Fri | Mar 29, 2024

I agree with Dirk Harrison

Published:Saturday | May 18, 2019 | 12:17 AM

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I have been paying close attention to the Rooms on the Beach sale saga. Since this so-called scandal has come to light, I have heard a few public figures speak on the matter, namely Daryl Vaz, Audley Shaw, and recently, Michael Lee-Chin.

Most have been saying that nothing is wrong with the land being sold for far less than it is valued, because the country will benefit in the long run. While their arguments may be plausible, I would like to know if the country wouldn’t stand to benefit in the long run if the land was sold for its correct value or even closer.

The argument of selling out cheap to stir investment is not new. We have gone down this road before, and we are yet to receive the major economical benefits that are always listed when the Government is about to sell another piece of the country.

Politicians and business people always use the term “economic benefits” to justify questionable deals. I agree with Mr Dirk Harrison that the price for which the land was sold is indeed an insult to the Jamaican people. The public is always kept out of these secret deals until the deal is done, and we are always told that these deals were done with the interest of the ­people at heart.

The price of the land is not the only insult to the Jamaican people, but also the fact that in this day and age, politicians are still allowed to use their clout and influence to make questionable deals without interference. These processes need to be analysed, and controls need to be put in place to ensure that the country’s assets are being properly handled. Some of our current public bodies are nothing more than figure heads and are actually being controlled secretly by people higher up.

GARTH THOMPSON

thomot2@hotmail.com