THE EDITOR, Sir:PLEASE ALLOW me to respond to some inaccuracies and omissions in your 'Letter of the day' in the Gleaner of Monday, March 8, 2004.
Sir, I don't know which day(s) of the week Ms. Birch visits Savanna-la-Mar but I, like most residents and visitors can attest to improvements made and being made to the aesthetic and basic infrastructural developments of the town. A cursory glance and a prior informed knowledge will rebut the author's "shame, disgrace and degradation". Indeed, even if I am the wrong on this score, I am not so sure she is doing good service to Dr. Blythe by so describing the hub of the parish he has represented as Member of Parliament for four consecutive terms.
In addition, we have retained engineering consultants to study and make recommendations for a comprehensive drainage and land use system, which are crucial to our development given the town's situation below sea-level. This, Ms. Birch, accounts for the state of our drains and not a lack of attention. Also, as a result of my lobbying, the European Union and the GoJ sent their representatives to the town recently to do feasibility studies for a sewage system, another critical ingredient in our growth formula. All these and more, Ms. Birch, in less than one year.
Ms. Birch's obvious peeve at my "attacking" Dr. Blythe is not surprisingly flawed by its undoubted genesis in bias or ignorance of some facts which preceded my recent criticism of the Member of Parliament. These criticisms stem from the Member of Parliament's own failings, and which to date are largely unexplained. The undisputed facts are that Dr. Blythe, on behalf of the Central Westmoreland Trust, obtained from the Westmoreland Parish Council 15 acres of land earmarked for a cemetery. The agreed condition was that Dr. Blythe undertake to transfer 15 acres of land nearby to the Westmoreland Parish Council for use as a cemetery and reimburse the Council for moneys ($2.2m) expended as at the date of the agreement. This was in 1999.
SEVERAL REQUESTS
Despite several requests by the former Mayor, and despite my writings to the Member of Parliament requesting a meeting on the issue, the Westmoreland Parish Council never had the benefit of a response from Dr. Blythe until weeks after I first raised the issue at a public sitting of the Council and his response merely called for the setting up of a committee to meet with him to jointly make representation to Government for new lands.
No explicit reason was given for this approach, especially in light of Dr. Blythe having earlier taken the former Mayor and some Councillors to the parcel of land he had "set aside" for transfer to the Council.
The unexplained delay in the handing over of lands to the Westmoreland Parish Council is, without more, unacceptable. In this regard I will not refrain from using all appropriate means to ventilate our concerns, even if my actions are interpreted as an affront to the esteem of those in breach.
In the meantime let me laud all my colleague Mayors for their successes even if all of us are not given to the benefit of constant media coverage.
I am, etc.,
DELFORD G. MORGAN
Chairman, Parish Council of Westmoreland & Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar
