In the broader sweep of things, US$2 million is not a lot of money - even for a relatively poor country like Jamaica.

We make the point in the context of a letter by Roger Steffens, published by this newspaper on Tuesday, who says that is the sum he asked for his collection of Bob Marley memorabilia.

It was not an amount that private businessman, Michael Lee Chin, was prepared to pay, which is fair enough.

The issue now, it seems to us, is whether the government believes that Mr Steffens' collection is important to Jamaica - to all of us. Is it a heritage worth paying for, and how much?

If Jamaica determines that this is of value, then the Government should be prepared to pay for it.

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