A JAMAICAN popular song of past vintage went under the heading "People are you ready?" The question was answered with the refrain: "Oh Lord!" The imagination of the song's creator, who went by the colourful pseudonym of Tappa Zoukie, could well be tapped again, replacing the word 'People' with 'Kingston'.
It is full time to call out "Kingston, are you ready?" At this moment the refrain would now have to be "No, we're not," for the stark truth is that Kingston has not yet begun to awaken to the call to get itself in shape to play host to Cricket World Cup in 2007.
Admittedly, work is proceeding on Sabina Park, the playing venue, but a tour of the city, which is touted as being in line to receive economic benefits from the many visitors expected, will show that we have not even begun to answer to the challenge. The harsh truth is that time is slipping by and we have not got a sense that the urgency of the task is appreciated.
There is no feedback from the streets that people - at all levels - have been alerted to the reality that we should be planning and starting to work together to clean up the city, not only for the comfort of those who are expected to visit, but for our own national pride. Some of what has to be done is comparatively simple - a coat of paint, some minor repairs, and so on. Where the urgency lies is with the larger challenges - the derelict buildings, rundown thoroughfares, neglected structures, both publicly and privately owned.
A symbol of the challenge can be seen in the rotten carcass of a former restaurant at the foot of King Street, possibly one of the first sights to greet a ship entering Kingston Harbour. Or what of the Kingston Craft Market which is expected (or so it is said) to receive a much-needed influx of visitors? When will the task begin to mend a part of its structure destroyed by fire almost five years now?
What of the ambitious, yet untouched, plans for the revival of the Parade area downtown? The questions are many, the answers are, so far, few. It has been suggested that Labour Day this year should be used to begin clearing away the burden of refuse which clogs almost every area of the city. This might be as good a place as any to start. Whatever plans might be 'in the pipeline' to deal with the other needs, we would suggest that an effort be made to move with greater urgency.
Above all, it is time to get the widest cross-section of people involved in what must be seen as a rescue plan for Kingston. It is bad enough that we have to tolerate the unsightliness which prevails. It would be worse if we were to sit by and let people from outside come to the conclusion that civic pride is unknown to us.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
