Roadwork dispute deepens

Gary Spaulding and Nadisha Hunter, Gleaner Writers

TRANSPORT AND Works Minister Mike Henry yesterday warned that political squabbles could serve to undermine the work of technical officers who have always stayed out of politics.

A large batch of technical officers who are involved in the massive US$400 million Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP) were present at yesterday's press conference.

Henry depicted the opposition People's National Party (PNP) as a desperate force driven by the need to gain cheap political mileage ahead of its annual conference, which started last night.

But the political squabble is heating up with PNP General Secretary Peter Bunting describing as "vacuous" a stinging verbal assault by the transport and works minister earlier this week.

Rein him in

Henry had called on Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller to rein in Bunting and other PNP members who, he claimed, seemed hell-bent on derailing the recently launched JDIP.

Henry charged that they were at the point of jeopardising Jamaica's relations with China.

At yesterday's press conference, Henry was less forceful than before, but he was clearly at pains to prove that there was no political bias in the islandwide road-rehabilitation programme.

Henry was armed with extensive documentation to prove that the programme and the selection of roads to be rehabilitated were above board.

The minister maintained that the Opposition was bent on sabotaging the works programme.

"They are so steeped in opposition that they are even opposed to development," Henry quipped.

The minister rehashed all the old arguments, saying he had sought to accommodate the Opposition at every turn.

He warned the Opposition that the technical team, which comprises the same members who worked with the previous PNP government on road programmes, could be affected by the negative comments.

According to Henry, the opposition spokesman on transport, Robert Pickersgill, was given pride of place at the St Catherine launch.

Ringing endorsement

He said the the PNP chairman gave the programme a ringing endorsement, but later joined in the cacophony of cries and criticisms.

Henry said members of Parliament aligned to the PNP, including Dr Donald Rhodd, Dr Patrick Harris, and Lisa Hanna, had also endorsed the programme.

He noted that Bunting and Kern Spencer - the latter has been dumped as a candidate in the next general election - were no-shows for the Manchester and St Elizabeth legs of the launch.

To make matters worse, Henry said his efforts to facilitate the Opposition in discussions had been brushed aside as Pickersgill and other PNP members played politics.

Henry complained that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) had never engaged in political gamesmanship at such a level when the PNP initiated road programmes.

He charged that MPs who were aligned to the PNP had always received the lion's share of the roadwork programme, but the JLP never saw the need to attempt to derail the programmes.

Open to genuine concerns

Henry stressed that he was open to genuine concerns, but warned that he would be cautious in the future in accommodating the opposition members.

The minister said he was willing to assist MPs who were willing to use a portion of their Constituency Development Fund to have roads in their constituencies rehabilitated.

Bunting, who responded to an earlier broadside from Henry, said he was astonished that the transport minister would attribute potential damage to the relationship with China to concerns raised by the Opposition about the manner in which he was carrying out the programme.

Bunting said the minister would be better served to focus on correcting the approach taken by the Government.

He charged that it was the Government's attitude which threatened to bring the programme into disrepute.