Dear Editor,
I still cannot believe that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), sections of the media, and others are making such a big deal out of the $4 million (US$36,000) that the Government get to send Abu Bakr out of Jamaica. Considering all of the circumstances involving his removal, I still think the Government did the right thing.
Everybody seems to be in agreement that he should have been kicked out. Those who have a problem with the cost should consider what could have happened had he been simply placed on a regular commercial flight.
People seemed to have forgotten that a part of that bill includes the cost of the medical personnel who were paid to accompany Abu Bakr home. Maybe we should have made him swim back to Trinidad?
Anyway, $4 million seems to be far less than any "monkey money" one can imagine and the State surely wastes more than that each day. It certainly is far less than the amount we would have spent had Abu Bakr done anything near to what he is known for. For those who are making such a big fuss about this money, may I suggest that they direct their energies to the following:
We see roads being patched everyday repeatedly. It is clear that the constant re-patching of some of our roads must involve someone collecting a fat cheque regularly. Why don't these people, including the JLP, use some of the energy that they are wasting on this Bakr money issue to investigate why taxpayers are being asked to give these "road contractors" a regular pay cheque to fix the same roads over and over?
Those wasting their energies calling for the head of security minister, Peter Bunting, should use those efforts to investigate why is it that, in spite of the price of oil falling by over 20 per cent in recent months, our light bills show no similar reduction.
Every day we waste millions of dollars and I rarely see the kind of ruckus that I see with the Abu Bakr issue. As far as I can see, that $4 million is $4 million less that was wasted.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
We waste so much more than $4 million
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I still cannot believe that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), sections of the media, and others are making such a big deal out of the $4 million (US$36,000) that the Government get to send Abu Bakr out of Jamaica. Considering all of the circumstances involving his removal, I still think the Government did the right thing.
Everybody seems to be in agreement that he should have been kicked out. Those who have a problem with the cost should consider what could have happened had he been simply placed on a regular commercial flight.
People seemed to have forgotten that a part of that bill includes the cost of the medical personnel who were paid to accompany Abu Bakr home. Maybe we should have made him swim back to Trinidad?
Anyway, $4 million seems to be far less than any "monkey money" one can imagine and the State surely wastes more than that each day. It certainly is far less than the amount we would have spent had Abu Bakr done anything near to what he is known for. For those who are making such a big fuss about this money, may I suggest that they direct their energies to the following:
We see roads being patched everyday repeatedly. It is clear that the constant re-patching of some of our roads must involve someone collecting a fat cheque regularly. Why don't these people, including the JLP, use some of the energy that they are wasting on this Bakr money issue to investigate why taxpayers are being asked to give these "road contractors" a regular pay cheque to fix the same roads over and over?
Those wasting their energies calling for the head of security minister, Peter Bunting, should use those efforts to investigate why is it that, in spite of the price of oil falling by over 20 per cent in recent months, our light bills show no similar reduction.
Every day we waste millions of dollars and I rarely see the kind of ruckus that I see with the Abu Bakr issue. As far as I can see, that $4 million is $4 million less that was wasted.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
We waste so much more than $4 million
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