Make our licence plates in Jamaica
Published:Sunday | July 26, 2015 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Over the past several days, persons have been complaining about the difficulty of obtaining licence plates for their vehicles. Your editorial in Saturday's Gleaner publication and the letters from readers have confirmed that this shortage is real.
It is clear that some persons responsible have not been doing their job or are incapable of doing so. There is such a thing in inventory management known as the reordering point, taking all factors into consideration so that a stock-out with all its consequences does not occur.
In many cases, Jamaica seems to be moving backwards because I am sure that some of these plates used to made locally. I believe some were made at the General Penitentiary and others by a Mr Vendrys in downtown Kingston.
Like so many other things, including agriculture, we have given up on local production and provide jobs for foreigners rather than ourselves. We not only lose the jobs but also the skills and the unnecessary spending of scarce foreign exchange. Unemployment leads to producing idle hands which, as the saying goes, the devil is always willing to employ.
Trevor Samuels
President
National Consumers League