Governments must listen to the people
Dear Editor,
There are some things, especially in the Jamaican context, that I find quite astounding. Your paper recently quoted Minister Vaz as saying that the relocation of Up Park Camp was almost a done deal.
Now, a Government is elected to represent the people and make decisions in the best interest of the people. Governments serve terms, they are temporary, and therefore should be reminded that they are mere custodians of assets owned by the people. Some decisions which could have a major impact over the long term should not be dealt with lightly.
To date, there has been a lot of feedback on the controversial decision, mostly negative. The Opposition has also publicly opposed the move; they were not involved in these decisions. Army officials have also been noticeably silent. Were they even consulted?
Most of the details behind the proposed move have not been made public — who will fund the building development at Caymanas and at what cost, and who are the buyers of Up Park Camp lands and what exactly will they build? Is this going to be another garrison housing community?
A lot of other issues are at stake: cost/benefit, security, impact on the environment, logistics, which all weigh in on rationality. And what about the Government’s current priorities, ie social, economic priorities? Shouldn’t health care and education be more urgent in terms of national development?
If housing is critical, have they weighed in on other viable options for land space that could leave the Camp grounds, which originated in the 18th century, intact? Ironically, one would think that a housing development would be more suitable for Caymanas. Also, wouldn’t it be more costly to rebuild a new army base (elsewhere) from scratch, as opposed to spending a smaller fraction to renovate the current facilities?
I think any Government making these types of irrational decisions unilaterally and in such haste, without first engaging with the Opposition and listening to the concerns of the people, is certainly setting itself up for a one-term rule.
P Chin
Canada
chin_p@yahoo.com
