No matter what spin is wrapped around Turnkey’s decision to relocate the 2010 Jazz and Blues Festival from Montego Bay to the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, it is obvious that Sports and Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange has scored a personal victory against the proponents of the UTech bid to take over the so-called stadium.

This writer has no quarrel with Walter Elmore’s decision to take the major portion of his extended showcase to Trelawny. After all, there is the vexing matter of parking which has proved to be a literal nightmare for many patrons. And now that the major space made available for vehicles is the site of the convention site which is currently under construction, even with a shuttle service the going could have been very tough.

Notwithstanding that obvious inconvenience, word on the streets in Montego Bay is that travelling all the way to Trelawny will prove to be a tall order in more ways than one. Some patrons are also bemoaning the fact that the ambience, which the original venue boasted, what with the Aqueduct as well as the azure Caribbean Sea forming a spectacular backdrop, will have been lost at the new location.

However, an upbeat and over-optimistic Mr Elmore is maintaining that the new venue will in fact be transformed into a thing of beauty, with even greater comfort and better ambience. The goodly gentleman has a way of turning water into wine when it comes to presenting entertainment fare of the highest calibre.

But back to the bigger picture. It is no secret that Minister Grange is not in favour of the UTech proposal because she wants to have her own imprint on that humongous white elephant that continues to be a burden on taxpayers. While we are yet to know exactly what she has in mind for the Greenfield Stadium (as some would call it), the staging of the Jazz and Blues Festival that has been given her full blessings must be interpreted as a signal as to the direction in which she wants to go.

In this vein, one would want to urge the minister to come clean with the public and not to take the people of western Jamaica for a ride. It is well known that a large number of well-thinking persons, including several influential persons close to the Bruce Golding administration, are in favour of the UTech proposal which as far as I am concerned is a sound, pragmatic and visionary approach. Politicians tend to think short-term because of their unpredictable length of tenure in office, so for them immediate gratification is the order of the day. There is also the question of overblown egos that must be sufficiently satiated, which often means that whatever is conceived and implemented is not necessarily following the tenet of the greatest good for the greatest number.

My advice to Minister Grange is that she should begin a process of meaningful and constructive dialogue with major stakeholders and not just foist her will on the people of Trelawny and by extension western Jamaica. In the past, we have seen entertainment centres of the like that she may be contemplating go the way of all flesh because of a lack of sustainability. One recalls the Bob Marley Entertainment Complex at Montego Freeport for which exciting and far-reaching plans were announced. Well, the land now accommodates an upscale residential complex – The Lagoons. As for the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre along Howard Cooke Boulevard, apart from Reggae Sumfest and the Nyammin and Jammins Food Festival, that facility for the most part remains closed and grossly underutilised.

And yet with all that piece of history to instruct us, we seem hell-bent on going down a quixotic path chasing windmills. No doubt, the Falmouth cruise ship pier will transform Trelawny into a prime destination and the stadium can and must play a pivotal role in this process. However, government must ensure that there is a holistic approach, not one confined to narrow partisan considerations. Once again, I must warn the Golding administration about its perceived arrogant and “take-it-or-leave-it” stance when it comes to development and the people’s business. UTech has put its cards on the table. It is now Minister Grange’s turn to do likewise, all the while not using the Jazz and Blues Festival as a smokescreen or trump card.

In the meantime, this writer looks forward with bated breath to see how the musical showcase fares at that highly touted venue. At a time when tourism takes much hard selling in the international marketplace, events such as this are what must attract additional visitors to our shores, and in that context Walter Elmore and his team must be wholeheartedly commended for having had the foresight, stick-to-itiveness and bravado to continue making this annual affair one of Jamaica’s outstanding calendar events. He must be mindful of the fact, though, that the “divorcing” of Montego Bay has not gone down well with many patrons, both the diehards and potential new ones. After all, Montego Bay has a certain charm and magic that is most difficult to replicate anywhere else. But the show must go on and so I say good luck to Turnkey!

Meanwhile, it is my considered view that the government should set up a special task force to look at the overall development of Trelawny, especially against the background of the advent of the cruise ship terminal and its attendant facilities as well as the utilisation of the stadium. In this country, governments tend to be reactive rather than proactive – one of the major reasons why we have now found ourselves in such a socio-economic pickle. Visions must be shared to succeed. If imposed, the people’s business often perishes. Enough said!

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com