The rush of power to the head often leads to putting one’s foot in the mouth. We certainly hope that this was not the case with Ms Joy Douglas, the general manager of the state-run Urban Development Corporation (UDC).

Ms Douglas is reported as issuing a veiled threat to acquire the Nuttall Memorial Hospital lands situated near Cross Roads in Kingston.

Television reports have Ms Douglas telling the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce that the agency is interested in the Nuttall lands which are owned by the Anglican Church in Jamaica and the Cayman islands.

That is juxtaposed with the further statement that “there are plans by the prime minister to amend the UDC Act, that will do away with a clause that forces the Corporation to acquire land before engaging in redevelopment activities”.

Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay, the Rt Rev Howard Gregory accused the UDC general manager of “highlighting church properties as being in strategic locations, and stating that some of these will have to be secured for the execution of development plans for various communities”.

“It seems incredible that church properties are suddenly to be found in strategic locations which are impeding developmental strategies more than other landowners, whether of a commercial or private nature. The identification is, therefore, troubling and deserving of clarification by the relevant authorities.”

In a clear indication that it had no plans to give up the Nuttall lands without a fight, the Church firmly rebuffed the state agency and chastised Ms Douglas for what it suggested would be an unconstitutional act.

We are relieved that the UDC has denied that Ms Douglas had said anything about acquiring the church property, especially in the manner feared by Bishop Gregory.

But once again, we are forced to point government spokespersons to the need for lessons in effective communication. Ms Douglas must know that ownership of land is a sensitive business in Jamaica and any plan to acquire lands, even for development purposes, must be treated delicately.

It is conceivable that the Government will need to acquire privately owned lands in order to modernise our capital city, as we deal with developments like population growth, broadening of roads, accommodation of traffic, housing needs, space for factories, disaster mitigation and the like.

It may even be conceivable that the Nuttall lands are critical for development of the city. The truth is that Cross Roads is badly in need of redesign. As it is, the town is a dreadful eyesore and a traffic bottleneck. But how we handle such acquisition is equally of critical importance.

Perhaps people like Ms Joy Douglas, even when talented in other areas, should not be leading the charge. Not everyone knows how to handle power and too often what should be mere routine becomes a crisis in their hands.

In this Nuttall case, both the Anglican Church and the UDC are contradicting each other about meeting to discuss acquisition plans. That is the clearest suggestion that no communication is taking place. Too much has been llost in translation.