This is in response to your editorial of February 17, 'Foregoing Constituency Pork'.

Thanks for bringing to light the misperception that the Govern-ment's Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is, in your words, "a bad idea"; akin to the old pork barrel dripping with fat for greedy, self-serving politicians.

Such a description is neither fair nor factual; and now that you have raised the matter we can together unveil the truth and so ensure that our people are well and truly informed.

Community involvement

The CDF is based upon the administration's belief that development begins at the local rather than the central level; and that the people of a community/constituency are best served when they and their elected representatives have an integral role in making decisions for development.

In fact this meets exactly the standard your editorial demands when it says: "Let MPs make proper representation for their constituents to appropriate government agencies."

The fund is just about a year old. In this time it has expended nearly $2 billion; and there is abundant evidence of its success in enabling quick responses by the state to urgent and legitimate needs of the people.

Roads have been repaired, bridges built, human and social upliftment projects carried out, disaster mitigation programmes established and support given to reputable agencies for economic development of the less affluent in the society.

There is nothing to suggest than in any of this, politicians have been feasting on the proverbial pork.

Careful monitoring

Contrary to what some may believe, the money spent on these community projects is made available only after proper community plans have been drawn up, carefully scrutinised by authorised agencies, evaluated by the CDF secretariat in the prime minister's office and finally approved by a bi-partisan committee of Parliament.

The Office of the Contractor General has been made a part of the monitoring apparatus and although members of parliament are expected to be consulted and to be active servants in these community-generated projects, they have limited, if any, say in the financial or contractual arrangements.

Report due

The responsible state bodies are the National Works Agency, RADA, the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Social Development Commission.

There is much more to be told in detail; and no doubt your venerable journal will oblige as soon as the first annual report of the Constituency Development Fund is compiled.

Meantime, the good work will go on. Thank you.

I am, etc.,

KEN JONES

Communications director

Jamaica House