Dear Editor,
I've never seen a country with leadership that finds joy in selling income-generating assets like Jamaica. It pains my heart.
According to the news report, the Government has made the decision to sell the Kingston Container Terminal (KCT). It is said that the "concession...will result in all positions being made redundant", but "workers should not view the development as a bad thing". What is really wrong with the PM? Is she for real? What's so good about a person losing his/her job, especially in this economy? Utter rubbish!
The PM feels our pain and is sorry, perhaps, but apparently could care less about what people do about their families, loans and bills as she has given the Port Authority of Jamaica the go-ahead to sell us out some more.
This has been our governance and economic growth formula: Airports need management = sell; roads need building = sell; need efficient sugar production = sell; power company needs upgrade = sell; telecoms need upgrade = sell; bauxite needs processing = sell; water is next!
The GoJ touts the logistics hub as an economic growth engine, yet they are pleased to announce they are selling our existing logistics infrastructure. What kind of nonsense is that? What will we have left that's owned by us, the people? There are no problem solvers in government, just a bunch of white collar hustlers, it would seem. We are on a path to Blurred Vision 2030 at this rate.
"The prime minister described the move to divest the 40-year-old container terminal as a major development, which should bring significant benefits to the country," the article read. Benefits to the country, Madam PM, or just to our shores? At which point the revenue streams will be diverted to the land from which the investors came. We need to start taking on the hard work of long-term development for ourselves. We simply can't be outsourcing everything as if Jamaica is just one massive BPO hub. We can surely do more for ourselves, Madam PM.
As an independent nation, we have become inordinately dependent on foreign purses for our survival. This is simply not good. The loss of jobs and livelihood will only worsen Jamaica's socio-economic situation and the outlook for the future marked with even more gloom. A man can't sell his land to build a house. The taxi man can't sell his tyres to buy fuel. The jelly man can't sell his machete to buy a cart. The sky juice man can't sell his ice shaver to buy ice. A carpenter can't sell his saws and chisels to buy lumber. In the same way, the government can't sell the revenue-generating assets and expect to earn revenue. The tools of our trade is in someone else's hand. Borrowed money should be used on investments that will generate a steady, reliable, guaranteed stream of revenue that will pay back loans and allow us to reinvest in the domestic economy. Jamaica has Singaporean potential, but no Lee Kwan Yew, so we will suffer.
Derville Lowe
Kingston 19
drvlllowe@yahoo.com
Yard sale in Ja! Everything must go!
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I've never seen a country with leadership that finds joy in selling income-generating assets like Jamaica. It pains my heart.
According to the news report, the Government has made the decision to sell the Kingston Container Terminal (KCT). It is said that the "concession...will result in all positions being made redundant", but "workers should not view the development as a bad thing". What is really wrong with the PM? Is she for real? What's so good about a person losing his/her job, especially in this economy? Utter rubbish!
The PM feels our pain and is sorry, perhaps, but apparently could care less about what people do about their families, loans and bills as she has given the Port Authority of Jamaica the go-ahead to sell us out some more.
This has been our governance and economic growth formula: Airports need management = sell; roads need building = sell; need efficient sugar production = sell; power company needs upgrade = sell; telecoms need upgrade = sell; bauxite needs processing = sell; water is next!
The GoJ touts the logistics hub as an economic growth engine, yet they are pleased to announce they are selling our existing logistics infrastructure. What kind of nonsense is that? What will we have left that's owned by us, the people? There are no problem solvers in government, just a bunch of white collar hustlers, it would seem. We are on a path to Blurred Vision 2030 at this rate.
"The prime minister described the move to divest the 40-year-old container terminal as a major development, which should bring significant benefits to the country," the article read. Benefits to the country, Madam PM, or just to our shores? At which point the revenue streams will be diverted to the land from which the investors came. We need to start taking on the hard work of long-term development for ourselves. We simply can't be outsourcing everything as if Jamaica is just one massive BPO hub. We can surely do more for ourselves, Madam PM.
As an independent nation, we have become inordinately dependent on foreign purses for our survival. This is simply not good. The loss of jobs and livelihood will only worsen Jamaica's socio-economic situation and the outlook for the future marked with even more gloom. A man can't sell his land to build a house. The taxi man can't sell his tyres to buy fuel. The jelly man can't sell his machete to buy a cart. The sky juice man can't sell his ice shaver to buy ice. A carpenter can't sell his saws and chisels to buy lumber. In the same way, the government can't sell the revenue-generating assets and expect to earn revenue. The tools of our trade is in someone else's hand. Borrowed money should be used on investments that will generate a steady, reliable, guaranteed stream of revenue that will pay back loans and allow us to reinvest in the domestic economy. Jamaica has Singaporean potential, but no Lee Kwan Yew, so we will suffer.
Derville Lowe
Kingston 19
drvlllowe@yahoo.com
Yard sale in Ja! Everything must go!
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