Traditionally, our leaders, whether from the People's National Party, the Jamaica Labour Party or even the private sector, have placed too much dependence on foreign investors to drive our development agenda. I firmly believe that we must change our focus and be confident in our own people whether residing in Jamaica or in the wider diaspora, to invest in our own development.

The development of historical or heritage attractions, such as Fort Charlotte, Spanish Town and Port Royal, are invaluable if developed into world heritage sites and will catapult our tourism into a different stratosphere, but we keep on waiting on some large overseas or local private-sector developer to lead the way.

Joint venture

Already, as a model, the Port Royal Development Company was established and exists as a public/private sector joint-venture company that has done a significant amount of work on the sustainable development of Port Royal. The previous government and the private investors in late 2001 agreed that post 9/11 the environment was not conducive to investment and decided to put the project on the shelf.

It has now been more than seven years since that decision, and we are still keeping it on the shelf and waiting on 'a major foreign investor' to take it off.

I would like to humbly suggest that, particularly given the current global financial environment, it is a time to think outside the box and have confidence in our own people to invest in rescuing our own country.

I am, etc.,

ROBERT STEPHENS

Pragma Consultants Ltd

110 Old Hope Road

Kingston 6

Jamaica