fenton Ferguson should remain as minister.

* Ministry of Energy, Telecommunication and Mining: Phillip Paulwell will retain this portfolio with Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams as his new state minister.

* Ministry of Justice: Senator Mark Golding will remain as minister.

Andrew King

Kingston

abking020@gmail.com

Shuffle the Cabinet, PM

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Dear Editor,

The debate on the "shops of Spaldings" is not complete unless we revisit the fundamental principle of Westminster Government which established the tradition and custom of referring to a member of Parliament as 'honourable'. Thus, Member of Parliament Richard Azan is so styled —The Honourable Member of Parliament for North West Clarendon.

That word 'honourable' is worth far more than the paper on which it is written, and it has a far more important meaning than we seem to appreciate.

If the Honourable Richard Azan is to continue to enjoy our recognition of him as an honourable gentleman, then he ought to resign his post of junior minister, pending the results of investigations surrounding the construction of the shops by a private contractor on parish council lands and the payment of rental for these shops to someone in his constituency office.

In resigning from his junior ministerial post, Mr Azan would not be making an admission of guilt for any criminal act. He would simply be indicating to us that the issue surrounding the shops is so embarrassing to him that he is stepping aside from his post as junior minister to allow for an unfettered investigation of the matter.

He would be sending a message to the country that, being an honourable man, he is stepping aside purely on principle, and that adherence to good principles is fundamental to the maintenance of our belief in the concept that the members of our parliament are honourable men and women.

Mr Azan should be presumed to be innocent until evidence is brought forward to prove his guilt. We should therefore accord him the benefit of the doubt. He, in turn, has a duty to so conduct himself at this stage of the matter that all well-thinking members of society will view him as a truly honourable man.

However, should he continue to resist the calls to resign from his appointment as junior minister, we will have no choice but to conclude at this stage, and irrespective of the outcome of any future investigation, that Mr Azan does not deserve to have the word 'honourable' precede his name in any usage or form.

Linton P Gordon

lpgordon@cwjamaica.com

Honourable means honourable

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Dear Editor,

Keith Anthony 'Tony' Laing was one of the founding members of the Friends of Liberty Hall in the late 1990s. He was a repository of many tales about the once vibrant Liberty Hall, from the 1920s to the 1940s when Liberty Hall had been an active centre for cultural, political and entrepreneurial activities of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.

He helped to spearhead the efforts that led to the transformation of a derelict building into Liberty Hall — part of the legacy of Marcus Garvey, an educational heritage site with a multimedia museum and a library as part of its programme.

Laing worked closely with Ambassador Burchell Whiteman, then minister of education, and Ms Elaine Melbourne, then executive director of the Institute of Jamaica, to put together a volunteer group to help raise funds and think about the programmes for the project.

He was sadly struck down in 2006 by multiple strokes, but as soon as he was stabilised he insisted on attending an executive meeting of the Friends of Liberty Hall to affirm his commitment and contribute to its progress.

Tony was passionate about Marcus Garvey's teachings and its centrality to the development of Jamaican society and culture. In his popular programme Laing and Company on Power 106 he had a number of outside broadcasts at the 76 King Street Liberty Hall location, thus bringing attention to the work being done by the team of the Institute of Jamaica led by Dr Donna McFarlane, director and curator of the multimedia museum. He helped to promote the programmes which served our schoolchildren and adults as well as those living in the neighbourhood of upper King Street.

Like the late Frank Gordon, another recently deceased Friend of Liberty Hall, Tony Laing grew up downtown, and in a 2003 interview he described the Kingston of his early years in the 1950s as "clean and safe; people weren't afraid of each other, and it was a safe place to walk".

Tony was also an advocate of the development of downtown Kingston. From the east to the west of the city many talented instrumentalists and singers, sound systems, selectors and deejays have emerged to define the cultural landscape of the island and global popular music. Laing had a good knowledge of the history of Jamaican music and he had learned much from his father, Denzil "Pops" Laing, who was a percussionist and successful recording musician with Soul Vendors band at Studio One.

Tony Laing played a critical role in promoting the welfare of artistes arising from the 1993 Copyright Act which legally empowered our artistes to secure copyright and intellectual property rights over their music.

He was a raconteur, a storyteller and a neologist. One of his neologisms was "smaddification", which means the process of self-acceptance and the affirmation of one's self-worth. This idea was adopted and used by the late Rex Nettleford and other philosophers, such as Professor Charles Mills, of Northwestern University, as a Jamaican ontological concept which countered the cultural alienation from one's African roots and the adoption of the ideas of self-debasement.

We will miss Tony Laing's wit, humour and straight talk, as well as his advocacy for Garvey's ideas.

Professor Rupert Lewis

Chairman

Friends of Liberty Hall

Laing's contribution to Liberty

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Dear Editor,

I notice that absolutely nothing has been said by our human rights groups about this issue of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) withholding information from the Jamaican public about which toilet tissues are unsafe for use.

The BSJ has published a list of supposedly safe brands, but has all but refused to apprise us of the unsanitary brands.

It therefore means that Jamaicans are still relatively in the dark on this matter, and are at serious risk, particularly women and young girls.

The irony of this whole situation is that, once again, it is poor people who will suffer the most, as the top-of-the-line, expensive brands, which only the wealthy or middle class can afford, are on the approved list.

Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton had the audacity to tell the press that he has nothing to say on the matter and holds whatever position the BSJ does. How callous! In the meantime, thousands of Jamaican women continue to be at risk, using toilet tissue already bought, or still being bought, which possibly contain bacteria which can harm them over the long term.

Remember, poor women don't readily go to the gynaecologist, so some women will be carrying infections for extended periods before it is caught, by which time serious harm may have already been done.

I implore all Jamaicans to speak up. Human rights groups, speak out. This is as good a cause as speaking up for the victims of police brutality. This is a matter of public safety.

Khaillah Carneigie

St Andrew

Don't flush the tissue issue

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