20 crucial questions for Jamaica
Published:Tuesday | March 12, 2013 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Here are a few random questions for Jamaica. See if you can figure out the answers.
1. Why can't the Jamaican-German Automotive School be used to service police cars?
2. Why do the utility company vans drive past the shops and houses stealing light and water in Mona Commons to cut off the supply of a house in Mona whose owner is a few weeks behind on his bill?
3. Why doesn't the price farmers get for coffee (being sold for US dollars) go up when the Jamaican dollar slides?
4. Why are Jamaican politicians always concerned about the 'poor' and never about the overtaxed working class who have to pay for everything?
5. Why don't we have smaller Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses that run during off-peak times of the day instead of having big buses running empty?
6. Why are vendors allowed to hang clothes on the 'No Vending' signs in front of the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre?
7. Why does the Government continue to pay contractors exorbitant amounts for overruns on projects?
8. Why do people who have never contributed to the National Housing Trust get houses, while many contributors pay NHT and get no benefit?
9. Why don't drivers who have accumulated more than 20 points not have their licence automatically suspended for two years as prescribed by law?
10. Why do we hardly hear opposition spokespersons speaking?
11. Why would we even consider chopping down our forests to make charcoal for export?
12. Why does the National Water Commission dig up back almost every newly surfaced road?
13. Why does Jamaica owe so much money and have so little to show for it?
14. Why do some politicians suddenly have all the answers to Jamaica's problems after they've retired?
15. Why on earth was $248 million spent to build a stadium in Sligoville bush that is never used?
16. Is the plan to tax Jamaica out of debt?
17. By the way, did the politicians also sign a three-year wage freeze?
18. If the NHT money is being added to the Consolidated Fund, why isn't it called 'income tax'?
19. Why don't Jamaican gunmen wear masks?
20. In which century will Kern Spencer be tried?
COLIN WHEELER