Frankson

The Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA) yesterday told the Government to hold Trinidad and Tobago to account for reneging on an agreement to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the island and warned that it would move to safeguard the interest of its members, if the administration fails to act.

"The productive sector of this country has had enough and we believe that the time has come for Jamaica to begin to benefit from CARICOM and to not only to be seen as a repository for Trinidad's goods and services," JMA president Doreen Frankson said in a letter to The Gleaner responding to an editorial on the LNG issue.

Jamaica had predicated a US$1.6 billion expansion of the Alcoa alumina refinery here on an assured supply of the cheaper energy source from Port-of-Spain. But now the Trinidadians say they have none to sell in the short-term and the project seems in danger of collapse.

But the JMA's Frankson argued in her letter that the LNG issue is only the latest in a string of actions by Trinidad and Tobago to frustrate a penetration of its market by Jamaican firms, even as Port-of-Spain enjoys a US$500 million trade surplus with Kingston.

Said Frankson: "The JMA is therefore strident in its resolve that the Government of Jamaica must act decisively on the issue of the LNG, and Trinidad must be brought to book and held accountable. If the Government fails to act within the interest of the Jamaican people the JMA will be forced to act on behalf of its constituents."

Following is the full textof Frankson's letter:

The Editor, Sir:

Reference is made to your editorial of Tuesday March 6, 2007 captioned "The Guardian missed the point again". The JMA supports your position and is watching very keenly to see the outcome of this disagreement. There is no denying that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has reneged on its agreement to supply Jamaica with Liquefied Natural Gas. The Guardian newspaper must be honest in this regard and not skirt around the issues. There is no doubt that the action of Prime Minister Manning's Government goes against the spirit of the CARICOM Single Market to which Port of Spain continues to pay lip service.

The fact is that the productive sector in Jamaica has reached the end of its tether with respect to trade relations with Trinidad. We have never witnessed a more insular and selfish group. They seem to be only interested in plundering our country to increase their wealth and the current US$500 million trade surplus which they enjoy with our economy.

The Government and people of Jamaica have consistently bent over backwards to facilitate Trinidadian firms to establish in our country. This is very clear from the proliferation of Trinidadian businesses currently established or in the process of being established in Jamaica.

We must however chide ourselves for not learning from our experiences with our regional trading partner. We only have to recall the scurrilous attack on the integrity of Jamaican Business tycoon Michael Lee-Chin by a senior Trinidadian Parliamentarian in 2004. These are the underhand tactics that our CARICOM partner and CSM member employ to frustrate the efforts of Jamaican businesses in that state.

Jamaica epitomises the true spirit of CARICOM, perhaps the Guardian would be pleased if we began to give Trinidad true reciprocal treatment and in fact treat them like they treat us.

The productive sector of this country has had enough and we believe that the time has come for Jamaica to begin to benefit from CARICOM and to not only to beseen as a repository for Trinidad's goods and services. The JMA is therefore strident in its resolve that the government of Jamaica must act decisively on the issue of the LNG and Trinidad must be brought to book and held accountable. If the government fails to act within the interest of the Jamaican people the JMA will be forced to act on behalf of its constituents.

I am, etc.,

DOREEN FRANKSON

President

Jamaica Manufacturers' Association