LETTER OF THE DAY - Expensive corruption a heavy burden on taxpayers

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I heard news Sunday of a prime ministerial decision to assign independent consultants to look into the scope of work done under the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme. Again, the taxpayers are being asked to pay extra (we already pay the Office of the Contractor General, Office of the Auditor General). Owing to the corruption in our nation, we're always paying more for stuff.

Our political system was/is so corrupt that we had to spend and continue to spend obscene sums of money to assure ourselves that the green men or the orange men haven't stolen the election. We pay more for security because we have to pay several groups (INDECOM, Bureau of Special Investigation, Police (Civilian) Oversight Authority, Office of the Public Defender) to guard us from our guards. We pay more for utilities even though we have the Consumer Affairs Commission, Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), et al.

In fact, the OUR and its officials are a classic example, because they don't seem to serve anyone but fancy themselves as a referee between the consumers and the utility companies. Really? Does anyone really think that the Jamaica Public Service Company needs protection from the Jamaican consumer? I agree with them that they are not on OUR side, but I'd submit that they seem more to serve utility companies, so let's rename the office DEM: Don't Expect Much.

Jamaicans are always being pressed to pay more. We pay more for Government. Currently we've got 60 MPs and the requisite trappings of the post. Then on top of that we've got a plethora of councillors in local government, more than 200! All these salaries must be paid, plus enduring the ubiquitous caretaker candidate.

Yet as the size of the political class has increased, our politics has never been more mired in claims and counterclaims of corruption.

They tell me that democracy is expensive, but it seems that in Jamaica, it's nowhere near as expensive as corruption.

RALSTON LEWIS

ruralparson@yahoo.com

Portland