VARIOUS civil society groups have lashed out against Government's decision to pull some $45.6 billion from the National Housing Trust to aid the country's ailing economy.

Last week students and lecturers at the University of the West Indies (UWI) added their voices to the discussion.

"If it will make a difference then go ahead and take the money. My only problem is that sometimes we don't get any benefits... As long as it is going to benefit the country, go ahead,"

— Donette Gilling, humanities student.

"Any way you look at it Jamaicans will end up suffering. People who need money for housing development, at some time they (government) are just going to say 'we cannot help you'. So things will only get worse,"

— Dawnett Hall-Beharie, humanities student.

"There is not much we can do about what they [Government] implement. We can talk every day but there is not much we can do about changing what they put in place. Our powers are still limited either way,"

— Jodi-Ann Tyrell, Social Sciences

"The Jamaican economy is so bad that they [government] are really just grabbing for ways to survive. They are going to do anything. They should have tried to use other alternatives than the money that people have been working hard and saving for so long. But they really don't have any choice anyways,"

— Kimberley Brown, humanities

"I think that for the bond [share] holders it is going to hit hard, but it is something that we are just going to have to accept right now. Unless somebody can think of an alternative then I don't see the point of complaining,"

— Casey Tingle, Humanities

"I understand when the NHT payments are being taken out of your pay because its there for a reason. But the problem I have is that you [government] make it law that people have to contribute but then they take that money and use it for something else. They should have came up front and tried to have some meeting with the public rather than just going ahead and taking the money,"

— Romaine Taylor, business student

"People work hard to save their money and I don't think they should be filling the deficit for the government. The government should be doing something other than taking people's money. And I don't think that is going to solve anything; its going to get worse and the dollar will keep on sliding,"

— Abigail Johnson, business student

"Why dem don't cut their salaries? Why take it from the NHT, when the NHT is the only thing that can help poor people, people who have been contributing to NHT for years. People who still can't afford to buy a house? Why it couldn't come from government salaries?"

— Sashelle Walker, business student

"I too believe they can cut their salaries and find some of the money. The NHT is for poor people, people who have been paying taxes all their lives and still can't get any houses,"

— Kimberley Nairne, business student

"This is not the first time that NHT has had to deliver money over to general revenue for support, and to that extend I would say that its nothing new. The important thing to consider is whether the quantum, the 45 Billion, is too much of a burden on an institution like the NHT. But there is just no other option at this point of time. If its not from NHT it will be from somewhere else, including taxing poor people. Its like a rock and a hard place"

— Neville Graham, Lecturer, business communication