Why the hubbub over logistics hub?

Dalton Clare, Guest Columnist

I have always appreciated the need for the preservation of our natural environment and I strongly support the work of our organisations working to make sure that our natural resources are not squandered. But we cannot make an omelette without breaking an egg.

Development, by its nature, requires the physical transformation of our natural environment, and we do so to the detriment of the normal ecosystems of an area. But, this is not so different from severe natural disasters such as happened on the New York/New Jersey coastline with hurricane Sandy recently, or the effects of the tsunami on many Pacific islands and coastlines a few years ago, or Haiti more recently. Something new will form in its place. In fact, we have the opportunity to control the extent of the dislocation that can be caused in this case and plan for a means of mitigating the effect as best as possible.

unavoidable environmental impact

For this project, no matter where it is built, is going to have a major environmental impact on our marine life - immediately and for years to come. The economic trade-off between development and natural preservation for this project would be a plus for the whole of Jamaica and even the wider Caribbean.

WHY JAMAICA?

Many countries have economic advantages that serve to attract international interest to their shores to do business: cheap sources of fuel, low labour costs, effective banking and financial systems. We have one unique asset. We owe it to ourselves to make this one asset work for us. What is the asset? Our location.

Jamaica, by sheer providence, sits right in the middle of one of the largest established shipping routes in the world. Right between North and South America and directly on the shipping route through the Panama Canal.

Let Jamaica be one of the cornerstones on which rests the world's largest economic powerhouse: shipping. Jamaica must grab this almost unprecedented opportunity to be one of the logistics hubs of the world. This potential is so great it would be the greatest missed opportunity for any country in the recent history of modern international trade.

But what is this global logistics hub? you might ask. Well, this is like the international airport for containers catching a connecting flight to or from anywhere around the world, much like the JFKs, Heathrows, Frankfurts and the Aeroports Paris-Charles de Gaulle of this world.

This location would no longer be just one of the many trans-shipment locations around the world, but a permanent location to which ships are destined. Shipping lines would no longer come here based on some enticement from the port. It would now be a de facto port of call for some of the largest ocean-going, container-carrying vessels in the world.

world brand

Jamaica is a world brand. The location of a world-class facility such as the Goat Islands port would be an immense boost to our ability to attract business here. It could provide that financial impetus and business confidence to investors for considering setting up business here once again. Jamaica, in spite of all the negatives surrounding it, still sells.

The logistics hub would be one more cog in the wheel to push back against criminal elements and dispel the appeal of crime. It is the confidence-booster, needed by the average man on the street, that 'tings ah gwaan' and that 'tings can gwaan' if 'wi jus willing fi work hard'; that there is hope for tomorrow. The world is at our doorstep; let them in.

Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and clare.energy1st@gmail.com.