Dear Editor,
I wish to comment on the letter by Laval Wilkinson in the Jamaica Observer of November 2, 2012, "Jamaica - used and abused".
It seems that when certain apologists and sympathisers cannot find anything positive to credit the PNP with, they lump the PNP and JLP together and generalise. This is unjust and unfair to the men and women in the JLP who served us well.
During the first 10 years of Independence we were the model for developing countries under a JLP administration. We could not solve all our problems within that short space of time, but we were making rapid progress and the country's affairs were being properly administered.
In 1972 the PNP took over a thriving economy and by 1980 it was in shambles. Crime and violence, corruption and extortion became the order of the day. Very early in the life of the new administration, I remember Mr Seaga, in one of his budget speeches, telling them: "If this is the way you are going to handle the country's affairs you are putting the country on a collision course with bankruptcy." They took no heed.
In 1980 the JLP took over the reins of government with a totally devastated economy. They spent the first term picking up the pieces and made significant progress in the second term, the economy growing by five to six per cent and unemployment reduced.
In 1989 the people, by some strange logic, replaced them with the agents of destruction and they spent 18 1/2 years doing just that. When things reached rock bottom, the JLP was given the unenviable task of restoring some stability to the system. With the productive sector destroyed, the dollar was devalued from $5.50 to US$1 to J$70 to US$1, crime and violence bcame the order of the day, murders alone moved from 411 to almost 1700, extortion and corruption grew, and unemployment was at an unprecedented level.
They did promise to create jobs, but who could foresee world recession coupled with natural disasters? In spite of all this, the economy was stabilised, the devaluation of the dollar stopped and the economy began to experience growth again. There is no comparison between the PNP and the JLP in the management of the economy. The JLP always leaves it better than when they took office, even though they take it wrecked. The PNP is the reverse.
In the last 40 years, the PNP occupied office for more than 2/3 of the time, after taking over a sound economy in 1972. What we need is an accurate record of what happened during the tenure of each administration. If we have no respect for truth and keep insulting those who have served well, we will soon have only the worst to choose from.
A James
alvalj@cwjamaica.com
Unfair to lump together PNP and JLP
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I wish to comment on the letter by Laval Wilkinson in the Jamaica Observer of November 2, 2012, "Jamaica - used and abused".
It seems that when certain apologists and sympathisers cannot find anything positive to credit the PNP with, they lump the PNP and JLP together and generalise. This is unjust and unfair to the men and women in the JLP who served us well.
During the first 10 years of Independence we were the model for developing countries under a JLP administration. We could not solve all our problems within that short space of time, but we were making rapid progress and the country's affairs were being properly administered.
In 1972 the PNP took over a thriving economy and by 1980 it was in shambles. Crime and violence, corruption and extortion became the order of the day. Very early in the life of the new administration, I remember Mr Seaga, in one of his budget speeches, telling them: "If this is the way you are going to handle the country's affairs you are putting the country on a collision course with bankruptcy." They took no heed.
In 1980 the JLP took over the reins of government with a totally devastated economy. They spent the first term picking up the pieces and made significant progress in the second term, the economy growing by five to six per cent and unemployment reduced.
In 1989 the people, by some strange logic, replaced them with the agents of destruction and they spent 18 1/2 years doing just that. When things reached rock bottom, the JLP was given the unenviable task of restoring some stability to the system. With the productive sector destroyed, the dollar was devalued from $5.50 to US$1 to J$70 to US$1, crime and violence bcame the order of the day, murders alone moved from 411 to almost 1700, extortion and corruption grew, and unemployment was at an unprecedented level.
They did promise to create jobs, but who could foresee world recession coupled with natural disasters? In spite of all this, the economy was stabilised, the devaluation of the dollar stopped and the economy began to experience growth again. There is no comparison between the PNP and the JLP in the management of the economy. The JLP always leaves it better than when they took office, even though they take it wrecked. The PNP is the reverse.
In the last 40 years, the PNP occupied office for more than 2/3 of the time, after taking over a sound economy in 1972. What we need is an accurate record of what happened during the tenure of each administration. If we have no respect for truth and keep insulting those who have served well, we will soon have only the worst to choose from.
A James
alvalj@cwjamaica.com
Unfair to lump together PNP and JLP
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