Vernon Daley, Staff ReporterMUSTANG JAMAICA Ltd. is expected to conclude negotiations with the Government by June this year, to clear the way for its take-over of the island's motor vehicle inspection services.
Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Burchell Whiteman, made the disclosure in the Senate yesterday during answers to questions posed by Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Senator, Arthur Williams.
"After the signing of the agreement, there will be a construction start-up period before operations of the privatised entity will commence," Senator Whiteman said.
The negotiations between the National Investment Bank of Jamaica (NIBJ) and Mustang Jamaica Ltd., have been going on for more than three years.
According to records at the Office of the Registrar of Companies, New Kingston, Mustang Jamaica Ltd. was founded in 1999 by Patrick Rousseau, Alva Anderson, Lance Johnson and Sandra Shirley. By October 2000, the Board of Directors also included Donald, David and Dean Ganzhorn, Conrad Ainsworth and Allen Walter.
The company was registered at the Registrar of Companies to offer motor vehicle inspection services, operate service stations and conduct certain engineering services.
Plans for the divestment of the motor vehicle inspection services at the Island Traffic Authority stretch back to 1999, but have been severely delayed. However, a Bill passed last year amending the Road Traffic Act and facilitating the privatisation seemed to indicate that progress was being made. Before the Bill was approved in March, the Authority could only delegate its functions to public servants.
Speaking in that debate, Minister of Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill, said the objective of privatising the motor vehicle inspection services is to have in place an efficiently operated and managed system to ensure the safety of citizens, visitors and their property and to improve the quality of service to motorists.
"This is to be achieved by ensuring that all vehicles that enter the country and use the roads are accurately accounted for in a sufficiently informed data base to be maintained jointly by the Inland Revenue Department," he explained.
