Dear Editor,
As a concerned citizen I am worried about our future. When I listen to the news these days all I hear about are more murders and more failure.
I believe this is directly due to how we have prioritised in the past and at present.
A few things come to mind.
Between the London Olympics and the travels of Cabinet members, including the prime minister, taxpayers spent nearly $300 million. What benefit could have been derived from spending over $100 million in London? Bolt and Shelly and the rest of the athletes did all the marketing and networking that Jamaica needed by their stellar performances on the track. And, as far as I am concerned, the prime minister and her Cabinet are yet to display value for money in the other travels.
Though $300 million may be considered a tiny drop in the bucket in the affairs of a country, would it not be better for the Government to have used those resources more efficiently?
Here are a few suggestions:
How about using $300 million to install solar units at all our hospitals. Remove the hospitals from the JPS grid with the exception of the Intensive Care Units. If not, then use $300 million to set up wind turbines on the three main universities -- UWI, UTech and NCU.
Since they have already wasted approximately $300 million why not spend the next $300 million on something that will add long-term value?
Why not spend $300 million adding staff, technology and whatever else is necessary to help judges to reduce the case backlog so that some confidence may be restored in the justice system?
Better yet, why not use $300 million to plant trees and help reverse deforestation — a major problem in Jamaica, especially in years past.
Best yet, give it to a group of successful business people and charge them with the duty to find young people in the inner city and/or rural communities and lend them money to finance their business ideas at 3 per cent interest. How much more could these ideas hurt?
The Government needs to do a better job at prioritising.
Damion Heslop
damionheslop@yahoo.com
Our priorities have been wrong
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As a concerned citizen I am worried about our future. When I listen to the news these days all I hear about are more murders and more failure.
I believe this is directly due to how we have prioritised in the past and at present.
A few things come to mind.
Between the London Olympics and the travels of Cabinet members, including the prime minister, taxpayers spent nearly $300 million. What benefit could have been derived from spending over $100 million in London? Bolt and Shelly and the rest of the athletes did all the marketing and networking that Jamaica needed by their stellar performances on the track. And, as far as I am concerned, the prime minister and her Cabinet are yet to display value for money in the other travels.
Though $300 million may be considered a tiny drop in the bucket in the affairs of a country, would it not be better for the Government to have used those resources more efficiently?
Here are a few suggestions:
How about using $300 million to install solar units at all our hospitals. Remove the hospitals from the JPS grid with the exception of the Intensive Care Units. If not, then use $300 million to set up wind turbines on the three main universities -- UWI, UTech and NCU.
Since they have already wasted approximately $300 million why not spend the next $300 million on something that will add long-term value?
Why not spend $300 million adding staff, technology and whatever else is necessary to help judges to reduce the case backlog so that some confidence may be restored in the justice system?
Better yet, why not use $300 million to plant trees and help reverse deforestation — a major problem in Jamaica, especially in years past.
Best yet, give it to a group of successful business people and charge them with the duty to find young people in the inner city and/or rural communities and lend them money to finance their business ideas at 3 per cent interest. How much more could these ideas hurt?
The Government needs to do a better job at prioritising.
Damion Heslop
damionheslop@yahoo.com
Our priorities have been wrong
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