The Editor, Sir:

I am very concerned about an emerging double standard in terms of the responsiveness of the Government to the citizenry of Jamaica. Thousands of citizens who reside in the various communities that make up Portmore, have been using a variety of means to raise concerns, as to how the institution of a toll to cross the Causeway has been negatively affecting their lives.

I juxtapose the treatment of the Portmore residents with that of the Jamaica Environmental Trust and their opposition to prospecting in the Cockpit Country. The Govern-ment through the Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Roger Clarke, has suspended a license issued after the relevant agencies with the technical expertise, found that there was no significant danger posed to the environment by this gathering of samples.

The Government is reversing itself even though all the parties involved are aware that this is a licence that is being renewed, and that there is no documentary evidence of any environmental abuses during the previous periods of prospecting starting as far back as 1999.

As far as I can see there is a social demographic reason why these issues are being dealt with differently.

I am, etc,

KEVIN Y. TAYLOR

kytaylor@hotmail.com