EDITORIAL - Probe JDIP spending on Christiana road

At a cost of J$800,000 a metre, or approximately J$244,000 a foot, the new road being built in Christiana, Manchester, which Usain Bolt, at his best, would traverse in under 96 seconds, must be among the most expensive bits of real estate in Jamaica.

Indeed, we would appreciate from Mr Patrick Wong, the CEO of the National Works Agency (NWA), whether the NWA or any of its predecessor public-works organisations have ever built a span of road that has cost more.

In fact, we would expect that Mr Audley Shaw, the finance minister, in whose North Manchester parliamentary constituency the road falls, would - Mr Wong's explanation notwithstanding - not only share this newspaper's concern over the price tag, but question whether, in Jamaica's current economic circumstance, this is the best use of the country's money.

Moreover, given Mr Shaw's past, when in Opposition, of spilling the beans and demanding accountability on government projects, we suspect that he would, on this project, be no less in favour of transparency.

opposition claims

This sliver of road is one of those being financed from a US$350-million loan to Jamaica by the EXIM Bank of China for what is grandly called the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Project (JDIP) which, not unexpectedly, has been the subject of much controversy.

JDIP is entering high gear as the political parties ready themselves for the general election due next year. Public-works projects and, in particular, road repair and construction, are areas that Jamaican governments have historically used as pre-election pork barrels.

In this case, opposition politicians have claimed that the projects under JDIP are heavily in favour of constituencies controlled by the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), or structured in a way to give JLP candidate-caretakers an advantage in any campaign.

Additionally, the Opposition is concerned that in an absence of transparency, there is an opportunity to siphon money from these projects to support the ruling party's election effort. We suspect that the People's National Party (PNP), which, up to 2007, spent 18 years in government, has more than a fair idea of how these things work.

independent analysis necessary

While we have no evidence that these fears are based on anything more than perception, or the PNP's own past behaviour, there is sufficient reason, we believe, to insist that the Government take stock - on the Christiana road and JDIP, generally.

First, Mr Wong argued that the hefty bill for the Christiana road is because it has "many bridges, extensive landfills, extensive excavation and extensive drainage solutions". He also said that it will be good for the economy of the main town in Mr Shaw's constituency.

Perhaps all he has said is true. But none of this is open to independent scrutiny and analysis.

A Chinese company, China Harbour, is the main contractor for the JDIP project, based on the undertakings in the financing agreement with Beijing.

Worse, Mr Wong told Parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committee that the Office of the Contractor General has no jurisdiction to police the arrangements under which China Harbour procured subcontractors.

If this were a tuck shop at a high school, whose piddling accounts were not in proper order, we suspect that Mr Shaw would have his ministry's watchdogs in there faster than Bolt would complete a dash along the Christiana road.

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