JAMAICA Observer online readers say they were hardly surprised by a report on Sunday that Jamaica Public Service contractors and employees were reselling confiscated wires used to illegally abstract electricity from the company’s lines. Here are some edited comments.

limeleaf

I am not surprised. It’s all about the eat-a-food mentality. God help us in Jamaica.

GEOFF

LOL! We are the ones who are little by little creating our own pain. Jamaica is overwhelmingly filled with dishonest and corrupt people. We all are playing our part slowly, sinking this ship.

senior mallett

@GEOFF: The ship sink already; they trying to raise it.

johnchristian

Jamaica the land of Brer Anancy and the home of rascality. Here is a thought, JPS: sell the company back to the Jamaican Government and get the hell out of Dodge City. Let the government deal with their own homegrown rascals. They have enough rascals in their ranks to figure out a solution.

newschecker

Just Pure Sorrow.

CHUCK EMANUEL Original

Corruption, corruption — everywhere is corruption. From Gordon House to the poor house and everything in between.

nunny

This is nothing new. I remember, as a young girl living in Portmore and when these JPS and NWC men come to disconnect, people will just give them a thing and your light and water would be left uncut.

noshel

I knew that some of the JPS workers were involved in these illegal connections because there is no way so many people could be using electricity so much without these employees of the JPS involved. I think JPS needs to do a purge, make sure they pay someone to snitch and catch those in the act and get rid of them.

Leaford N Shakes

Well, well, well… what a Jamaica! Is jus’ so di ting run. Ha, Ha, Ha!

Yadda

Good thinking, Observer, for keeping the informant anonymous.

Buds

The rewards of the eat-a-food mentality from the top to the bottom. Corruption rampant.

PhilOiseaubay

@Buds: The people just emulate what they see our leaders doing.

bobo

If they can pay for the wires and to have it ‘re-installed’, then they can afford to pay

for light. Pecho

Put these criminals in prison for long sentences at hard labour. Period.

Devon

I recently observed a JPS contracted truck laden with confiscated wires in Spanish Town. I was very surprised when I saw the same truck in Portmore the following day still with wires on board. The wires seemed less than what I saw the day before leaving me to ponder.

Gene

Truth is, the problems are known; the solutions are equally known, but implementation and enforcement, thereafter, are lacking due to one political reason or the other. The political will is not there, irrespective of which party forms the government. The laws of Jamaica are predicated on the ‘us’ against ‘them’ mentality, and always with the aim to keep ‘them’ at bay or in subjection.

If the basic necessities of life (water, light, shelter, etc) are unaffordable by the majority, then something has got to be wrong with the way how things are. Who cares to correct

the injustices that are meted out to many hard-working Jamaicans? If people cannot get help when it is sought, legally; be sure persons who know many methods of getting the problems solved illegally, are only too willing to help for a ‘smalls’.

Mack

What is the Duhaney Park woman doing with a “young baby”? If she can’t afford to pay for electricity then I don’t see how she can afford a baby. Who does she think should pay for her electricity consumption?

The young man in Seaview Gardens, despite having a job, also seems to think that he has no responsibility to pay for his electricity consumption. Who does he think should pay for his electricity consumption?

There are fundamental social issues that, if not addressed, will see the country fall further into the abyss.

JustandBalance

What we are reading is not surprising. The cops resell illegal guns, drivers licence is available for purchase, you can circumvent the fees at the wharf/ports, you can buy your way out of a traffic ticket, and you can purchase duplicate plates and insurance…the list goes on. That’s just the culture. Jamaican government can implement laws but they cannot enforce them.

woodpecker

What a sad state of affairs.