Yap's rebuttal

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The feature article titled 'Pedestrians only! Yap sees waterfront as oasis of culture', published November 9, 2011 has made certain statements which totally and grossly misrepresented what I said in a speech which I gave at the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce's Economic Forum on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.

I refer to the reporting that "the plan as he laid out would likely require the Government to displace or relocate existing residences, offices, and businesses, and raze a number of high-rise buildings that now populate places like Ocean Boulevard".

The report further went on to give the interpretation that the "zone of impact appeared to cover the area incorporating Kingston Mall, the Office Centre building, and Ocean Towers".

I wish to deny and refute that I made any statements which could even remotely have been interpreted to mean what your reporter alleges in the quotations from her article above. She had requested and received a full copy of my speech; and when she called for clarification on a couple points none of what she has now concluded was ever discussed.

These statements by your reporter should be publicly withdrawn immediately, as they are not only baseless and false, but can do harm to my professional reputation.

Rather than presenting "radical" ideas, my speech at the forum sought to highlight the many cities around the world that had transformed their downtown areas by vastly improving the amenities for pedestrians, through their main urban areas and especially around their waterfronts, if they have one.

These improvements for them have resulted in significant private investments in office, residential and shopping developments in their downtown areas. This is what I was advocating for our downtown, the potential for increased investments, not the tearing down of the offices, residential and shopping facilities that already exist!

Clifton Yap