Do not to fiddle
while Jamaica burns
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Dear Editor,
The perilous state of
the Jamaica Fire
Brigade has been the subject of public debate over the past six months to a
year. In this context, did Mrs Portia
Simpson Miller have an option but to abstain when a motion expressing
concern over the state of the brigade and the shortage of funds allocated for
the operation of the service in the 2004/2005 financial year, was put to the
vote in Parliament?
Did the minister have
an option in the context of a service that is barely limping along? Did the
minister have an option in the context of a service that over the last year or
more has had large sections of the island going without fire coverage due to
unavailability of units? Did the minister have an option in the context of a
service that is unable to rescue people at the scene of disasters and
emergencies due to unavailability of the most basic equipment?
Shouldn't she be
concerned knowing all of these problems and rather that the allocation being
increased, it is effectively reduced? Shouldn't she be concerned knowing that
the morale of the staff is at its lowest ebb?
Media reports indicate
that members of her party are upset with her because they feel that her act is
one of self-aggrandisement and that she, by her action, portrays them as being
uncaring of the needs of the poor. But I wonder if their response is borne of a
guilty conscience?
They should certainly
feel guilty for the several years of neglect of the brigade. They should
certainly feel guilty for not providing the brigade with the funds to permit a
substantial purchase of equipment, including units for the past nine years.
They should certainly feel guilty for exposing the people of Jamaica to
unnecessary risks.
She should be
commended for the quick way in which she analysed the motion and its
consequences. She should be commended for having the strength not to be a robot
and just vote along the lines of her other comrades.
On behalf of
firefighters across the island, I must indicate that we fully recognise that
the public sector is facing a crisis. We well recognise that in a crisis, all
areas cannot be dealt with effectively. However, we believe that the crisis
demands that priority areas be identified for attention, and that the Jamaica Fire Brigade should be
identified as one of those priorities.
We call on the
government to move beyond promises and start to act to accord the kind of
importance to the Jamaica Fire Brigade that its status as first responder at
the scene of disasters and emergencies demands. We ask the government not to
fiddle while Jamaica burns.
Helene Davis Whyte
Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers
15A Old Hope Road
Kingston 5
Taking from the Jamaica Observer Tuesday, May 04, 2004