Dear Editor,

The wonderful Brand Jamaica is elusive to Jamaicans. We have not only lost our beaches, children, culture, and pride, we are losing our God-given right to earn a living.

The construction industry seems to have been skewed from left to right with no one exposing it for what it is — a channel used by politicians, managers and people placed in supreme positions to furnish campaigns, lifestyles, and allow offices like that of the contractor general to unleash its wrath on anyone it chooses.

In excess of 80 contractors could have had their National Contracts Commission (NCC) registration withdrawn based on things that “appear” to be are nothing short of unfounded suspicions. The NCC registration process leaves nothing to chance for the common Jamaican contractor, yet the NWA, which is Government’s main implementing agency, has officers who do not even have the qualifications being requested.

While some contractors are feeling like they have been left out, the Chinese are gifted with free no-visa transit into the country right about the time when this great logistics hub is about to be developed. How timely a strategy!

While the Government secures Chinese beneficiaries, who is considering the de-registration of resident contractors?

The prime minister keeps chanting that Jamaicans should acquire skills so they cannot complain when labour is imported, when we all know that Jamaicans not being employed is not always due to lack of skill.

We talk about development, but development for whom?

The story was on Nationwide the other day about one contractor who the minister of agriculture said was “way ahead” of the others in their bid. The contractor won the contract, the minister said, after all the “yardsticks” were measured, about 20 processes he said that they had to go through; the contract was not awarded to them.

The media needs to check to find out how this could have happened? Where is the leadership and quest for accountability on matters such as these? Where is the OCG?

Do we have to rise up and become terrorists before attention is paid to these issues? This logistics hub will only become another measly chance to “mek a change” and “eat a food” instead of a development opportunity for Jamaicans to earn a living. It will reflect the structure now set in place within the wholesale industry, where our people slave away for a measly pay cheque, while the Chinese who get tax waivers come in and run the show.

Very concerned taxpayer

St Andrew