Dear Editor,

I’m frankly appalled at the casual approach taken by some of our leaders to the recent telecommunications merger. The deal has the potential to reverse many of the important gains achieved following the liberalisation of the telecommunications market roughly 15 years ago. In these harsh economic times one would have thought that any measure that may have a negative effect on the general population would be a hot-button issue.

In other Caribbean countries where LIME is attempting a similar takeover, it has resulted in intense public debate, with some countries going the route of formal public consultations. In small and fragile economies such as ours any decision of this nature must involve discussions with the people. Further, the mainstream media has been inexcusably quiet on this matter and one wonders whether we must wait for something to go wrong for the usual hindsight 20/20 commentators to emerge.

As it is, we have been saddled with an arrangement which may very well have negative effects on pricing, competition and further growth in the market. That this has been allowed to happen with such lack of scrutiny is cause for concern. We may yet regret it. Speak up, Jamaica.

Cynthia Walcott

Stony Hill, St Andrew

cynwalcott@gmail.com