Dear Editor,

I was quite shocked at the article by Lloyd B Smith in the Observer of January 25, 2011. First, he goes on the attack against the JLP, then he gives praises to three ministers. After that, he masked in a very eloquently put body of words the following: “Then there has been the undeniable surge in corruption with well-placed Labourites and their cronies who have been starved for the past 18 1/2 years having a feeding frenzy, their noses buried in the trough. Indeed, it may well be argued that if the PNP was “worser” at corruption then this JLP regime is “worserer!”

This “undeniable surge” in corruption is quite frankly a lie! It ought to be called out for what it is, a damn lie! There is no doubt, that the JLP or someone in the ministry, should have been more vigilant with the expensive chair for $80,000. Perhaps, someone should have been fired for the chair, even though no one in the PNP complained about the millions of dollars spent after not renovating downtown for 18 1/2 years and thus, forcing the taxpayers to pay for huge rentals for government ministries in New Kingston, and other upscale places, a sad practice which continues to this day.

Perhaps, Minister Henry should have allowed that house to run down to nothing so no taxpayer would have complained, maybe that would have certainly given the PNP fodder to attack.

However, it is interesting to see how clever Mr Smith thought he was to use an article which seems to be challenging the PNP to get its act together as a front for accusing the JLP of being corrupt and actually thinking he can fool anyone with it.

That statement needs to be corroborated with hard facts, Lloyd B, hard facts. What are these events which have resulted in this “undeniable surge”? Are they any similar to the Rollins land deal, the Iran sugar deal, the Furniture scandal, the Shell Waiver, the Fat Cats scandal of 1999 (when public servants were recommending and awarding themselves salaries), the Operation Pride mismanagement, the National Solid Waste mismanagement, the instances of deferred financing and the gutting of the private sector in the 1990s?

Tell me more about this “undeniable surge” of corruption, Mr Smith. Tell me more, enlighten me, take me out of my slumber, how dare I be, in the words of the English writer William Blake, a “slumberous mass” when my country is absolutely going to the dogs, if Lloyd B is to be believed!

Damion Heslop

damionheslop@yahoo.com