KINGSTON, Jamaica — Former minister of transport and works, Mike Henry, said he deliberately missed Tuesday’s official opening of the Mount Rosser bypass in the North/South Highway link.

Henry told OBSERVER ONLINE that he was disappointed with the treatment of the people who had worked with him to initiate the project under the previous government in 2010/11 and the work they had done.

However, he said that he was more disappointed with his own 2007/2011 Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration, than the current government, for the failure to highlight their role in initiating the current project.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller as well as Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Omar Davies noted Henry’s absence at the opening ceremony.

Henry said that the Highway 2000 project was on the brink of being abandoned in 2010/11, due to the economic conditions and an IMF agreement under which the leadership of the government then was not in a position to find the US$200 million needed to carry on the work.

He said that considerable work had to be done by himself, as the minister; Chris Bovell, then chairman of the National Road Operating and Construction Company (NROCC), which has responsibility for ensuring the implementation of Highway 2000; and Ferris Ziadie, who was the government’s main adviser in the initial negotiations with China Harbour Engineering Company; to get the necessary investment funding to complete the project.

Henry admitted that he was invited to Tuesday’s function. But, he said that he was not satisfied that the work that was done to initiate the project has been fully appreciated.

He credited Ziadie with working out the economic model with CHEC’s regional director, Tang Zhongdong.

“But, I can’t be angry with the Government, I am more angry with my party, because the party should have put forward the position that we could have lost US$200 million… and the master stroke was to get the Chinese Development Bank to take over Bouygues’ role…and to finish the road as an investment and not as a loan. I don’t think the party and the cabinet of the day has taken its proper credit,” he said.

French company Bouygues started work on the North/South link of Highway 2000 but ran into technical difficulties and discontinued construction.

Balford Henry