FORSTMAYR. that cannot be a way of dealing with our problems

THE police in western Jamaica were bracing for a likely disruptive strike and road blocks by taxi drivers today.

But in Montego Bay Opposition politician, Horace Chang, said he was attempting to keep the protesters out of the heart of the city and ensure that their activities were orderly and peaceful and not disruptive of the city's tourism.
In Kingston, however, the heads of taxi companies were largely lukewarm to the strike plan, ostensibly to protest rising petrol prices and a hike in motor vehicle licence fees.

CHANG. I am not going to stop their protest but redirect it

"We have heard persons talking about it but we have not been approached to participate," said Marie Josephs, a manager at the Candy Cab company, which has its headquarters at 189 Mountain View Ave in Kingston.
The Kingston taxi companies warned, however, that it would not require much to cause major disruption and traffic snarls.
There have been whisperings, especially in western Jamaica, since the weekend about the planned strike, which was said to have Opposition political support.

MORRISON. this would be tantamount to putting thousands of tourism workers to the sword

But Jamaica Labour Party officials denied participation in or official knowledge of the protest, although Chang, the MP for North Western St James, an important tourism area, said on Saturday that taximen in Montego Bay had approached his constituency leaders for organisational help.
Yesterday, with tourism officials warning of the damage that major disruption would do the island's image and bookings for the winter season, Chang told the Observer: "There is no intention at all to light tyres and block the roads. That was never the intention of the taximen and they have said so clearly, the few that I have spoken to and those that have spoken to people I speak to. I am not going to stop their protest but redirect it."

Initially, Chang disclosed, taxi operators had intended to drive, double lane, in a convoy, into Montego Bay for a mass meeting at the city's transport centre. But there were also other reports of planned road blocks and of organisers stockpiling old tyres and other debris for the burning of bonfires.
Chang said the original plan was likely to change.
"I am now talking to them about the possibility of a mass meeting at Albion (on the outskirts of Montego Bay) instead, where we would discuss the agenda of their interest," he said. "I am trying to bring in the Transport Authority, (influential hotelier) Godfrey Dyer and the police."

Senior Superintendent Owen Ellington, the outgoing head of the St James police, said his men have been on the alert since Saturday.
"We are proceeding purely on the basis of intelligence which we have that a major demonstration is to be staged Monday by taxi operators," he told the Observer. ".We will have extraordinary deployment (today), in some important areas, to prevent any major disruption to the traffic, public order and public safety."
Similar preparations were also being made in Kingston although there appeared yesterday to be less organisation behind the planned protest in the capital and less enthusiasm among operators for the strike.

In fact, Trevor Christie, who runs Appollo and Unique taxi services, said that he was not aware of the plan.
"I did not know about it but we won't be a part of it," he said. "That's not a route that we would plan to pursue right now."
A taxi driver who gave his name only as Roger dismissed the idea as futile.
"It does not make any sense to me because I don't think they will roll back the tax," he said. "All it will cause is more problems and disruption of the system."
While on Saturday Chang told the Observer he did not believe the protest would have much impact in either rolling back the one-third hike in vehicle licence fees and higher pump price for petrol, he was yesterday more openly sympathetic to the planned action.

The government as part of its move to close a $13-billion gap in the budget announced a hike from this month in licence fees for cars, including taxis, from $2,000 annually, to $2,750. Taxi operators are also apparently angry over a $2 per litre hike in the price of petrol over the past fortnight because of rising oil prices on the world market linked to a strike in Venezuela and the likely war in Iraq.
"Nobody anticipates and deals with these issues which people have before they become a crisis and that is my concern," Chang claimed. "There are people out there today who would love to lock off the people in (the poor Montego Bay communities of) Rose Heights and Glendevon like a concentration camp and put a fence around them, once they are making money."

"That can't work today," he added. "I will help tear down the fence. All these people are looking for is an opportunity to make a decent living but we have to obviously provide leadership to prevent it from being disruptive."
Chang's remarks were a clear swipe at the tourism leaders who have spoken out against the proposed strike and its potential negative impact on the island.
Among the strongest critics has been Josef Forstmayr, the managing director of the Round Hill resort and president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association.

"I must tell you I have no patience for this," Forstmayr said yesterday. "You cannot have, every time we disagree on anything that you have a sector, all of a sudden, take the law into their own hands and disrupt the economic activity of everybody. That cannot be a way of dealing with our problems." Forstmayr argued.
It was unfortunate, he said, that this strategy has worked in the past.
"As far as I am concerned if you don't like something the government does, you have the polls and you can vote and show your displeasure," Forstmayr added. "In the meanwhile you use all the elements available in a democracy . including organised and allowed demonstrations that do not interrupt the flow of business."

Dennis Morrison, the recently appointed chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board, also hit out at a likely disruption that could hurt Jamaica's image.
"This would be tantamount to putting thousands of tourism workers to the sword and multiplying the losses sustained by business people in the industry in the recent past," Morrison said.

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