Welcome to pothole country! This may well be the sign placed at various locations across Jamaica. In the wake of the recent persistent showers of rain across the country, hundreds of potholes, from the tiny to the humongous, have emerged; causing much discomfort, danger to life, and costly repairs as well as replacement of motor vehicle parts.

The issue of potholes is not new. Indeed, within the political realm, one minister promised some time ago that Jamaica would be “pothole-free in 2003”. Then there was his Opposition counterpart who blamed it on the then prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, in a most irreverent way.

Perennially, there have been frequent roadblocks across the island by irate and fed-up citizens who bemoan the state of the roads in their respective communities. What is most amazing is that, in many cases, roads that were just recently repaved overnight become motorists’ nightmare. This gives any well-thinking and discerning Jamaican reason to assume that the quality of work was poor. Compare roads built and maintained by the bauxite companies over these many years, as well as by the Chinese in more recent times, and it is fair to say roads built and repaved by Jamaican contractors remain the most fragile and pothole-ridden.

Of course, it is no secret that corruption is at the heart of this problem, coupled with the lack of effective civil engineering applications. Some years ago, a parish councillor told me of an unfortunate experience he had dealing with a man who, through his partisan affiliation, was given a contract to fix a curb and channel area as well as replace some culverts. The councillor said that on a visit to the worksite he urged the contractor to do a good job so that there would be no need for any future repairs, at least for the next five years. The man’s reply was, “But, Boss, if me do dat how me deh go survive? Mi haffi fix it in such a way that sooner or later dem have to call me back to fix it again. A so mi earn me bread.”

It is no secret that shoddy workmanship has become the order of the day when it comes to government-contracted work. Cutting corners, using inferior material, avoiding professional input, and providing little supervision of subcontractors are part and parcel of how projects funded by the public purse are implemented and managed. Notwithstanding the vigilance of the Office of the Contractor General and various parliamentary oversight committees, the Jamaican taxpayer continues to be the victim of graft and corruption.

Despite various election campaign promises, neither the Jamaica Labour Party nor the People’s National Party has sent the right signals to suggest that either is most serious about getting value for money, especially when it comes to road building and repairs. It is no secret that both parties, in one way or another, benefit from kickbacks with respect to government contracts, and roadworks continue to be one of the most lucrative of the various pork-barrel exercises in the political arena.

If it is that Jamaica is said to be one of the countries with most roads per square mile in the world, then it can be said that a large portion of our gross domestic product must be expended annually in this area. Not so long ago after the recent rains created havoc with most of our roads, the Andrew Holness-led Administration announced a multi-billion-dollar allocation to address this vexing problem. Needless to say, that two billion dollars or so will be just a drop in the bucket (or in the pothole!)

Another vexing aspect to the prevalence of pothole-ridden roads is the damage done to motor vehicles, particularly taxis and minibuses. Operators of these vehicles have to constantly use much of their income from carrying passengers in dealing with front-end damage and effecting other repairs. Private motorists nowadays have been complaining a great deal about losing their brand new tyres as so many are wrecked by some of these cavernous potholes, some of which seemingly appear overnight.

And, to add insult to injury (no pun intended), avoiding potholes has been rather hazardous on some occasions, causing much bodily harm and even death, not to mention wreckage of vehicles. The proliferation of potholes also adversely affects the nation’s productivity as too many hours are wasted on our roads because motorists have to slow down as they bob and weave through one pothole after another.

Drain cleaning and bushing, which are oftentimes referred to as “bollo work” given out at Christmastime and during election campaigns, is another travesty. Millions of dollars are expended, but at the end of the day, whenever it rains, flooding easily destroys the road surfaces because of poor construction and design. The million-dollar questions that the National Works Agency should answer is: Are civil engineers assigned to all government-contracted roadworks? And, if so, who monitors them and their input?

This writer regards this matter as a national crisis that must be once and for all addressed by the powers that be. A national protocol must be established along bipartisan lines as to how road repairs should be carried out in terms of quality control, transparency and accountability.

Jamaica has slipped some 11 points on the corruption perception index worldwide. That is a most worrying trend. Needless to say that crime and corruption are inextricably bound and must be fought on a united front. For too long our respective leaders have ignored this huge elephant in the room while paying only lip service when it suits them.

Let me use this opportunity to wish all my readers a safe and spiritually fulfilling festive season. And I wish you luck while you dodge those potholes that will be coming at you!

Lloyd B Smith is a newspaper publisher and editor popularly known as “The Governor” in Montego Bay, where he has resided for most of his life. Send comments to the Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.