Dear Editor,
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." -— George Washington
The odd thing about slavery was that blacks were never able to question the authority of their superiors, but with the demise of such a system you would believe that modern-day descendants of slaves would honour the right to express an intelligent opinion. Unfortunately, this is not the situation in Jamaica.
Slavery may have ended, but politicians and their bureaucrats have become the new feudal lords. The recent decision of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) to reclaim sub-franchise routes is seen by many as a policy to create an orderly system. However, that is not the underlying rationale for the company's decision.
Well-thinking Jamaicans have no problem with a more transparent transport system, for example the move to ensure that registered operators will be required to wear an official uniform and display identification cards along with their bus routes is a step in the right direction. However, the reclamation of sub-franchise routes is a step too far.
The JUTC is a loss-making State agency and by seeking to control these routes the company is expected to increase its profitability. A company like the JUTC, losing some $250 million a month, would be forced to reinvent itself or become obsolete in the private sector. If the JUTC cannot invent creative ways to improve its competitiveness, then it must be divested. The agency cannot aim to become successful by eliminating competition, and if that's the only option of the company then its time for it to exit the market. Furthermore, the customer service of the State-owned entity is third-rate, after all no serious consumer wants to wait for hours to get a bus or be disrespected by rude employees.
Also by reclaiming sub-franchise routes, the State is destroying the livelihood of several private operators who will now find it very difficult to eke out a living in a weak economy. If a private company had decided to purchase smaller businesses, then that entity would receive significant backlash for restricting the choice of consumers, but we seem to have no problem with Government's force.
Slavery no longer exists, but many of us have subjected ourselves to Government dictates without rationally assessing their impact on our lives.
Lipton Matthews
lo_matthews@yahoo.com
Gov't used its force to take over sub-franchise
-->
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." -— George Washington
The odd thing about slavery was that blacks were never able to question the authority of their superiors, but with the demise of such a system you would believe that modern-day descendants of slaves would honour the right to express an intelligent opinion. Unfortunately, this is not the situation in Jamaica.
Slavery may have ended, but politicians and their bureaucrats have become the new feudal lords. The recent decision of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) to reclaim sub-franchise routes is seen by many as a policy to create an orderly system. However, that is not the underlying rationale for the company's decision.
Well-thinking Jamaicans have no problem with a more transparent transport system, for example the move to ensure that registered operators will be required to wear an official uniform and display identification cards along with their bus routes is a step in the right direction. However, the reclamation of sub-franchise routes is a step too far.
The JUTC is a loss-making State agency and by seeking to control these routes the company is expected to increase its profitability. A company like the JUTC, losing some $250 million a month, would be forced to reinvent itself or become obsolete in the private sector. If the JUTC cannot invent creative ways to improve its competitiveness, then it must be divested. The agency cannot aim to become successful by eliminating competition, and if that's the only option of the company then its time for it to exit the market. Furthermore, the customer service of the State-owned entity is third-rate, after all no serious consumer wants to wait for hours to get a bus or be disrespected by rude employees.
Also by reclaiming sub-franchise routes, the State is destroying the livelihood of several private operators who will now find it very difficult to eke out a living in a weak economy. If a private company had decided to purchase smaller businesses, then that entity would receive significant backlash for restricting the choice of consumers, but we seem to have no problem with Government's force.
Slavery no longer exists, but many of us have subjected ourselves to Government dictates without rationally assessing their impact on our lives.
Lipton Matthews
lo_matthews@yahoo.com
Gov't used its force to take over sub-franchise
-->