When I consider some of the results of the decisions our political leaders have taken on our behalf, I wonder if they sought God's guidance or did any consultation. Proverbs 11: 14 says: "In the multitude of counsellors there is safety."

Take for example our decision to host Cricket World Cup 2007. Following the exercise, the country is left with a mountain of debt which has to be paid from the public purse. It is no better with the erection of the stadium in Trelawny. After spending millions of dollars to build it and having to spend a million dollars per month to maintain it, how much are we making from it? How much use are we making of it?

We take sections of the shoreline on the north coast and build hotels (effectively taking bread out of our local fishermen's mouth) and preventing our people from enjoying the sea while many of these hotels are underutilised for we will never have enough tourists to fill them.

Better financial agreements

Consider the agreement the tourism minister made sometime last year when some of our travel destinations were 'divested' and we agreed with American Airlines to fly these destinations, but if certain capacity levels were not maintained, we would have to pay the difference. I am not against the divestment, but our leaders must make better financial agreements on our behalf or we will ever be spending what we should be using to provide social services for our people to pay others who are better off than we are.

I cannot complete this article without mentioning the minister of agriculture's arrangement to pay an adviser approximately $2 million per month to divest some sugar factories. I believe that is what the consultant should be paid when all of the business is completed.

I will agree that to get qualified persons to serve in the public sector we will need to pay them sensibly. However, our leaders must be mindful of the fact that they have a responsibility for all the citizens and not just some. The public sector cannot do like the private sector.

The remuneration of the former governor of the Bank of Jamaica, Derick Latibeaudiere, and the reopening of the pier at Falmouth are also some of the questionable decisions our leaders make on our behalf.

I am, etc.,

LOIS BRYCE

Falmouth

Trelawny