OUR failing the people

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I WISH to state on behalf of myself as a customer of C&W that I do not agree with their current decisions to stop wiring new customers' homes and to remove rental charges and give customers their present telephone system. I previously lived in England for 40 years and in that country users of telephone services have choice. They can either opt to buy their own telephones or opt to take that offered by the telephone provider.

A decision with wide-ranging consequences such as the current proposal by C&W would have been aired well in advance and the decision to implement would have been made based upon popular opinion. To me the current indecent haste with which C&W are acting demonstrates a total lack of regard for Jamaican citizens. It tells them that "we at C&W will do as we like and you can take it or leave it."

I am really surprised by the OUR response to genuine concerns raised by citizens. I thought the OUR was in place to represent the interests of consumers and not the interest of C&W. How then can they be telling us that they agree with the telephone policy; surely it is the customers who need to agree and for the OUR to put forward the views of consumers. Indeed the OUR should have made it clear to C&W that their action is immoral and will have adverse effects on many Jamaicans.

They should also have made sure that the telephone provider sound out public opinion (this could have been done by providing a tick box on telephone bills asking customers for their views; a simple tick box (Yes/No) would have been adequate to gauge public opinion).

I strongly feel that the OUR is failing the Jamaican people whom it was set up to represent. If this were not so the JPSCo couldn't be doing just as it pleases with consumers and now here is C&W with the OUR's collusion doing just as it pleases with consumers. I would surely like to know who is there to protect us from the sharks.

I am, etc.,

NZINGHA ASSATA (MS), Golden View Heights, Kitson Town PA, St. Catherine

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