Grange
THE EDITOR, Madam:
IN answering the question - "Is there a real basis for the Jamaican public's mistrust of politicians?" Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, deputy leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), as appeared in part, in The Sunday Gleaner of February 11, 2001 answered thus:
"There are many reasons for this. There are politicians who make promises at election time, which they know they cannot fulfil and there are those who genuinely hope to accomplish the promise they make, but find that limited resources prevent them from making good their intentions".
Two days prior to Miss Grange's response, her party, the JLP, by way of one of the daily papers, distributed a pamphlet containing, among other things, the following promises:
1. "The JLP will implement several new projects in manufacturing, tourism, information technology and agriculture, to create more jobs in society".
2. "The JLP will launch a major 'National Road Programme' to improve the conditions of our roads and build city highways and ring-roads to ease the traffic congestion in the country".
3. "The JLP will build two new dams to improve water storage, implement desalinisation of the Ferry Spring, build a National Water Supply Scheme and improve the efficiency level of unaccounted for water".
Miss Grange needs to tell us in which category the above promises fall. Is it in the category of:
a) politicians who make promises...which they know they cannot fulfil; or
b) those who genuinely hope to accomplish the promises they make, but find that limited resources will prevent them from making good their intentions.
If the answer is a), I would not be surprised. If however, the answer is b), I would simply ask the following questions:
1. What is the likely total cost to fulfil the three promises made by her party; and
2. From where and under what conditions will the money to finance her party's three promises be sourced?
As the famous saying goes: "You can fool some of us sometimes, but you cannot fool all of us all the time".
I am, etc.,
ALRICK WILKINS
Vaughs Field,
Maroon Town,
St. James
