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EU envoy's stern warning
Published: Friday | May 7, 2010 7
On the face of it, the decision, as announced by Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni, to withhold computer lab equipment promised to some Jamaican children is understandable, if seemingly harsh. There is need for clarification on the position he has articulated, however.
As head of the European Union delegation in Jamaica, Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni had promised the Maverley Primary and Junior High School in September 2009 a fully equipped computer room. This was on condition that the community would be able to complete construction of four new classrooms and a resource lab within a five-month period. <span style="font-weight: bold">Amid outbreaks of gang-related violence in the area, the project went beyond the stipulated time frame as work was halted a few times. So now Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni has announced that the EU will not deliver the computers. "A deal is a deal," he is quoted as saying.</span>
On the one hand, his position speaks to an underlying frustration that financial donors have had with time overruns on projects and the country's seeming inability to clamp down on crime and violence. But in this scenario, Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni accepts that the contractor was not at fault, and that the school community made every effort to keep its end of the bargain. He is insisting that the EU must operate within the confines of its commitment.
Few well-thinking Jamaicans would disagree that a strong message should be sent and action taken against hoodlums who continue to disrupt people's daily lives. What is questionable on this occasion is the vehicle chosen to send that message. For Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni has not argued that the people and children of Maverley withheld information from the police, or that by their neglect they facilitated the project going on for longer than planned. He simply wants a message to be sent to 'the big men' that they are depriving the youngsters of access to education. This is a message, we suggest, that will likely be lost on the 'big men'. There is little reason to believe that the criminals in our midst will be softened by such entreaties.
less than subtle
Perhaps, the EU has chosen this less-than-subtle way to send a message to the Government - namely, that the EU will begin withdrawing from funding projects amid the lawlessness and general violence in the country. That being the case, we would have preferred if Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni had been more direct, rather than using the schoolchildren as a channel for his warning.
We appreciate, of course, that neither the children in Maverley nor anywhere else in Jamaica have any entitlement to EU donations - that it can and will determine when and where its funds should be spent. But what is of fundamental importance is that the administration heed Mr Alemanni's warning and address the deficiencies in our education and community security operations for the good of the Jamaican people.
<span style="font-style: italic">The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: [email protected] or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published</span>.
Published: Friday | May 7, 2010 7
On the face of it, the decision, as announced by Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni, to withhold computer lab equipment promised to some Jamaican children is understandable, if seemingly harsh. There is need for clarification on the position he has articulated, however.
As head of the European Union delegation in Jamaica, Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni had promised the Maverley Primary and Junior High School in September 2009 a fully equipped computer room. This was on condition that the community would be able to complete construction of four new classrooms and a resource lab within a five-month period. <span style="font-weight: bold">Amid outbreaks of gang-related violence in the area, the project went beyond the stipulated time frame as work was halted a few times. So now Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni has announced that the EU will not deliver the computers. "A deal is a deal," he is quoted as saying.</span>
On the one hand, his position speaks to an underlying frustration that financial donors have had with time overruns on projects and the country's seeming inability to clamp down on crime and violence. But in this scenario, Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni accepts that the contractor was not at fault, and that the school community made every effort to keep its end of the bargain. He is insisting that the EU must operate within the confines of its commitment.
Few well-thinking Jamaicans would disagree that a strong message should be sent and action taken against hoodlums who continue to disrupt people's daily lives. What is questionable on this occasion is the vehicle chosen to send that message. For Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni has not argued that the people and children of Maverley withheld information from the police, or that by their neglect they facilitated the project going on for longer than planned. He simply wants a message to be sent to 'the big men' that they are depriving the youngsters of access to education. This is a message, we suggest, that will likely be lost on the 'big men'. There is little reason to believe that the criminals in our midst will be softened by such entreaties.
less than subtle
Perhaps, the EU has chosen this less-than-subtle way to send a message to the Government - namely, that the EU will begin withdrawing from funding projects amid the lawlessness and general violence in the country. That being the case, we would have preferred if Mr Mazzocchi Alemanni had been more direct, rather than using the schoolchildren as a channel for his warning.
We appreciate, of course, that neither the children in Maverley nor anywhere else in Jamaica have any entitlement to EU donations - that it can and will determine when and where its funds should be spent. But what is of fundamental importance is that the administration heed Mr Alemanni's warning and address the deficiencies in our education and community security operations for the good of the Jamaican people.
<span style="font-style: italic">The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: [email protected] or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published</span>.