Courts to get million-dollar facelift
THE ST James Parish Court and the Half-Way Tree Parish Court are included in a $38.73 million contract to give them a facelift. It is being undertaken by the Ministry of Justice and is expected to propel the transformation of the legal system in Jamaica.
Turbo Construction Company Limited, which was the only one of three contractors present at a contractsigning ceremony on Tuesday, will carry out works on the wall and the paving of the car park at East Street in Kingston for a contract sum of $15.1 million.
CA Quality Development & Construction will take on a contract valued at $6.28 million for repair work at the St James Parish Court, and Contraxx Enterprises Limited will undertake partial refurbishing works in the criminal division of the Half-Way Tree Parish Court for a sum of $17.35 million.
Justice minister Delroy Chuck, in his address at his office in St Andrew, said there was urgent need to transcend political borders in a bid to bring about much-needed changes to the country’s justice system.
COMMITTED TO TRANSFORMATION
“There is unchallenged evidence that there is an unyielding commitment to transform the justice system in Jamaica,” he said. “The commitment to justice transformation is across the political divide, which augers well for the country. I am not daunted by the challenges that we face. I am energised to know that the country is of the same mind that we must fix the justice system in order to make Jamaica more attractive to investors, reduce crime and violence, and make Jamaicans feel safe and confident in the ability of the State to protect them.”
Permanent secretary in the ministry Carol Palmer, in her statement, urged everyone to play his part in enhancing the system, noting that all citizens would benefit.
“A lot has been done, but we are not resting on our laurels because we know that the agenda for transformation is not yet completed. The contractors who have signed contracts this morning must also see themselves as partners in the justice system,” Palmer said.
“You have an obligation to execute the work on time and within budget, understanding that the urgency is now to move the justice system forward. See yourselves as partners in a bigger picture. When the story of the transformation of the justice system is written, you must be able to say with pride that you made your contribution,” she said.
Palmer added: “We have many more miles to go, but let us not give the impression that nothing is being done. The work is not over until we have completed the platform of transformation, and, in fact, will never be finished as the justice sector must be kept under constant review.”