A lesson from the school bus quarrel

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) enters its third term, there is a question worth asking: Does the composition of our Cabinet give us the right mix of skills to solve Jamaica’s biggest problems? For decades, our politics has been dominated by lawyers and accountants. They are skilled at arguing cases and balancing numbers, but when it comes to technical decisions that shape lives and infrastructure, something is missing. Where are the engineers?

Take the recent quarrel between the JLP and the People’s National Party (PNP) over the purchase of refurbished US school buses. The Opposition hammered on cost –arguing that more standard buses could have been bought for the same money. The Government fired back with safety – pointing to the unique design of US school buses.

Both had their points. But here’s what no one said: studies show that American school buses are about seven times safer than the average passenger car. They come with reinforced steel frames, roll-over protection, flame-retardant interiors, and special seating designed to protect children like eggs in a carton.

American cars themselves must meet strict federal crash standards – airbags, crumple zones, child restraints. Yet in Jamaica, we have no national vehicle safety standard for imports. Put simply, US school buses are not only safer than American cars, they are multiples safer still than most of what carries our children here.

So the real question is this: Should we trade off money for the safety of our little ones when the statistics are this compelling? And if the PNP had been armed with this fact, would they have backed down from their cost-based argument?

This is why engineers in politics matter. An engineer in that debate would not have stopped at ‘cost versus safety’. They would have asked: What is the total cost of ownership over 10 to 15 years? How long will these buses last, compared to standard ones? Should we use them selectively – on the high-risk rural routes where safety matters most? These are the practical questions that move beyond slogans and toward solutions.

Countries like China, Singapore, and Germany – where engineers and technocrats have had a real seat at the political table – have consistently prioritised long-term infrastructure, technology, and safety.

This is not to say we should fill Parliament only with engineers. But as the JLP enters this third term, perhaps the party should reflect on whether its Cabinet reflects the right balance of skills for a country at this stage of development. Energy transition, transport modernisation, digital growth – these are technical challenges as much as they are political ones.

CARLTON FEARON

Brumalia, Mandeville