The Editor, Sir:

The prime minister in his budget presentation in Parlia-ment last month stated that he had instructed public sector managers to manage their expenditure and cut costs wherever possible. He went on to say that he would meet with them at the end of each quarter to evaluate how well they were doing.

He gave as his example government agencies occupying high-cost office space while many government buildings remained empty. Who could possibly find fault with his stated intentions? After all, this appears to be a very noble sentiment. Let us cut government expenditure and save some money in these trying times. The problem is after all the talk has been talked we are left with no one walking the walk.

Scandalous situation

There is a scandalous situation at present in western Jamaica, however. The Ministry of Tourism has been paying out over $1 million per month rental for an unoccupied building. This situation has been going on now for over a year. On top of this a contract has been given out for millions of dollars to refurbish it so that it can house the new western offices of the minister, the ministry and its agencies.

At present these offices are located at a complex at Cornwall beach, just minutes away from the new intended location and for this the ministry pays a peppercorn rental to the St James parish council.

In other words the Ministry of Tourism is doing the exact opposite of what the prime minister was saying. They are actively moving out of a government office into a rented private location.

So one has to conclude that either:

They have not been informed of the prime minister's policy, although the minister was in parliament during his speech and the prime minister had already met with the managers.

Or, they have been told quietly that they can go ahead.

Or, they are just simply ignoring the pronouncement.

This wastage of government funds in our tourism capital of Montego Bay is scandalous, and it is amazing that it has been allowed to go on for so long. To date over $12 million has been spent renting a vacant space.

Common knowledge

This situation is common knowledge in Montego Bay, it has already been carried in the media and the minister was grilled about it at the standing finance committee. Yet it continues. All of this comes on the heels of a total refurbishing of the minister's offices in new Kingston, last year.

These are serious times and the message that is sent out by the actions of the Government and its ministers is important.

This wanton wastage of taxpayer's money in our second city must stop. I hope that the prime minister will not wait until his next quarterly meeting to rectify the situation but will move swiftly to resolve this contradiction between what has being said and what is being done.

We look forward to seeing the Government walk the talk.

I am, etc.,

Dr Wykeham McNeill

Opposition spokesman on tourism