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Kevin O'Brien Chang

TO HEAR Jamaicans talk our government agencies are among the most wasteful and inefficient in the world. And yet the January 2004 World Bank study 'Jamaica: The Road to Sustained Growth' says the quality of the bureaucracy here is rated high in comparison with other countries and is comparable to Chile, Hong Kong and France. Yes, it's hard to believe. But since the World Bank has no reason to be biased, I'll take it at its word.

Still, the only public sector entity most people here speak well of is the National Housing Trust. Last week I heard a cousin who has little good to say about this government praise the NHT as the only public body that works as it should. He said the NHT office had actually called him three times to collect a cheque it owed him. With any other government body he would have had to battle for months to get his money.

This conversation came to mind while I was at the Montego Bay Rotary Club Bike-a-thon launch in March where Kingsley Thomas, chairman of the NHT, was scheduled to speak. Normally, I try to sneak out of these things before the keynote speaker begins, because most of them seem be in love with their voices and blather on endlessly without being informative or interesting. But the NHT boss deserved a hearing. I was not disappointed. He gave my kind of speech, under 30 minutes and to the point. It was also full of straightforward common sense. Without beating around the bush Mr. Thomas addressed the highway issue, the Sabina Park versus Greenfield controversy, and our education system. And ­ at least to me ­ everything he said was perfectly logical. He pointed out that no country has progressed without upgrading its road transportation system. Critics who claimed Highway 2000 was a case of misplaced priorities were missing this point entirely. And revenues on the Old Harbour bypass were to date 30 per cent above projections, meaning that the public was voting with its feet in proclaiming it a success.

TIME IS MONEY

I am very glad of the half-an-hour saved each way from Mandeville to Kingston. My time is worth way more to me than $100 per hour. But why do our highways take so long to complete? Is there some Machiavellian hand which decrees that big projects should be completed just before elections? Look at the ridiculous amount of time it took to complete the Negril to Montego Bay highway. It's lovely to drive on now. But why should it have taken over five years to complete a 50-mile stretch of road? 'Work in progress' left this vital tourist route a gravel pit for years, costing tens of millions of dollars in lost visitor revenue. And this same folly is being repeated on the Ocho Rios to Montego Bay stretch. Perhaps it is 'scheduled' to open just before the next general election?

On the Sabina Park versus Greenfield Cricket World Cup bid Mr. Thomas minced no words. The finals were Jamaica's for the taking, he claimed. Neither Trinidad or Guyana or Antigua had enough hotel rooms to host 30,000 or so visitors. Only Barbados was a real challenger, and Jamaica's size and attractions made it a much more natural destination for showcasing the Caribbean to the world. No matter who played in the final the ticket allocation scheme meant that the vast majority of those in attendance would be non-Jamaicans. Sabina Park was not a feasible venue because there were simply not enough hotel rooms in Kingston. Only the north coast had the capacity.

SATISFYING BOTH SIDES IN THE CRICKET DEBATE

A world-class stadium builder had already inspected the Greenfield site and assured him that an appropriate structure could be built in 16 months. In his view, Greenfield was a 'no-brainer'. The Prime Minister has handled this controversy with his usual political dexterity. By making 'reversible' bids for both Sabina and Greenfield, he has in effect left the final decision to the World Cup Committee. So no matter which is chosen or rejected, he can say, "It wasn't me." But if Jamaica does get the final, he can proclaim, "I got it for you."

Mr. Thomas' most important point dealt with education. He had a very simple solution to the 'teacher brain drain' now taking place to the U.S. and U.K. Namely, we should import teachers from other countries like India. Having just visited there he knew for certain that many qualified Indian teachers would jump at the chance to work in Jamaica at our current salary levels. This idea struck me as simply brilliant. For while Jamaica is on the whole moving in the right direction, our backwardness in mathematics and technology is very worrying. A bright and motivated youngster can self-learn successfully in many areas, but numerical subjects generally require a high degree of quality teacher input. India is an originator of modern mathematics ­ zero was invented there ­ and is well-known for information technology excellence.

So what would make more sense than importing teachers in these areas to Jamaica? As to those who feel there would be something embarrassing about such a move, Mr. Thomas' retort was 'Get over it.' Surely, he said, we are a confident enough people to take advantage of all the opportunities presented to us by globalisation. What would be shameful would be to let some outdated complex cause Jamaican children to be irretrievably left behind in the technology race.

A reporter commented afterwards that Mr. Thomas is one of the most influential men in the country. I hope this is true. Knowing that a man of such robust common sense is a prime mover of our levers of power makes me feel good about Jamaica's future.