Shed some light, Senator Spencer

Shed some light, Senator Spencer
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Senator Kern Spencer, the junior minister for industry, technology,
energy and commerce, apparently believes that the Jamaican people are
idiots.

For how else can we explain his ridiculous attempt in the Senate last
week to defend the importation of Cuban social workers to help
distribute fluorescent light bulbs to Jamaican households?

According to Senator Spencer, more than 1,500 Cubans - 25 per
constituency - will be involved in distributing more than four million
fluorescent bulbs donated by the Cuban government under an energy-saving
project being implemented by his ministry and the Petroleum Corporation
of Jamaica.

These Cubans, who will work alongside Jamaican social workers, are here
as "part of the package that was negotiated with Cuba", Senator Spencer
told his colleagues.
Why?

Because, said the junior minister, every single bulb needs to be
accounted for, and the Cubans have experience in implementing this kind
of programme.

Frankly, we are unable to see why Cubans are needed to help distribute
fluorescent bulbs here and, like Senator Chris Tufton, we are curious as
to why the services of civic and community-based organisations were not
engaged for this project.

Senator Spencer therefore needs to inform the country of the bona fides
of these Jamaican social workers he has on this project. For he has
implied in his justification for the presence of the Cubans that the
Jamaicans working with them need to be monitored. If, therefore, Senator
Spencer is saying that these Jamaican social workers cannot be trusted
to distribute the bulbs to the people for whom they have been imported,
why employ them?

We note too that the junior minister did not, in that Senate debate,
deny that his image appears on the brochures informing residents about
the programme. If that accusation is true, it raises the question of
whether this programme is being utilised for political purposes in what
is expected to be an election year.

Our other major concern with this programme is its cost to taxpayers.
According to Senator Spencer, the total bill is US$5.7 million. However,
because the bulbs are free, the spend is US$3.4 million.

Senator Spencer now needs to say on what are we spending this US$3.4
million. He should include that in the "fulsome document" he has
promised the country.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/html/20060711T230000-0500_108897_OBS_SHED_SOME_LIGHT__SENATOR_SPENCER.asp