A dismal failure so far

The Editor, Sir:

The People's National Party (is about to select a new candidate for the North East St Elizabeth constituency seat, in order to replace embattled incumbent Kern Spencer. Mr Spencer has been in a comatose state ever since Clive Mullings made serious charges of impropriety against him concerning the Cuban light-bulb scandal. The net effect of this has been that the constituency has remained without proper representation.

This constituency was ideally suited for economic development especially in terms of agri-development, projects. We had a minister of agriculture, Roger Clarke, as our member of Parliament and he could have used his position and influence to stimulate community based projects such as goat rearing, fish rearing and resuscitate rice production. But, unfortunately, none of this happened. Instead, the minister was more interested in stand-up comedy and clownish behaviour.

There are vast areas for potential investment and projects, idle lands and idle hands, but what we need is leadership.Generally the road network is good although, in communities like Thornton and Windsor, they are in an appalling state.

Serious representation lacked

The European Union's ambassador, Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni, laments the reluctance of Jamaica and other Caribbean states to take up offers of grants, not loans, for constituency-development projects. The constituency really needs serious political representation and since there is little chance of the Jamaica Labour Party winning the seat, the leader of the Opposition and the delegates need to take seriously the replacement of Spencer if constituents are to benefit.

The truth is that constituencies which guarantee victory to whichever party are invariably characterised by crushing poverty, corruption and underdevelopment. The fate of our community is in our hands. Let us choose someone who will put our interest first and who will invite persons like Dr Henley Morgan, of the Agency for Inner City Renewal and Dr K'adamawe K'nife, strategic planning and entrepreneurial specialist, to help us. We are not plagued with a lot of the problems that characterise inner-city communities, but our poverty levels are unsustainable and the political leadership has been a dismal failure so far.

I am, etc.,

MARK CLARKE

mark _clarke9@yahoo.com

Siloah PO, St Elizabeth