'Old time saving pan', Crawford displeased with $12M Negril sign

Opposition Spokesperson on Education and Training, Damion Crawford, believes funds used to erect Negril's new $12 million welcome sign, which  he says looks like an "old time saving pan", could have been spent on education. 

The sign was unveiled on Friday by Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, and members of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), which sponsored the project. 

Speaking on Sunday at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, in Arnett Gardens, St Andrew, Crawford said “This Government is giving our children stone when they need bread, and giving our women serpents when they need fish.”

He was addressing People's National Party (PNP) supporters in party president, Mark Golding's St Andrew Southern constituency.

“We have a country that we have children that are suffering from learning loss. They haven't been able to learn in school because of COVID. The World Bank says we need $4 billion dollars to change that circumstance. The Jamaican Government gets $1 billion dollars. Now... if him only have $1 billion, how come him gone a Negril gone to build a sign for $12 million?” questioned Crawford, who was adding his voice to the criticism raised by many Jamaicans about the cost of the sign. 

“I would assume, that if him only have one out of $4 billion, he has no money left, so how come dem gone to Negril and build sumn weh look like a old time saving pan?” Crawford said in his criticism.

He said the Negril sign is more than a location marker as it is also a sign that the Government does not care about the circumstances of Jamaicans.

Friday's unveiling of the $12-million welcome sign in the resort town has stoked a clash of opinions on social media, with some declaring it a waste of money while others have defended the spend as justified for Jamaica's multibillion-dollar tourism industry.

The construction project also features a layby and walkway, retaining wall, landscaping and letters in red, green, and gold. It is completed with solar lighting, which will help with the visibility of the sign at nights.

-Ainsworth Morris

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