Wayne Chen's appointment as chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) is one of those that are unlikely to be contentious among Jamaicans.

And it is more than a good bet to assume that Mr Chen has the full confidence of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

Mr Chen is a successful businessman, which we suspect also means that he can, when required, be tough and hard-nosed. Yet, his is a personality that is easy and unabrasive.

Competent and able

For those who might not recall, Mr Chen used to be, and probably still is, a close political ally of Prime Minister Golding. He helped Mr Golding form the National Democratic Movement (NDM) in the mid-1990s, was that party's spokesman on finance, and contested a parliamentary seat for the NDM in the 1997 general election.

When Mr Golding was preparing to return to the Jamaica Labour Party in 2002, Wayne Chen was one of intermediaries who negotiated the terms of the re-entry.

But, while Mr Chen might be competent and has the ear of the prime minister, we believe that it is important that Jamaicans be told clearly what brief he will take to the UDC, given the circumstance of his appointment as chairman.

The former board, headed by Louis Williams, was apparently asked to resign by the prime minister, who was seemingly dissatisfied with their performance. However, Mr Golding has not seen it fit to say what, during a year in office, they failed to achieve or what mischief they committed. So, the rumour mills churn away.

The boards of all state agencies, including the UDC, should be given clear mandates that are publicly declared, which would be in keeping with Mr Golding's self-declared philosophy of transparency in government affairs.

Know the mandate

This, in some respects, is particularly applicable to the UDC, which controls a huge amount of state resources and is overseeing several projects critical to Jamaica's development.

But many critics say that the agency, under past chairmen, had become a law unto itself, venturing into areas that ought to be outside its remit. There are questions, too, whether it remains relevant.

Beyond his charm, it is important that people know what Mr Chen's mandate at the UDC is so that he can be judged against clear targets.

Or, so that the people who really own the agency can be satisfied with the mission it is being asked to fulfil.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.