Delroy Chuck

The current PNP administration governs, or more accurately, misgoverns Jamaica with promises, platitudes and public relations. It relies on perception, perhaps deception, to induce the people to believe and digest the prevailing political illusion. If nothing meaningful can be achieved, just raise the people's hope that, soon, everything will be put right. Portia only needs her own mandate even while she declares complete support for the existing mandate.

In Saturday's Gleaner, August 28, Tony Becca's column entitled "Thank you, Madam Prime Minister" drew my attention. At last, did PM Portia Simpson Miller do something fantastic to deserve this headline? Oh dear, Tony was simply thanking the PM for another series of promises. "Everything that is necessary," the PM asserts, "will be done."

Limited resources

The PM continued: "Even with the limited resources, I expect everyone to ensure that we will be ready and well prepared." Hasn't Mayor Desmond McKenzie complained for months of inadequate resources to clean and prepare Kingston for Cricket World Cup 2007? The impressive announcement to build a bus park downtown now seems like a mirage.

Instead of empty promises, let's get the city clean and attractive, for Jamaicans and for the thousands of Cricket World Cup fans.

So, the inner-city housing is likely to cost $15 billion to build 5,000 apartments, which means an average of $3 million per apartment.

Which poor family can meet the mortgage payments for a $3 million apartment? No doubt, each will be heavily subsidised from funds that will certainly deprive other poor people. The anticipated massive overrun will benefit the genetically connected but definitely make these apartments inaccessible to the poor. Interestingly, why not finish the complex before handing over a few apartments? With all the pronouncements and public relations, one would think that 252 families have started to occupy the NHT inner-city housing in Trench Town, when if the truth be known, less than 10 per cent have actually got keys.

Financial burden

The promise to eliminate cost-sharing, deceptively made for the 2002 election campaign, fell by the wayside and many poor families still have this additional financial burden to get their children into school. In fact, removal of school fees was a part of the historic bipartisan parliamentary agreement on education but, to the distress and chagrin of Opposition members, that agreement has amounted to nothing but worthless platitudes.

The Government promised to have enough cement on the market in July and definitely by August. At the end of August, the shortage of cement remains a critical problem. How can developers, contractors and builders rely on unfilled promises?

Decent Jamaicans want to see crimes go down. In fact, since May 2005 to now, murders have consistently trended down, from record highs in 2004 and 2005, and not, as some political pundits allege, since Portia became Prime Minister. However, our government mistakenly believes crime can be further controlled by platitudes, public relations and less negative media coverage. Talk will not do, it takes action. Murders have trended down before, only to climb to record highs. With over three murders per day, the society is still in crisis.

Yes, promises will be made but they should be reinforced with sincerity, resources and realisation. The already discredited vocation of politics will continue to suffer if politicians keep making empty, unfulfilled, promises.

Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at delchuck@hotmail.com.