Dear Editor,
Now that the prime minister has been forced by circumstances to assume leadership of the 381MW project, on behalf of all Jamaicans suffering under high energy prices I would like to challenge her to show her true mettle.
It may be too much to ask, though, for our prime minister to ignore the raw political advantages to be had from a project of this size, or the large feeding trough that a US$700-M powerplant development will mean for party associates, activists and cronies.
The prime minister must, however, be concerned at this stage in her political career about her legacy to Jamaica. There is hardly a better gift that she could leave poor Jamaicans who voted for her overwhelmingly than cheaper electricity which can get the economy growing and create jobs.
To do that the PM must rescue the project and, along with the private sector, convince Jamaicans and restore international confidence in our ability to handle procurement of this magnitude and complexity. Surely potential investors in the logistics hub and our other grand ventures are looking on.
Apart from getting the power plant finally going, the PM must safeguard the selection process from even the scent of corruption, favouritism or cronyism. For that the PM must give serious consideration to the character, expertise, independence, and integrity of the enterprise team to be selected to join Dr Vin Lawrence.
Madam Prime Minister, please seek out Jamaicans who have the proven expertise the team will need. Ensure they are above the fray and have no interest in the outcome beyond seeing Jamaica move forward. If I may dare to suggest, there are several quite outstanding Jamaicans that fit the bill. Four that I can readily think who could be valuable to this project are:
1. Douglas Orane: The retired CEO of GraceKennedy whose business track record and public sector service is well known.
2. Winston Hay: The former director general of the OUR and renowned power engineer with the World Bank, where he evaluated projects like this one before returning home to start the OUR. He would also bring regulatory and power plant knowledge to the team.
3. Ian Blair: The former senior vice-president of the Port Authority who was in charge of the infrastructure buildout under the port expansion. He would be able to make sense of schedules and logistics in the proposals put forward.
4. Bill Clarke: The former managing director of Scotiabank would add financial depth to the team.
Resist the friendly names and faces and whispered recommendations of vested interest. Be enterprising, Madam PM, in selecting your enterprise team...for your legacy and for
Jamaica's sake.
Sean Walker
Kingston 5
lovejabad@gmail.com
PM, think hard about that enterprise team
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Now that the prime minister has been forced by circumstances to assume leadership of the 381MW project, on behalf of all Jamaicans suffering under high energy prices I would like to challenge her to show her true mettle.
It may be too much to ask, though, for our prime minister to ignore the raw political advantages to be had from a project of this size, or the large feeding trough that a US$700-M powerplant development will mean for party associates, activists and cronies.
The prime minister must, however, be concerned at this stage in her political career about her legacy to Jamaica. There is hardly a better gift that she could leave poor Jamaicans who voted for her overwhelmingly than cheaper electricity which can get the economy growing and create jobs.
To do that the PM must rescue the project and, along with the private sector, convince Jamaicans and restore international confidence in our ability to handle procurement of this magnitude and complexity. Surely potential investors in the logistics hub and our other grand ventures are looking on.
Apart from getting the power plant finally going, the PM must safeguard the selection process from even the scent of corruption, favouritism or cronyism. For that the PM must give serious consideration to the character, expertise, independence, and integrity of the enterprise team to be selected to join Dr Vin Lawrence.
Madam Prime Minister, please seek out Jamaicans who have the proven expertise the team will need. Ensure they are above the fray and have no interest in the outcome beyond seeing Jamaica move forward. If I may dare to suggest, there are several quite outstanding Jamaicans that fit the bill. Four that I can readily think who could be valuable to this project are:
1. Douglas Orane: The retired CEO of GraceKennedy whose business track record and public sector service is well known.
2. Winston Hay: The former director general of the OUR and renowned power engineer with the World Bank, where he evaluated projects like this one before returning home to start the OUR. He would also bring regulatory and power plant knowledge to the team.
3. Ian Blair: The former senior vice-president of the Port Authority who was in charge of the infrastructure buildout under the port expansion. He would be able to make sense of schedules and logistics in the proposals put forward.
4. Bill Clarke: The former managing director of Scotiabank would add financial depth to the team.
Resist the friendly names and faces and whispered recommendations of vested interest. Be enterprising, Madam PM, in selecting your enterprise team...for your legacy and for
Jamaica's sake.
Sean Walker
Kingston 5
lovejabad@gmail.com
PM, think hard about that enterprise team
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