The Editor, Sir:

I wish to offer a response to Mr. Mahfood's letter on Trinidadian selfishness, dated March 20, 2007. As a Trinidadian in Jamaica, I have discovered that the stories presented on either side are framed to reflect a one-sided view, of course in promotion of that territory's interest.

Whereas Mr. Mahfood presented a cogent argument in Jamaica's favour, one salient fact has been omitted from his consideration. During the corresponding period of the cement shortage in Jamaica, Trinidad was experiencing a boom in construction. The corollary of this was an extraordinary demand for cement and building resources on the Trinidadian market. Even if they wanted to, it would have proven to be virtually impossible to meet the demands of the Jamaican market.

Secondly, Mr. Mahfood is suggesting that TCL, the parent company in Trinidad, should have left its primary market undone to supply the demands of Jamaica. No business principle requires one to leave its primary market undone to meet the demands of a secondary market. This is especially important when one considers that Jamaica does not import cement from Trinidad, but gets its supply from an established cement plant here!

I therefore suggest, in the interest of regional integration, that WE ALL put aside petty rivalries, stop trying to score points and take a reasoned and mature approach to dealing with inter-regional issues. If we truly understand that it would do us good to face the world as a single trading block and not as individual 'islands in the sun', we will stop trying to discredit and undermine each other and thus giving us good reason to dissolve CARICOM.

To invoke the words of Dr. Eric Williams, "one from 10 is zero!"

I am, etc.,

KENDALL J. REID

SirKReid@netscape.net

Kingston 10

Via Go-Jamaica