The Editor, Sir:

Claude Clarke's article on Sunday, October 5, titled, 'No jobs unless we change course' was simply great.

At my company, we have been struggling with some of the problems raised in the article. For instance, our electricity charges, to put it mildly, are obscene and the JPS customer service, worse.

I have made a comparison between local charges and similar costing to operate a business in the United States (US) for a three-year period. In the US, the cost is 11 cents per kilojoule hour. In Jamaica, it costs US 44 cents. If I have to run a factory on electricity, it is terrible.Yet our good Government seems not to be able to even talk about it. In Trinidad, it's the same as the US, so how do we compete?

Eighteen years ago, when the previous administration came to power, the exchange was US$1:00 to J$3.50. Now it is US$1 to J$73.00. In Trinidad and Barbados, the exchange rate, relative to the US dollar, has not depreciated over the last several years. How then, if local business people become poorer, can they accumulate the capital necessary to start and expand their businesses? Is that not why Jamaican industries are being owned by outsiders?

Security

On the matter of security, we have to pay for guard service at home and at the business.

On the environment, squatting was allowed because it was easier to turn a blind eye and cheaper to allow squatting anywhere. It was easier to allow the bauxite companies to spoil our land than insist that they obey simple environmental rules.

There is one iron rule of life - enforce and obey good rules for survival or be destroyed.

It was easier for the Government, and less work, to allow the rot than for them to insist on good disci-pline for themselves and the people. And so, family life disintegrates, discipline, decency, honour and love go and leave this sorry mess in Jamaica.

As Mr Clarke pointed out, maintaining discipline and good order now is difficult after the looseness that has gone on. Let us hope the present Government can brave the unpopularity but still straighten out the mess.

It's not a pretty picture.

I am, etc.,

ADEEB MAHFOOD

tetjam@jamweb.net

Kingston