Dear Editor,
The prime minister says they had it, so we have to have it too.
She finds it incomprehensible to do anything different. Result – increasing debt.
Ministers can do without expensive SUVs. The indigent patient cannot do without her medication. They’re not man enough to be seen driving around in a 1200 cc Hyundai? Egos can’t take the peer pressure? They use far less gas, cost less to insure, and cost less to maintain because the parts and service cost less. Smaller cars for ministers and nobody could argue that they have to have an SUV!
Millions of dollars saved. Hospital patients are happy. The PM says she has to go first class to the USA so as not to inconvenience the Secret Service. Hold on a minute, that’s the Secret Service. They can wait. Truly important people are important regardless of how they travel. Millions of dollars saved. With JPSCo, NTSC’s Ezroy Millwood and Carreras they were apparently ignorant of the law, even though there are so many lawyers in the Cabinet. They must not be very good lawyers for them to miss that what they were doing was illegal or questionable at least.
Since CURE has won in the case of JPSCo, they seem to be backpedalling because, whoops, they gave them an all-island exclusive licence, without the right to do so. In Millwood’s case, the Privy Council, the final court of appeal, said: “Pay the man.” And now that he is dead, they are hoping the NTSC will give up. And even after the $370-million interim award, they’re still trying to drag it out. Recently the Privy Council (again) in Carreras vs the Taxpayer Audit and Assessment Department ruled against the government to the tune of $1.73 billion. Whoops, the $174 million owed has gone missing when it should be in escrow. Is this a reason to have the Caribbean Court of Justice? It rules against them when they don’t play by their own rules? Do the right thing. Millions of dollars saved. People happy.
Trafigura stinks. So why are the PNP ducking the Dutch? A possibility is that if they do, it will expose not just one, but a series (it seems illogical for them to just do it one time) of payments to individual members of the PNP, on a scale perhaps not illegal here, would cause the people to turn on them. Imagine if they didn’t have to pay the NTSC, backpedal on JPSCo, or repay Carreras! What a load off our backs. Millions of dollars saved. Lawyers poorer. Ministers have to have a “bling” office, in the nicest buildings, nice pictures on the walls, big desks, custom chairs. Multi-million-dollar rent. When they say to us, “Why should you be concerned? We’re big. We’re important. The government pays for it.” What they mean is: “You pay for it.” And, boy, are we paying for it! Use government buildings for government offices. Millions of dollars saved. Landlords unhappy. We don’t need insecure politicians to associate with the bad boys and tell us lies. We need to understand how bad the situation is.
Instead, poke them and they puff up like a Pompas (blowfish) and say, “I’m too big and important for that,” and wobble away. Instead of saying or doing something sensible.
Howard Chin
hmc14@cwjamaica.com
The prime minister says they had it, so we have to have it too.
She finds it incomprehensible to do anything different. Result – increasing debt.
Ministers can do without expensive SUVs. The indigent patient cannot do without her medication. They’re not man enough to be seen driving around in a 1200 cc Hyundai? Egos can’t take the peer pressure? They use far less gas, cost less to insure, and cost less to maintain because the parts and service cost less. Smaller cars for ministers and nobody could argue that they have to have an SUV!
Millions of dollars saved. Hospital patients are happy. The PM says she has to go first class to the USA so as not to inconvenience the Secret Service. Hold on a minute, that’s the Secret Service. They can wait. Truly important people are important regardless of how they travel. Millions of dollars saved. With JPSCo, NTSC’s Ezroy Millwood and Carreras they were apparently ignorant of the law, even though there are so many lawyers in the Cabinet. They must not be very good lawyers for them to miss that what they were doing was illegal or questionable at least.
Since CURE has won in the case of JPSCo, they seem to be backpedalling because, whoops, they gave them an all-island exclusive licence, without the right to do so. In Millwood’s case, the Privy Council, the final court of appeal, said: “Pay the man.” And now that he is dead, they are hoping the NTSC will give up. And even after the $370-million interim award, they’re still trying to drag it out. Recently the Privy Council (again) in Carreras vs the Taxpayer Audit and Assessment Department ruled against the government to the tune of $1.73 billion. Whoops, the $174 million owed has gone missing when it should be in escrow. Is this a reason to have the Caribbean Court of Justice? It rules against them when they don’t play by their own rules? Do the right thing. Millions of dollars saved. People happy.
Trafigura stinks. So why are the PNP ducking the Dutch? A possibility is that if they do, it will expose not just one, but a series (it seems illogical for them to just do it one time) of payments to individual members of the PNP, on a scale perhaps not illegal here, would cause the people to turn on them. Imagine if they didn’t have to pay the NTSC, backpedal on JPSCo, or repay Carreras! What a load off our backs. Millions of dollars saved. Lawyers poorer. Ministers have to have a “bling” office, in the nicest buildings, nice pictures on the walls, big desks, custom chairs. Multi-million-dollar rent. When they say to us, “Why should you be concerned? We’re big. We’re important. The government pays for it.” What they mean is: “You pay for it.” And, boy, are we paying for it! Use government buildings for government offices. Millions of dollars saved. Landlords unhappy. We don’t need insecure politicians to associate with the bad boys and tell us lies. We need to understand how bad the situation is.
Instead, poke them and they puff up like a Pompas (blowfish) and say, “I’m too big and important for that,” and wobble away. Instead of saying or doing something sensible.
Howard Chin
hmc14@cwjamaica.com