Dear Editor,
For at least five years following the announcement of the Highway 2000 project, prior to the signing of the Concession agreement for Phase 1A ( which included the Portmore Toll bridge), and even during the construction period, I tried my best to alert the country to the national problems that were inherent in the manner in which the project was being implemented, and the contract arrangements that had been made.
I was one of very few who took the time to read the Concession Agreement and alerted the public to the cost implications to the country regarding things like the bringing back of the railway service, and the widening and improvements to the Mandela Highway.
I also tried to make the public understand that, contrary to the patently false and misleading announcements that this project was essentially a private investment by the French company Bouygues, the initial and ongoing costs were almost totally on the backs of the taxpayers of Jamaica.
As then president of the Jamaican Institute of Architects, and years after, I initiated discussions with lead promoter Kingsley Thomas, spoke at several forums, including the public forum on Highway 2000 put on by the Farquharson Institute, wrote numerous letters to the press, and spoke on several radio talk shows. I even approached the then president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Opposition party to seek their assistance in raising public concerns. This was all to no avail.
It was clear that everyone had blindly bought in to the false and misleading slogan that, "The road to development is the development of roads", and assumed that I was either being 'political' and/or shortsighted, and just didn't appreciate the benefits of having highways built.
Very few understood my message that even a great idea can, and inevitably will, be very destructive if it lacks proper long-term and integrated development planning, and that -- as is still the norm in Jamaica -- allowing a project of this size and scope to be contracted and implemented in secrecy and obfuscation, hidden from the public and even all of the relevant and established State agencies only serves to facilitate wasteful and corrupt use of public funds.
Further, I, along with others, even wrote to the Contractor General's Office to warn about the unilateral manner in which the second phase North-South leg of the Highway project was handed to Bouygues, who eventually ended up abandoning the project. So, while it may be shocking to the public, it comes as no surprise to me, that it has been announced that National Road Operating and Construction Company is over $300 billion in debt.
Finally, for those who believe that things have now changed, and that the Chinese investing their 'own' money to complete the North-South leg of Highway 2000 can only be a great thing for Jamaica, because it is not 'costing' the country, think again. Remember what US President Barack Obama said on his visit to Jamaica: "You need to really examine who is really benefiting."
Clifton Yap
cliftonyap1@gmail.com
NROCC debt shows highways aren't without cost to us
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For at least five years following the announcement of the Highway 2000 project, prior to the signing of the Concession agreement for Phase 1A ( which included the Portmore Toll bridge), and even during the construction period, I tried my best to alert the country to the national problems that were inherent in the manner in which the project was being implemented, and the contract arrangements that had been made.
I was one of very few who took the time to read the Concession Agreement and alerted the public to the cost implications to the country regarding things like the bringing back of the railway service, and the widening and improvements to the Mandela Highway.
I also tried to make the public understand that, contrary to the patently false and misleading announcements that this project was essentially a private investment by the French company Bouygues, the initial and ongoing costs were almost totally on the backs of the taxpayers of Jamaica.
As then president of the Jamaican Institute of Architects, and years after, I initiated discussions with lead promoter Kingsley Thomas, spoke at several forums, including the public forum on Highway 2000 put on by the Farquharson Institute, wrote numerous letters to the press, and spoke on several radio talk shows. I even approached the then president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Opposition party to seek their assistance in raising public concerns. This was all to no avail.
It was clear that everyone had blindly bought in to the false and misleading slogan that, "The road to development is the development of roads", and assumed that I was either being 'political' and/or shortsighted, and just didn't appreciate the benefits of having highways built.
Very few understood my message that even a great idea can, and inevitably will, be very destructive if it lacks proper long-term and integrated development planning, and that -- as is still the norm in Jamaica -- allowing a project of this size and scope to be contracted and implemented in secrecy and obfuscation, hidden from the public and even all of the relevant and established State agencies only serves to facilitate wasteful and corrupt use of public funds.
Further, I, along with others, even wrote to the Contractor General's Office to warn about the unilateral manner in which the second phase North-South leg of the Highway project was handed to Bouygues, who eventually ended up abandoning the project. So, while it may be shocking to the public, it comes as no surprise to me, that it has been announced that National Road Operating and Construction Company is over $300 billion in debt.
Finally, for those who believe that things have now changed, and that the Chinese investing their 'own' money to complete the North-South leg of Highway 2000 can only be a great thing for Jamaica, because it is not 'costing' the country, think again. Remember what US President Barack Obama said on his visit to Jamaica: "You need to really examine who is really benefiting."
Clifton Yap
cliftonyap1@gmail.com
NROCC debt shows highways aren't without cost to us
-->