Mark Golding raises some excellent points

THE EDIT OR, Madam:

Peter Espeut wrote a most interesting, and informative column, ‘Reforming nations and parties’. He wrote about the Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s Budget Debate, in which promised that he would amend the Integrity Commission Act to formally remove the secrecy surrounding the award of government contracts.

Rev Espeut is correct when he wrote as follows: “and whereas previously one could go on the website of the Office of the Contractor General and see every contract entered into by the government – with whom it was entered and for how much – under the Integrity Commission Act that information was a state secret”.

It is totally unacceptable that the details of government contracts are not public information. There are some persons who make donations to political parties close to a general election with the intention to receive vast amounts of government contracts. There should be no secrecy when government contracts are awarded.

Golding categorically stated that if elected prime minister in his first budget speech as head of government he will not take any funds from the National Housing Trust’s budget and income to support the government’s operations. Golding further said that a PNP-led government will undertake educational transformation and focus on the early childhood and secondary school levels. Jamaica has factually a plantation-type education system designed to produce unskilled and undereducated plantation labour. Some politicians are of the firm opinion that if they keep the wider population uneducated they can control them; corruptly bribe them and buy their votes and regularly give them political spoils and handouts.

Rev Espeut is correct when he stated, “I was happy to hear Mr Golding criticise the government’s selling (at a discount) of the next 12 years of revenue from the Norman Manley International Airport to fund projects in this election year. It is a form of debt and I like the principle he espoused: recurrent expenditure should be funded from income earned in the current year, not by leaving the cupboard empty for the future.”

With regard to constitutional reform, Mr Golding said that the entire process would be restarted and the proper, adequate and widespread educational information campaign effected along with the required nationwide consultations. The current JLP-led administration has had approximately six town hall meetings to discuss constitutional reform.

I have never ever heard the opposition articulate and present an alternative budget outlining how they will fund their proposals. The political activists are lambasting Mr Golding when in fact he articulated a well-reasoned, impressive and excellent budget presentation which would transform the country in many positive areas and be in the interests of the country and its people.

Mark Golding should be given an A for a first-class presentation. To fund these projects and proposals would not in any way, shape or form damage the Jamaican economy as is being erroneously stated by some partisan public commentators, some aligned to the JLP government. Others are quite misinformed, it appears.

ROBERT DALLEY