Hamilton, new president of used car dealers association
A new president of the Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association (JUCDA) was elected at the association’s recent annual general meeting held at the Wyndham hotel in Kingston.
Lynvalle Hamilton, managing director of Auto Channel, will serve as JUCDA president for the 2010/2011 administrative year.
Hamilton yesterday told Auto that he hoped to take the used car association to another level in protecting the industry.
He contended that international competition was pushing up the prices used car on the world market making it more difficult to acquire vehicles at reasonable rates.
“Once upon a time it was only places like Jamaica that were purchasing used cars,” said Hamilton. “Now even dealers in developed countries are doing it”.
Higher prices on the world market, Hamilton argued, was making it prohibitive for numerous Jamaicans to purchase vehicles.
He said that the JUCDA would be lobbying Government to reduce duties on used vehicles and/or allow the importation of older vehicles that would be more affordable for local purchasers.
Cleaning up the image of the industry is also high on the slate of the new JUCDA executive.
“We also want to look at improving confidence of the public,” Hamilton said. “We know that some dealers are not living up to the expected requirements of the industry and we expect to change that,” he added.
Other members of the JUCDA executive are: vice president, Errol Brown of Farquason’s Trucking, Kern Francis of GK Motors, Errol Rose of JE&S Auto, Gordon Baldie of Cars-to-Go, Dwight Moore of Worldtron and treasurer Charmaine Lee.
Prior to the AGM, former president, Ian Lyn officially demitted office and did not stand for re-election.
In a letter sent to the JUCDA and copied to the Observer via email, Lyn, who said he would be unable to attend the AGM, thanked the association for its support, adding that he had fulfilled promises made during his stint as president.
“I made it clear over two months ago that I would not seek re-election because of the total disregard by the Jamaican Government to our just demands,” the letter said.
“Let me take this opportunity to ask our Government for the last time to please assist our industry before it completely falls apart,” the letter added.
