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'You're too greedy!'
Seivwright blasts MoBay Chamber over port development planMARK CUMMINGS, Observer West senior reporter
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Dennis Seivwright
FALMOUTH, Trelawny -
President of the Trelawny Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dennis Seivwright, has blasted his Montego Bay counterpart, Pauline Reid, for saying the proposed development of the Falmouth port should not go ahead of the second city's port.
"What she is doing is to turn off investors and I am really, really upset. This is what I call greed and I am disgusted," a livid Seivwright said.
Pauline Reid
At the 76th annual general meeting of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Wexford Hotel on Tuesday, Reid, who was elected unopposed to serve a third term as head of the chamber, made it clear that the chamber was opposed to the proposed development of the Falmouth Port at 'this time'.
"I am going to make a very controversial statement as it relates to the proposed development of the port of Falmouth," Reid warned.
"I think it is important that the port of Montego Bay be developed and I don't think that Montego Bay should be sacrificed for Trelawny."
She argued that in light of the tight financial constraints being experienced by the government, it would make good business sense to expand the ports of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios instead of developing the Falmouth harbour.
"I don't think that we can afford that at this time, what we need to do is to look at Montego Bay, look at Ocho Rios and see how we can upgrade those ports and after we have done that, then we look at a new port," she explained.
She added that it would take only "a fraction" of the funds earmarked for the Falmouth development, to expand the Ocho Rios and Montego Bay ports.
She noted that plans to upgrade the port in Montego Bay have been on the drawing board for more than three years. The port of Ocho Rios, she added, is also in need of expansion.
She stressed that the chamber intends to lobby government in an effort to have the administration reconsider the decision.
This further infuriated Seivwright.
" We are like crabs in a barrel, Montego Bay is not Jamaica. She needs to broaden her mind, she is too narrow, she needs to look beyond the horizon, MoBay and Trelawny are not two different counties," he declared.
The development of the Falmouth Harbour is a joint venture between the Port Authority of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean International. Preliminary work for the project has begun and the physical aspect is expected to commence later this year.
The project will see the creation of a brand-new port and supporting infrastructure as well as the improvement and rehabilitation of several of the Georgian buildings that are a feature of the town.
On completion the port will be able to accommodate Genesis Class vessels which will measure 1,180 feet long, 154 feet wide and 240 feet high and will accommodate 5,400 guests in addition to over 2,000 crew.
Seivwright told the OBSERVER WEST that Famouth, and Trelawny in general, offers a more diverse product than Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.
" Tourists who have repeated their visits have exhausted what there is to offer in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay," Seivwright said. "What they want is something more natural and a sense of historical value and Falmouth has more of a green area that those two can offer, so it is important that the port be established in Falmouth," said the Trelawny chamber president.
Seivwright blasts MoBay Chamber over port development planMARK CUMMINGS, Observer West senior reporter
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Dennis SeivwrightFALMOUTH, Trelawny -
President of the Trelawny Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dennis Seivwright, has blasted his Montego Bay counterpart, Pauline Reid, for saying the proposed development of the Falmouth port should not go ahead of the second city's port.
"What she is doing is to turn off investors and I am really, really upset. This is what I call greed and I am disgusted," a livid Seivwright said.
Pauline ReidAt the 76th annual general meeting of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Wexford Hotel on Tuesday, Reid, who was elected unopposed to serve a third term as head of the chamber, made it clear that the chamber was opposed to the proposed development of the Falmouth Port at 'this time'.
"I am going to make a very controversial statement as it relates to the proposed development of the port of Falmouth," Reid warned.
"I think it is important that the port of Montego Bay be developed and I don't think that Montego Bay should be sacrificed for Trelawny."
She argued that in light of the tight financial constraints being experienced by the government, it would make good business sense to expand the ports of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios instead of developing the Falmouth harbour.
"I don't think that we can afford that at this time, what we need to do is to look at Montego Bay, look at Ocho Rios and see how we can upgrade those ports and after we have done that, then we look at a new port," she explained.
She added that it would take only "a fraction" of the funds earmarked for the Falmouth development, to expand the Ocho Rios and Montego Bay ports.
She noted that plans to upgrade the port in Montego Bay have been on the drawing board for more than three years. The port of Ocho Rios, she added, is also in need of expansion.
She stressed that the chamber intends to lobby government in an effort to have the administration reconsider the decision.
This further infuriated Seivwright.
" We are like crabs in a barrel, Montego Bay is not Jamaica. She needs to broaden her mind, she is too narrow, she needs to look beyond the horizon, MoBay and Trelawny are not two different counties," he declared.
The development of the Falmouth Harbour is a joint venture between the Port Authority of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean International. Preliminary work for the project has begun and the physical aspect is expected to commence later this year.
The project will see the creation of a brand-new port and supporting infrastructure as well as the improvement and rehabilitation of several of the Georgian buildings that are a feature of the town.
On completion the port will be able to accommodate Genesis Class vessels which will measure 1,180 feet long, 154 feet wide and 240 feet high and will accommodate 5,400 guests in addition to over 2,000 crew.
Seivwright told the OBSERVER WEST that Famouth, and Trelawny in general, offers a more diverse product than Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.
" Tourists who have repeated their visits have exhausted what there is to offer in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay," Seivwright said. "What they want is something more natural and a sense of historical value and Falmouth has more of a green area that those two can offer, so it is important that the port be established in Falmouth," said the Trelawny chamber president.