Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
Welcoming Dr Carlton Davis and Mr Dennis Chung
CHUNG… to lead seven-member team
Editorial
April 23, 2015

Welcoming Dr Carlton Davis and Mr Dennis Chung

THE appointment of Dr Carlton Davis for a second stint as chairman of the National Housing Trust (NHT) board is most welcome and an obvious move by the Government to burnish the image of the directorate that has been badly damaged by recent revelations.

Dr Davis, a former Cabinet secretary and model public servant, has an impeccable reputation as a professional whose integrity is beyond question.

We expect that, under his direction, the NHT will recover from the severe battering it received over the Outameni purchase that came to public attention late last year, and this week’s release of the auditor general’s report that revealed questionable land purchases and investments by the NHT over several years.

In fact, how Dr Davis deals with the auditor general’s report will give the country an indication of the direction in which he intends to steer the Trust. For that report contains a number of issues that need serious and swift attention.

While we accept that a smart way for the NHT to make money is to invest, that investment should not be allowed to go to waste because of inaction, as was pointed out in the auditor general’s report in relation to the Jamaica Lifestyle Village which cost taxpayers $63 million.

We can’t argue with the people who have raised objections to the reappointment of members of the former board as, based on the revelations, they have not given us reason to trust their judgement.

However, we have no doubt that Dr Davis will utilise his experience and wisdom in ensuring that the board makes sound decisions in the future.

In the same way that we welcome Dr Davis’s appointment, we acknowledge the sound thinking behind that of installing Mr Dennis Chung as National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) chairman.

Indeed, outside of two of the new appointees about whom we have reservations, we can’t argue with the individuals named and will give them time to settle in and, hopefully, set the NSWMA on a path to privatisation.

Mr Chung should brace himself for a tough ride, because the NSWMA represents the gravy train for political parties — a place where blinkered supporters of the party in power are let loose to feed from the trough of political pork.

He should not expect those types of individuals to conform to the kinds of procedures that obtain in professionally run businesses. And, with general and parish council elections drawing nearer, Mr Chung and his team will be lucky if they get support from the political directorate for any reform measures they may want to implement.

On that point, though, we hope we are proven wrong. We also hope that the Government will go further by using the current environment to amend the thinking that informs appointments to State agency boards.

Such appointments, we hold, should be dependent on people’s ability to deliver value to the agencies, as well as their willingness to serve, rather than how they vote in parliamentary elections or how highly connected they are.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Rubio says Cubans deserve ‘a better future’
Latest News, Regional
Rubio says Cubans deserve ‘a better future’
July 12, 2026
WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that, five years after the July 11 demonstrations, Cub...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Jamaica’s population grew by just 600 in 2025 – PIOJ
Latest News, News
Jamaica’s population grew by just 600 in 2025 – PIOJ
July 12, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP) — Jamaica’s population was estimated at 2,764,200 at the end of 2025 when compared with 2,763,600 in 2024. This indicates a ne...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
US-Iran strikes — latest developments
International News, Latest News
US-Iran strikes — latest developments
July 12, 2026
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Iran announced it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and hit Gulf neighbours in retaliation for US s...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Argentina football great Rattin dies at 89
Latest News, Sports
Argentina football great Rattin dies at 89
July 12, 2026
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) —  Former Argentina captain Antonio Rattín, who was sent off in the 19966 World Cup quarter-final against England, died ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
NWC Amnesty realised nearly $800 million for State-owned utility
Latest News, News
NWC Amnesty realised nearly $800 million for State-owned utility
July 12, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The customer amnesty and relief programme granted by the National Water Commission (NWC) in January 2025 generated $769.0 million ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Six dead as driver rams into crowd at Chilean festival
International News, Latest News
Six dead as driver rams into crowd at Chilean festival
July 12, 2026
SANTIAGO, Chile(AFP) — A driver ploughed into people at a street festival Sunday in Chile, killing at least six, police said. The man reportedly lost ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Remittances to Jamaica up 3.8 per cent in 2025, says PIOJ
Latest News, News
Remittances to Jamaica up 3.8 per cent in 2025, says PIOJ
July 12, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Remittances to Jamaica totalled US$3 247.5 million in 2025, an increase of 3.8 per cent when compared with 2024. This is according...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Inner Circle’s ‘Sweat (A La La La La Long)’ platinum in UK
Entertainment, Latest News
Inner Circle’s ‘Sweat (A La La La La Long)’ platinum in UK
BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer Writer 
July 12, 2026
Thirty-four years after it became a global hit,  Sweat (A La La La La Long)  by reggae band Inner Circle, has earned platinum certification in the Uni...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct