THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM getting a little weary of people congratulating the Government on taking 'a step in the right direction' when what we really need is a giant leap to take hold of the progress that has been eluding us for more than 30 years. The latest piece of flattery is that used to give comfort to an administration that believes the transfer of the police commissioner's office from Old Hope Road to Duke/North streets will somehow cause criminals to flee downtown Kingston to God knows where. This hardly warrants serious discussion.
What is more worthy of debate is the fond hope that the reactivation of the Jamintel building and its use by the police will re-energise industry and cause business people to reopen the stores and commercial centres that perished because the authorities had no vision and failed to see the vast potential of the great, historic city of Kingston. They turned their backs when they should have faced the challenge of urban decay. In this, Edward Seaga stands out as one of a few who knew and respected the value of the city and its people.
GOV'T LED FLIGHT FROM DOWNTOWN
The business community has a nerve applauding a minor government promise to return to downtown Kingston when they were the ones who led the flight from that section of the capital. Also, Opposition politicians seem all too quick to join in the applause, even when the Government has a great collection of derelict properties and continues to waste opportunities for sensible re-development.
Far better than tiny steps in whatever direction, someone might have announced plans for a massive renewal and reconstruction programme for old Kingston - the part between South Camp Road and May Pen Cemetery, running from the sea to North Street. This cannot be beyond the capabilities of our architects and engineers combined with the National Housing Trust, Kingston Restoration Company, the Urban Development Corporation, commercial entities and the thriving money brokers who deal so heavily with the 'Government Paper' tigers.
If we can mobilise public funds to build a superhighway to get away from Kingston; if we can construct a huge stadium to accommodate a set of cricket matches; if we provide vast sums of money for a Whitehouse elephant of a hotel; and if we can dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a bin of solid waste, then we should be able to undertake the reconstruction of a few square miles of historic property, an exercise that would provide thousands of jobs for inner-city youth, hundreds of new residences for decent living and security from a police headquarters relocated at famous Sutton Street, a vicinity in which the Government already controls a substantial amount of real estate.
Space does not permit me to elaborate on the whys and wherefores of this proposal. But I would like to hear whether those who claim greatness for this independent country and its people will say that it is beyond our capability to rebuild the great city that we inherited from our ancestors of the colonial era.
I am, etc.,
KEN JONES
alllerdyce@hotmail.com
