THE EDITOR, Sir:ON THURSDAY, June 3, 2004, The Gleaner carried an excerpt of the speech made in Parliament by Andrew Gallimore on Tuesday, May 25. The excerpt made reference to the lack of response by the government to assist the Mount Ogle Basic School which was destroyed by fire on Tuesday, April 6, 2004. I feel compelled to respond to inaccurate statements made by Mr. Gallimore. The fact is that the community made several attempts to contact Mr. Gallimore and Councillor John Meyers, of the Lawrence Tavern Division, but was unable to do so.
While Mr. Gallimore was missing in action, I contacted Dr. Carby, Director of Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management who referred me to her very competent staff. They responded swiftly and provided the school with a tent. As a result, within a week the school was able to resume classes. Through my efforts, Sangster's Bookstore donated classroom aides to the school on Teachers' Day, May 12, 2004 and the People's National Party Constituency Executive of West Rural St. Andrew donated over ten gallons of paint on Labour Day, May 23, 2004 to the school.
Since the unfortunate event, I have been working closely with Minister Henry Wilson who had instructed personnel from the Ministry to provide the necessary assistance. I have also been working closely with the Board members of the Basic School, the Social Development Commission (SDC) Community Officer for the area, and other community members to facilitate the speedy reconstruction of the Basic School. The Cement Company, the Rural Electrification Programme, and other companies have pledged their support to assist in the reconstruction efforts.
Unfortunately, Mr. Gallimore has not availed himself to be a part of these developments. It seems as if he prefers to hide behind the statement, "the government has not given me any SESP" rather than seeking to collaborate with private and public agencies, and the wider community to rebuild the school as quickly as possible. I am of the firm belief that effective representation is not waiting on the government (of which Mr. Gallimore is now a part, technically) but to bring all stakeholders together in order to pool resources for the advancement of the wider community.
I invite Mr. Gallimore to join us in the school rebuilding efforts, with or without his coveted SESP.
I am, etc.,
CAROL ARCHER
carcher@utech.edu.jm]
