MANDEVILLE, Manchester:
A PROTEST demonstration against electricity rate increases February 2 turned into a political rally for Dr. David Panton, for Jamaica Labour Party caretaker for Central Manchester.
Some 50 placard-bearing JLP supporters and several hundred onlookers gathered in front of the Mandeville market as Panton attack his political opponent Health Minister John Junor.
Dr. Panton said Mr. Junor can do more for the parish by providing jobs. Quoting the Bible at times, Dr. Panton said it is time for the people to let the Government know "enough is enough".
The present government including the Manchester Parish Council, cannot see the problem of the country, said Dr. Panton, and asked "how can they be expected to solve it".
In a 35-minute speech which started about 11 a.m. Panton hammered at the government's shortcomings in everything from the handling of the Montego Bay Street People, to rats in the Mandeville park and what he called the "fat cat salary scandal".
He said although the Prime Minister assured that the salaries would have been rolled back when the problem first came to light, but so far most of those salaries have not been rolled back.
Audley Shaw, Member of Parliament for Northeast Manchester and Public Account Committee Chairman (PAC), also addressed the crowd. He accused Minister Junor of being "rude and out of order" to question the right of the JLP to march in the town. Instead, he said, Mr. Junor be looking to reopen the garment factory in Williamsfield where "duppies are now playing dominoes" and to fulfil the many housing promises made to the people of Melrose Mews whose cost per lots jumped from $400,000 to $1.5 million. Giving residents fertilisers, zincs and handing out cheques are not helping the wealth of the country, said Shaw. What we need is wealth in the brain.
Turning to the JPSCo, Shaw blasted the announced increase as oppressive and another example of "government's mismanagement and ministerial incompetence". The country, he said is now paying the price for 12 years of bad decisions by government, pointing out that the JPSCo's management warned many years ago that government was going about upgrading the plants in the wrong way and should have gone instead to Japan to secure new technology.
Mr. Shaw called on government to table in parliament its present negotiations for the privatisation of the JPSCo. He said it is important that the public know exactly what Government's intentions are, as the privatisation of any utility impacts on industry and the economy on a whole.
Now the government must impose an increase on the public to make the JPSCo look good for potential purchasers.
Mr. Shaw called on government to table in parliament its present negotiations for the privatisation of the JPSCo. He said it is important that the public know exactly what Government's intentions are, as the privatisation of any utility impacts on industry and the economy on a whole.
