Shaggy and Friends concert benefits all

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The Shaggy and Friends ­concert is an act of philanthropic virtue and a voluntary contribution made in the spirit of humanitarianism.

It is geared at assisting the plight of the Bustamante Hospital for Children and should be regarded as a stellar national event for which there should be no wavering of support, especially from the Government and its entities.

And Jamaica and Jamaicans should be beholden to Shaggy and Friends for this munificent gesture.

The concert has been an overwhelming success in all its stagings, and we have seen the tremendous benefit that has been derived over the years.

Would we be presumptuous to task the honourable prime ­minister to ensure that the ­organisers encounter no ­encumbrances in utilising government facilities as venues to host the event?

After all, it’s the Government that will ultimately benefit the most from this gesture.

NO EXCUSE

When a national hospital that is in dire need of equipment stands to benefit to the tune of J$100 ­million from a single-night staging of a charity event, then it should be the prerogative of the prime ­minister to ensure that nothing gets in the way of thwarting such an event.

To have a spokesperson from King’s House churning out excuses as to why new requests were being denied and why certain aspects of the benefit concert could no longer be accommodated, then in the absence of articulable reasons, these excuses raise questions.

Perhaps if that spokesperson came out from behind that veil of anonymity, then, probably, the ­public would be in a better ­position to make a better ­assessment of the entire situation as to whether politics or some sinister motives are at play.

NURVILLE MCLEOD