The Editor, Sir:

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 30, a listener called Power 106 to complain about a hardware store that had advertised a 15 per cent "hurricane price increase" on "emergency items" (including kerosene and batteries) immediately prior to the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav.

The moderator of the programme declined to take the name of the store on the air. Whatever her reason, I think it is a pity that the perpetrators of such actions are not publicly shamed, as, in the same month, we are celebrating the exploits of our athletes in Beijing, we are also being shamed by the dark side of what is wrong with Jamaica.

Kerosene price

The Wednesday afternoon prior to the storm I visited a store in Greater Portmore where kerosene was being sold for $300 per quart - the equivalent of $1,000 per gallon.

The 'Letter of the Day' in one of last week's Gleaners raised questions about what were considered 'crimes'. The above must be included on any list arrived at. The actions of these charlatans, who otherwise pretend to be decent citizens, on the eve of a national crisis is, to my mind, far worse than those of the criminals who roam the streets during the storm to loot property.

I am, etc.,

VERY ASHAMED

dsondis@yahoo.com