LETTER OF THE DAY - Get on with LNG energy project!

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Here we are again. History continues to repeat itself. In 2010, the consortium chosen to implement the LNG project that would provide Jamaica with cheaper energy was EXMAR.

The Office of the Contractor General (OCG) said that there were issues of conflict of interest and favouritism surrounding EXMAR, giving it an unfair advantage. The OCG recommended that the matter be investigated and the LNG project be put on hold. The then JLP government complied with this request.

The director of public prosecutions (DPP) was asked to carry out these investigations. After years of haggling, the DPP could not find one shred of evidence to support those allegations and the matter was thrown out. In the meantime, EXMAR got fed up and left Jamaica, went to Colombia and built a world-class LNG facility. Colombia, one of the most violent countries in the world, is now one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

Fast-forward 2014, Energy World International (EWI) is the company in the spotlight. The OUR has recommended that the company be given the green light to implement the project. The OCG is at it again, citing concerns about EWI's financial capabilities. What is even more surprising is the call from the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association and various private-sector interests for the project to be put on hold until the audited financial statements are presented by EWI. These are the same groups bemoaning the high cost of electricity in Jamaica,arguing that it's killing small businesses.

When, as a people, are we going to get it? There is no pie-in-the-sky solution to our economic and social problems? There is no perfect company. We are going to have to take risks and manage our affairs prudently to get ahead.

We continue to miss opportunity after opportunity to put this country forward, because all we do is just sit and bicker. LET US BE BOLD and do something out of the box for a change.

PHILLIP HARRISON

phbravo2@gmail.com

Old Harbour