Dear Editor,

A few years ago I wrote a letter to the editor urging the Government to not allow local contractors to build our proposed new Parliament building. In the letter, I highlighted the numerous shortcomings of people in our local construction industry.

Recently, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang revealed that local contractors who are hired to repair police stations do poor quality jobs. He noted that the contractors seems to do a bad job on a project once it is contracted by Government.

Not long after that revelation a newspaper report stated that residents in Yallahs want local contractors to be removed from the roadworks taking place in their area. They observed that the section of the work that is being undertaken by the Chinese is proceeding apace and is being done properly. Meanwhile, they noted the poor workmanship of our local contractors and the inordinate delay in getting the job done.

Similarly, in May of this year, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for works Everald Warmington expressed disappointment with the work being done on the Portland leg of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) by local contractors.

Additionally, it was reported in the news recently that contractors have undertaken work in the Jacks Hill area without the necessary approval being granted by the municipal authority. Apparently their activities led to the collapse of a section of the hillside as the terrain is deemed unfit to accommodate the intended development. In addition to this, the contractors have inconvenienced residents by making the roads impassable by the spillage of debris onto the roads and by vehicles parked at these sites, including large trailers.

When I wrote my first letter about the behaviour of our local contractors, I recounted their history of work delays, poor workmanship, and cost overrun in relation to public developments, including roadworks. I also spoke to the agony that many private citizens like myself face when we purchase homes constructed by local developers.

My question to the relevant authorities, including the municipal corporations, the works ministry, and the Government is: What are you doing to safeguard the nation from these corrupt, inefficient vagabonds? Their wanton disregard for professional standard is being facilitated by a lack of accountability. As such, they get away with inordinate waste, and in the meantime, the country is unable to properly equip the police, our schools, and the nation’s hospitals.

I have always contended that crime, disorder, and chaos abound because there is little or no consequences for wrongdoing. Why can’t we deny contracts to individuals who perform poorly on a previous project? Why do we continue to facilitate mediocrity? It is time that these unpatriotic contractors be stopped in their tracks or they will continue to rape their own country of its scarce resources. I am one who believe that we all need to individually take responsibility for the state of the country and so contractors who are guilty of destroying this country should be held to account. On the other hand, the Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Government must ensure that they manage Jamaica’s affairs in such a way that there is order, justice, and a maintenance of the rule of law in the country.

I also believe that the media to some extent contribute to the problem by failing to expose not only the infractions but also the culprits. When a politician does wrong, the media will ride his or her name (as they should) in the public domain for a long time. On the other hand, you tend not to hear the names of delinquent contractors or other corrupt operatives in this country as they are well hidden behind a wall of obscurity.

I bet many in this country would be hard-pressed to name at least one of these corrupt contractors. If Bernie Madoff was in Jamaica when he committed his corrupt deeds he probably would not have been known to the public and the media would be calling on the minister of finance to give account.

It is time we start naming and shaming. We need to expose the corrupt operatives in this country, and, at the same time, they should not be given free rein by the relevant authorities to continue with their acts of corruption year after year.

Jean-Ann Bartley

jeanannbartley@yahoo.com