Bernard Lodge City must not fall prey to those feckless ‘againsters’

All too often we hear a profound exposition on the urgent need to create jobs and improve infrastructure and we begin to get excited, until we reach the part about how these jobs are to be created, only to be grossly disappointed about the striking paucity of ideas.

We are bedevilled in this country by an articulate minority comprising individuals who, upon closer examination, have little or no ambition for Jamaica, have very little expectations of their compatriots, and even relish the idea of tearing down any idea that is not of their origin.

No major development project in Jamaica has escaped the wrath or opposition of these people whom we have described in this space before as nothing more than ‘againsters’, who never have a workable solution for even the smallest problem.

Those with a sharp memory will recall how easily the National Stadium and Arena, Emancipation Park, and the north-south highway and toll roads were dismissed and may never have seen the light of day if the small-mindedness of the againsters had been allowed to prevail.

More recently, they were against the Trelawny Stadium, the Caymanas Estate development, the Morant Bay Town Centre project, and the south coast highway. They are now at it again with the proposed Bernard lodge City near Portmore, St Catherine.

Unless we are only interested in a handful of poorly paid jobs that cannot be sustained we have to go for major projects that can employ a sizeable number of people over a sustained period of time.

The bald fact is that Jamaica is not likely ever to move away from the average one to two per cent growth in the economy if we don’t undertake some major projects along with the many small ones we now have.

We, of course, agree with those who argue that mega projects, to be worth the while must have backward linkages into other areas for processing and also to increase production for local consumption and export.

We believe that the Bernard lodge City has such a potential and may be regarded as a low-hanging fruit as part of the response to a growing population needing jobs, housing, and modern amenities.

Eight years ago, the then People’s National Party (PNP) Administration unveiled the first Bernard lodge development plan, featuring a $5.6-billion public/private venture based on 1,584 housing units on 295 acres of land in the area, with space for commercial activities, a police station, and a basic school. That idea crashed.

Five years later, in 2018, the Jamaica labour Party (JLP) Government revisited the idea and outlined a town plan to involve 17,000 housing solutions, commercial offices, and light industrial facilities, with space for agricultural production.

It is past time. The Government must move full speed ahead.

Perfection might not be achieved all at once, but problems can be fixed if they could not have been foreseen. Be not afraid of the criticisms of the againsters.

We commend one of our favourite quotes to the Government: “It is not the critic who counts,; not the one who points out how the strong man stumbles or how the doer of deeds could have done them better; the credit belongs to the man in the arena…who strives to do the deeds.”

Except for the views expressed in the column above, the articles published on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the Jamaica Observer.