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<span style="color: #990000">We like to believe that we are a nation of laws and that that is what stands between us and Wild West-type anarchy. If the Government does not defend the laws of Jamaica, then of what use is it? The rest of us might just as well pack it in, or get rid of that administration.
The revelation last Monday in our edition of that day that the Spanish-owned RIU Mahoe Bay Hotel near Montego Bay, St James is seeking to get approval to keep its illegal fourth floors on three buildings, now under construction in the flight path of the Sangster International Airport, seems somewhat surreal.
Last time we checked, the prime minister himself had instructed the St James Parish Council to impose a stop-order on the RIU buildings, until they complied with the terms of their legal building permit for no more than three stories.
Furthermore, the appearance of a building plan, in Spanish, that was not taken before the parish council, and for which the requisite fees were not paid, was to be referred to the Police Fraud Squad for investigation.
Additionally, the St James building inspector, Mr Tubal Brown, whose signature, along with the council's official stamp, appeared on the illegal Spanish building plan for four floors, was to be investigated by the Parish Council Services Commission.
The song and dance about stop orders has been followed by an eerie silence, broken only by news that RIU is adamantly trying to keep the illegal fourth floors and seeking government approval. What an audacity!
In a country governed by laws, and with a government acting in defence of such laws, no one, even if it is a foreign investor, could have the temerity to ignore government instructions, and the gall to seek that government's support to flout the country's laws.
Note well that we are yet to hear from the Fraud Squad and the Parish Council Services Commission about their findings, assuming that they have been doing their work to protect the Jamaican people. Why would Mr Brown affix his signature and the parish council's stamp to an illegal Spanish building plan? Why was no money paid over to the council? What is RIU's role in all of this? Was Mr Brown paid for his services? What could be his motivation for acting outside the ambit of the parish council?
All these are questions that must be answered before any self-respecting government could contemplate reversing its own orders, especially where the safety of its own people is in jeopardy.
The direction that there be no buildings with more than three floors in the flight path to the airport, has been the established standard and no Jamaican over the years has dared to breach that. And rightly so.
The problem with RIU is that it is accustomed to having its way with countries deemed to be craving for their investment. Its troubles in Mexico resulted in the hotel chain being fined and one mayor losing his job for alleged bribery. We in Jamaica should take sleep mark death.
But in a real sense, RIU can be expected to try to get away with whatever it can. It is to the Government that we must look for protection. This is a clear case in which the law must be a shackle. Or it is worth no more than the paper on which it is written.</span>
Reference:
Editorial (2008 June 26). The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved on June 26, 2008, from http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial...OUR_LAWS___.asp
The revelation last Monday in our edition of that day that the Spanish-owned RIU Mahoe Bay Hotel near Montego Bay, St James is seeking to get approval to keep its illegal fourth floors on three buildings, now under construction in the flight path of the Sangster International Airport, seems somewhat surreal.
Last time we checked, the prime minister himself had instructed the St James Parish Council to impose a stop-order on the RIU buildings, until they complied with the terms of their legal building permit for no more than three stories.
Furthermore, the appearance of a building plan, in Spanish, that was not taken before the parish council, and for which the requisite fees were not paid, was to be referred to the Police Fraud Squad for investigation.
Additionally, the St James building inspector, Mr Tubal Brown, whose signature, along with the council's official stamp, appeared on the illegal Spanish building plan for four floors, was to be investigated by the Parish Council Services Commission.
The song and dance about stop orders has been followed by an eerie silence, broken only by news that RIU is adamantly trying to keep the illegal fourth floors and seeking government approval. What an audacity!
In a country governed by laws, and with a government acting in defence of such laws, no one, even if it is a foreign investor, could have the temerity to ignore government instructions, and the gall to seek that government's support to flout the country's laws.
Note well that we are yet to hear from the Fraud Squad and the Parish Council Services Commission about their findings, assuming that they have been doing their work to protect the Jamaican people. Why would Mr Brown affix his signature and the parish council's stamp to an illegal Spanish building plan? Why was no money paid over to the council? What is RIU's role in all of this? Was Mr Brown paid for his services? What could be his motivation for acting outside the ambit of the parish council?
All these are questions that must be answered before any self-respecting government could contemplate reversing its own orders, especially where the safety of its own people is in jeopardy.
The direction that there be no buildings with more than three floors in the flight path to the airport, has been the established standard and no Jamaican over the years has dared to breach that. And rightly so.
The problem with RIU is that it is accustomed to having its way with countries deemed to be craving for their investment. Its troubles in Mexico resulted in the hotel chain being fined and one mayor losing his job for alleged bribery. We in Jamaica should take sleep mark death.
But in a real sense, RIU can be expected to try to get away with whatever it can. It is to the Government that we must look for protection. This is a clear case in which the law must be a shackle. Or it is worth no more than the paper on which it is written.</span>
Reference:
Editorial (2008 June 26). The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved on June 26, 2008, from http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial...OUR_LAWS___.asp
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