Dear Editor,

Junior minister, Damion Crawford, in the Jamaica Observer’s December 1, 2014 edition entered the fray of the National Housing Trust (NHT)/Outameni debacle.

He wrote: “The NHT cannot build houses without the demand for these houses. Please note, I didn’t say without the need for these houses, neither did I say without the want for these houses. The NHT cannot build houses without the demand for these houses. It is important here to offer the marketing definition of demand, which is ‘want backed by income’.”

Minister Crawford, what is wrong with building houses for the indigent? Often we read that squatters represent 50 per cent, or some high percentage of Jamaican households. How would that ever change if we do not build houses for people with low incomes. Poverty is endemic in Jamaica. We probably need a Mao Tse-tung to change the lives of Jamaicans. No hard feelings if we look at China today.

Further, building houses provides income for workers and growth for the economy.

I am now a senior citizen and cannot recall the NHT ever advertising for contractors to build houses.

If the NHT did its job diligently there would be no surplus to play with.

Keith Hobbins

khobbins@cwjamaica.com