'Save Downtown'

- Norman Grindley

Upper Princess Street, Downtown Kingston, choked yesterday with buyers and sellers and other pedestrian traffic.

THE Jamaica Chamber of Commerce is calling on the Government urgently to act now to reverse "the general state of public disorder and chaos in Downtown Kingston."

In a letter to The Sunday Gleaner, signed by Michael A. Ammar, Jr., its first vice president, the CofC said that many streets downtown the capital city were now impassable except to "the most adventurous", and warned that if the Government did not act immediately, it ran the risk of "losing downtown Kingston" where the rule of lawlessness and "badmanism" flourish.

The chamber said that over the last 22 months, the general state of public disorder and chaos in Downtown Kingston had descended to intolerable levels.

"What was only two years ago, the thriving economic and market capital of Kingston, is now nothing more than a textbook example of anarchy", it said.

"Many streets in the wholesale section of the commercial district, are now impassable, as illegal electrical connections, tarpaulin ceilings and illegal vending choke the roadways, except to the most adventurous.

"Emergency vehicles are unable to respond to calls freely, businesses are unable to make deliveries, the shopping public is jostled and harassed, security personnel stand by seemingly helpless and the rule of lawlessness and "badmanism" flourish."

Describing the situation as "now unbearable", the CofC said it must be dealt with immediately, "otherwise, we run the risk of losing Downtown Kingston."

According to the CofC, many persons who do not use downtown, including some Ministers of Government, may not envision that this cancer of lawlessness "will inevitably spread to engulf all of Kingston and our struggling urban centres."

Stating that "Enough is enough!", it went on:

"Those of us who have invested a great deal of our lives in building Downtown Kingston, no longer will accept Govern-ment's seeming unwillingness to act. Leaders are elected to govern and if our present leaders cannot or will not deal with the problems of public disorder, facing Downtown King-ston, then they should resign".

The time had come for action, the chamber said, adding: "No further studies are necessary."

Observing that Prime Minister P.J. Patterson had recently announced the Inner-City Renewal Project, (ICRP), which it said clearly spelled out all the elements needed to restore law, order and prosperity to Downtown Kingston, the chamber said, "This plan we fully endorse." But it said that if the Ministers and agencies of Government were unable to deliver, then the Prime Minister must take charge and assume responsibility for the implementation of the ICRP.

"Never before has the state of public order been so threatened as it now is Downtown and in our country as a whole", the Chamber of Commerce said. "If the necessary remedies are not applied soon, the business community and users of Downtown will have no choice but to echo a resounding indictment of no-confidence in the Govern-ment's ability to restore public order.

"Our leaders must act now! They need not fear the forces of disorder. The majority of Jamaican citizens are honest and law-abiding. We are proud of this country, what it has achieved and what it can become. We will support the authorities in their efforts to restore civility and law and order to Downtown Kingston, the business and commercial capital of our country."

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