Dear Editor,
At this point in our nation’s journey, nearly 54 years since Independence, Jamaica finds itself poor and its citizens crying over being charged high toll rates for enjoying the significant safety and time-saving advantages of travelling the beautiful north-south highway.
What is painful, especially for those who at Independence in August 1962 were young adults, is the need to pay any toll at all.
Remembering Jamaica’s indisputably enormous potential for wealth and prosperity in 1962 (certainly greater than Singapore’s or Bermuda’s ), but for poor governance the country should have been able to build top quality highways without having to borrow money or without having to enter into toll arrangements.
Indeed, instead of having only the existing 120 kilometres of “toll quality” highways, after 54 years, there should have been no less than 1,200 kilometres — all toll-free.
After all, 54 years is a long enough time to “mash up” a country and be well on the way to prosperity once again.
But prosperity comes with good governance. There is no magic or secret formula for good governance. It is so simple: Put Jamaica first.
Jamaica has no business being poor and being one of the world’s most indebted nations. But we are where we are, like it or not.
Now, let’s go forward to prosperity through good governance by following the guiding principle of putting Jamaica first.
Let’s stop the crying, tell the Chinese a big ‘thank you’ and pay the toll. For, in the final analysis, we have none but ourselves to blame for our sorry state of affairs.
Dr Patrick D Robinson
Stony Hill, St Andrew
pdougrobins@gmail.com
At this point in our nation’s journey, nearly 54 years since Independence, Jamaica finds itself poor and its citizens crying over being charged high toll rates for enjoying the significant safety and time-saving advantages of travelling the beautiful north-south highway.
What is painful, especially for those who at Independence in August 1962 were young adults, is the need to pay any toll at all.
Remembering Jamaica’s indisputably enormous potential for wealth and prosperity in 1962 (certainly greater than Singapore’s or Bermuda’s ), but for poor governance the country should have been able to build top quality highways without having to borrow money or without having to enter into toll arrangements.
Indeed, instead of having only the existing 120 kilometres of “toll quality” highways, after 54 years, there should have been no less than 1,200 kilometres — all toll-free.
After all, 54 years is a long enough time to “mash up” a country and be well on the way to prosperity once again.
But prosperity comes with good governance. There is no magic or secret formula for good governance. It is so simple: Put Jamaica first.
Jamaica has no business being poor and being one of the world’s most indebted nations. But we are where we are, like it or not.
Now, let’s go forward to prosperity through good governance by following the guiding principle of putting Jamaica first.
Let’s stop the crying, tell the Chinese a big ‘thank you’ and pay the toll. For, in the final analysis, we have none but ourselves to blame for our sorry state of affairs.
Dr Patrick D Robinson
Stony Hill, St Andrew
pdougrobins@gmail.com