PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller spoke about “naysayers” at the public session of the 75th annual conference of the People’s National Party. She spoke about the way naysayers opposed the building of many important places when Norman Manley was premier

and Michael Manley and

P J Patterson were

prime ministers.

She asserted that, had they followed the naysayers, we would not have buildings like the National Stadium, and as far as that goes she is right. The ‘naysayers’ of the day were opposed to the building of the stadium. Indeed, the stadium complex was to take in the entire area from Mountain View Avenue to Tom Redcam Avenue. But due to the huge outcry, calling it a waste of money, the plans were reduced. What say the naysayers now?

Mrs Simpson Miller, on Sunday, was making reference to the proposed hub at Goat Islands, which environmentalists say would be an environmental hazard.

I am happy that she called the name of Norman Washington Manley to remind herself and the PNP of the fundamental aims of the PNP. But the name of Norman Manley should not be used just for political convenience, as if he would have approved of any project that would cause an environmental hazard.

Judging from his pronouncements, Norman Manley would never have approved of any project that could hurt Jamaica in the long run. Nor would his son Michael, for that matter. Political education used to be compulsory in the PNP. Were it still so, the members would have known about how Norman Manley viewed the environment.

He made speeches about the need to terrace the land and make walls. In the days before Kingston Harbour got polluted, Norman Manley made speeches about being alarmed at how red the Kingston Harbour became every time the rains fell. Today the water is so polluted and discoloured that one cannot tell the difference after a heavy rain.

And it was Norman Manley who, as chief minister, established the Beach Control Authority. It is true that his opponents to free education said that saltfish was better than education. But Norman Manley did not establish any school that was an environmental hazard.

It is true that Norman Manley built Mona Heights and Opposition spokesman the late Edwin Allen, called it a middle-class slum in front of beautiful Hope Gardens. But Mona Heights was not an environmental hazard, unlike housing schemes built several decades later in river beds that were flooded after heavy rains. Nor were Harbour View, Duhaney Park or any of the rural housing schemes built in the period.

Under Norman Manley, the Ministry of Education was built at a time when Florizel Glasspole (later governor-general) was minister of education. The building was called Glasspole’s Glasshouse and Hotel Glasspole. But the ministry was not and still is not an environmental hazard.

The development of Negril was opposed in 1961. At the time of the referendum campaign for or against the West Indies Federation — which the Jamaica Labour Party, led by Sir Alexander Bustamante, made into a campaign about everything else but the Federation — the Negril issue was addressed.

Bustamante was recorded as accusing Norman Manley of throwing a million pounds — a very large fortune then — into the swamps of Negril, while poor people were starving. But even that has not turned out to be an environmental hazard, as far as I know.

The late John Maxwell must be turning in his grave. He came out very strongly against the proposed building of houses in Hope Gardens in 1999 when P J Patterson was prime minister. The proposal was shelved and a greater hazard was made with the building of the Long Mountain Housing Scheme. Of course people need houses, but why there? The number of land slippages that have taken place every time the rains falls are too numerous to mention.

And again the difference with the Goat Islands is that we might be creating a major environmental hazard by destroying the major fish basket of Jamaica,

which is the south coast. Worse, no one has levelled with the people of Jamaica about what the Chinese really want to build on Goat Islands. Does the governor general of Jamaica know? Or have they just signed away our patrimony?

Over the last 25 years I have lamented the fact that much of our development has been hampered by the persons whom the prime minister refers to as ‘naysayers’. As far back as 1923, when we were still a crown colony of Great Britain and the colonial governor ruled the country, he proposed the building of three dams at Hermitage.

The legislative council in 1923 thought that three dams were excessive and a waste of money. So in the end only one dam was built. Every time there is a drought I recall this bit of history. In any event, the naysayers in the last six or seven decades have been mainly opposing politicians. And both major political parties are guilty of this.

Indeed, the unfortunate truth is that politicians oppose for the sake of opposing, to gain votes. This has been so all over the world since time immemorial. It is one thing to promise and not deliver — that is to be expected. It is quite another thing to oppose progress that is not an environmental hazard.

The proposal to use Goat Islands as part of the hub is an environmental hazard. And the environmentalists are not running for political office. They do not need votes to win an election. They are mainly trying to protect our patrimony. And we should not use the ‘fat’ from fanatic tree huggers in their midst — if there are indeed any — to fry all of them.

ekrum765@yahoo.com