The Prime Minister might have ignited the enthusiastic crowd at the annual conference of his Jamaica Labour Party at the National Arena a week ago, with a basket of ‘feel good’ handouts that, to some, will be beneficial, and put more power into their veins.

The sweets and chocolate package that I waited on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to drop at my doorstep was not forthcoming though, and there is no clear timeline as to when that item will pop up.

The package being referenced is the Emergency Road Improvement Effort (my term), run by a unit called the Pothole Patrol, which should have been on the job weeks ago, trying to rid us of the latest road scourge—badly damaged roads which only contribute to a severe drop in production and productivity levels.

It is a shame that the argument being put forward by some ruling party hacks is that road patching or road surfacing cannot begin until the regular rainfall that we have been experiencing, ceases. That is a bundle of foolishness.

There is no need also, to wait on the so-called SPARK programme, or another one being touted as the saviour of the land. The roads in Jamaica have never been in a worse state, and action is needed right away to ease the burden on the motoring public, which is over 90 per cent of the population.

I cannot fathom why the Government is moving so slowly in getting the roads improved. It is surprising that we are not seeing mass demonstrations across the island, protesting the surfaces.

One of the challenges that we face in effecting road repairs in this country is that the money that is granted for work has to be shared by too many people who do not lift a finger in getting the job done. Some contractors (definitely not all), have to let off a thing on people within the system, politicians for example, in order to secure continuity of more such contracts.

So, you could have a situation wherein a contract is awarded in the value of $100 million, and only a half of that goes directly to getting the road in the condition that was intended. Instead of using the required amount of asphalt, for example, less goes into the job, thereby resulting in a road that digs up whenever two fully laden large trucks traverse the space. That has to stop. But then, who will bell that slick cat?

In the meantime, the emergency work must begin now. Dragging it out any further will no doubt result in a further drop in support for the Government, and, who knows, perhaps even lawsuits against the state that I saw in no less a country than Germany some years ago.

LITTLE LONDON AIRPORT CANNOT BE PRIORITY

Having an airport with an international flavour at Little London in Westmoreland cannot and should not be discounted as a bad idea.

But timing is everything. There was big talk mere weeks ago about the Government’s plan to upgrade the airstrip in Negril, a mere 20-minute drive away if one abides by road regulations, to an international airport. One of the reasonings behind that project was to eliminate the one hour or so that passengers who arrive at Montego Bay’s Donald Sangster International Airport, the largest on the land, have to endure when they embark on the ride to Negril.

They say that if there is heavy traffic, that ride could even extend beyond two hours.

Some amazing numbers were mentioned, regarding cost, money that if used for road repair across the island, could fix several roads. Now, environmentalists have cited oddities in having such a project in Negril, and as a consequence, that dream will not become a reality. So now it’s on to Little London, to satisfy the desire of some in the west. But with Jamaica facing so many challenges in other spheres of life, how could the addition of the Little London Airport be justified? My suggestion to the tourism big wigs who would benefit far more than any, is to lead a charge for paying workers in the industry better, and later on the country might be able to focus on another airport.

The timing is simply not right now, priority-wise.

‘BUNNY’ SHAW’s BIG BREAK

It was good to see one Khadija Monifa ‘Bunny’ Shaw score for Jamaica, twice at that, in the first of a two-match Women’s football friendly series against South Africa in Montego Bay last Friday evening.

Shaw had not represented Jamaica in over a year, and having worn her prolific boots that she acquired from her English club Manchester City, she was under pressure to produce.

History had been made when Jamaica performed credibly at the last Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand a year ago, but Bunny’s shooting boots had been left behind in Spanish Town, her home base. Some even labelled her a club ‘baller’ as, to them, she had flopped for Jamaica, while putting out her best for Man City.

Well, she remains Jamaica’s all-time individual goalscorer in international play with 57 goals (more than any Jamaican male footballer too) and that’s no mean feat. 

Her international football nominations have also made her run on the field that much more remarkable. With a similar number of goals for Man City since 2021, expect even greater things from this supremely talented six-footer.

CHARGE THOSE BIKERS

Why is it so hard for the police to charge motorcyclists who drive (some say ride) along the roadway with the humungous ‘bag a noise’ that the mufflers make?

If you thought that the lost battle of reigning in the taxi drivers and minibus operators was bad, check out the bikers, a majority of them who also break the law by not wearing helmets.

Of course, when the bikers purchase those machines, mainly from China, they are not as noisy when the importer washes his hands of them after holding on to the hot money.

But as soon as they hit the road, illegal modifications set in and an eternal period of noise pollution and persecution becomes the norm.

When will we ever be able to get it right in this country? Well, we have a long wait, because if our systems that have been established cannot tame crimes like murder, robbery, shooting with intent, rape, larceny, burglary, then why do we expect those who swore to serve, protect and reassure, to pay any attention to bikers, taxi drivers, and those who continue to smoke in public spaces?