McKenzie slams ‘evil’ taxi men, PNP over school bus criticism

Cabinet Minister Desmond McKenzie on Thursday urged Jamaicans to reject “evil” taxi men and the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) in his promotion of the Government’s rural school bus transportation programme, warning that it would be a grave mistake not to.

McKenzie, who was speaking in Aenon Town after a tour of the Clarendon Northern constituency with Member of Parliament Dwight Sibblies, said young girls are being abused by older men when they travel in taxis.

“When the little young girls dem go inna the taxi, dem sit down inna some big old man lap and all sort of liberty take with the little pickney dem. You don’t consider the plight of the little pickney dem?” said McKenzie.

His comment follows weeks of ongoing debate over the programme to be rolled out in September.

The PNP has raised concerns about the policy, particularly the inspection regime and the use of “retired old buses” from the US school system.

The party has also said the buses are unsafe and has noted concerns about whether the buses will be able to manoeuvre Jamaica’s hilly terrains and narrow roads.

The PNP has questioned, too, the procurement process and the cost of the 110 buses, which the Government said it spent $1.4 billion to acquire. In the party’s latest criticism, it has said the rollout is mere politicking.

Alternative proposal

One of the opposition party’s alternative proposals involves using existing taxi and bus operators though that has drawn criticism. Claims that the imported buses could endanger lives have also triggered backlash.

“We as Jamaicans must never stop talking about how wicked the PNP is because dem want to sacrifice the future of Jamaica because they want power. And them criticising the buses and all them telling you now, ‘we a go give some taxi man … .’

“We have some good taxi man, decent taxi drivers. But you have some of them don’t trust them because they are evil. That is what PNP want to expose your children to,” said McKenzie, the minister of local government and rural development.

“Let me tell you. If you here in Clarendon allow that to happen, God help unuh and unuh pickney,” he added.

He said every young child who depends on public transportation to travel to school must rise up against the PNP and the “wickedness that they want to bore down on them” come September.

He said the Holness administration would not allow the children to suffer, declaring that no amount of criticism levelled at the programme would stop its roll-out.

The first phase of the school bus programme will commence with the roll-out of the 110 school buses.

The units will operate in 100 routes across rural Jamaica, serving approximately 258 out of a total of 850 schools.

The buses will be allocated as follows: rural St Andrew – seven buses, serving 23 schools; St Thomas – seven buses, serving 10 schools; St Mary – seven buses, serving 11 schools; Portland – seven buses, serving eight schools, St Ann – 10 buses, serving 29 schools; Trelawny – five buses, serving 22 schools; St. James – eight buses, serving 17 schools; Hanover – eight buses, serving 12 schools; Westmoreland – eight buses, serving 11 schools; Manchester – seven buses, serving 25 schools; St Elizabeth – seven buses, serving 25 schools; and Clarendon – nine buses, serving 32 schools

There will be a flat fare of $50 per trip, per student on all rural school bus routes.

This will result in transport costs averaging $100 a day as against current fares of between $300 and $600.

editorial@gleanerjm.com