Tainted sale

[Lazie]

Can you post where the "Dutch investigations" indicated that Jamaican officials were bribed?
I seem to have missed that report and would love to see it.

If the Dutch can establish bribery and presumably presented the evidence to the GOJ... why weren't these officials charged?
Once there is credible evidence of bribery I am absolutely certain that the GOJ would prosecute that to the max.... indeed that's what the law requires of them.

Your argument that the JLP government (fired up after years in the wilderness) did not have the balls to launch an investigation, strains credulity past the breaking point. That's simply ludicrous!

That was a typo ... it should have been Dutch Investigators. Not surprised you missed it. Many comrades wanted it swept under the carpet, you're no different.

[Lazie]

For the site spinner ...

"In a statement to the House of Representatives, Golding said that on October 31 he was advised by the Dutch authorities that "Trafigua Beheer is believed to be guilty of having bribed public officials of a foreign state, namely Jamaica".
"Such an offence is punishable under sections 177 and 178 (a) of the Dutch criminal code," the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader added.


http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...a_bribery_.asp

[Don1]

Please don't misquote what I posted

Here it is
"Deloitte has calculated that in Europe the most valuable landing slots are those at London Heathrow, followed by Charles de Gaulle, Gatwick and Frankfurt. Based on a recent transaction the implied value of a pair of peak time slots at London Heathrow is currently worth between £25 and £30 million3. The value of slots varies primarily depending on the time of day they are for."

Now who is misquoting? Where did you get that 0-35 million price qoute?

Now use your own judgement. Where did I say Air Jamaica was value at the top? Show me where.


Now who is spining?

Apology is accepted in advance.

I don't think you are spinning, I think you are not interpreting the information properly... the spinning I leave to Lazie. LOL!!

This is a better extract from your post which indicates the vast range in Heathrow slot values:

Based on a recent transaction the implied value of a pair of peak time slots at London Heathrow is currently worth between £25 and £30 million3. The value of slots varies primarily depending on the time of day they are for.
Whilst EU regulations are in place to ensure landing slots are allocated fairly, they have generally failed to significantly erode the presence of the ‘national flag’ carrier airlines at key airports.
At Heathrow, for example, this summer there are a total of 9,562 slots available. 99% of these are held by legacy/ flag carrier airlines - those already established at the airport. 41% of Heathrow slots are held by British Airways. BMI hold a further 11% and Virgin Atlantic hold 3%. Deloitte’s research shows that just 1.0% of slots are available for allocation to new entrants and many of these are unusable because of their timing or other factors.

To break it down for you:
If slots are unusable.. they have close to zero value. The most desirable slots are valued up to $30-40m it seems.

Therefore the bulk of the available slot pairs (there are multiple thousands of them) will lie between the minimum of close to zero and $30-$40m.

You and your analyst friends claim that Air Jamaica's slots were undervalued. I don't know if this is true... we only have the bidding process to guide us... and both bidders were in the same ballpark.

Get it?

If you disagree it seems to me you and the analysts you consult have to know:

1. What time the Air Jamaica slots occupied

2. What airport space they occupied

3. What airport services were associated with the slots

4. What value was assigned to slots similar to Air Jamaica's... established by recent sale price of equivalent slots.... definitely not the $40m slots at the top end of the market.


If you don't have that info ... you have little basis to question the price set by the bidders.

[Don1]

That was a typo ... it should have been Dutch Investigators. Not surprised you missed it. Many comrades wanted it swept under the carpet, you're no different.

I wasn't nitpicking about typos... never even noticed the difference.

Please post where the "Dutch investigators" made statements concluding that there was bribery.... as opposed to investigating the possibility of bribery.

If you do find something to post... please don't post anything other than a quotation from a Dutch investigator or a Dutch report.

No Jamaican reporter's or politician's opinions please.... not trustworthy in this partisan storm.

I didn't want it swept under the carpet. I stated at the time that the affair should be investigated .... I also predicted, correctly, that it would lead nowhere.

Just as I predicted that Bulbgate was much more serious and Kern was in jeopardy.

I'm proved right on both counts.

[Don1]

For the site spinner ...

"In a statement to the House of Representatives, Golding said that on October 31 he was advised by the Dutch authorities that "Trafigua Beheer is believed to be guilty of having bribed public officials of a foreign state, namely Jamaica".
"Such an offence is punishable under sections 177 and 178 (a) of the Dutch criminal code," the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader added.


http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...a_bribery_.asp

For the guy whose favourite pastime is regurgitating the statements of politicians: I'm not impressed by political statements.... I recognize them for what they are.

If there was evidence of bribery there is no doubt that charges would have been laid.
Your nonsense about the police not having the balls to do so is completely ludicrous.

I hope to see the day when you can think for yourself and not through the words of those who practice politricks.

[Assasin]

Continue diggin'Air Jamaica more naive than a virgin'
By Al Edwards
Friday, June 01, 2007


The recent sale of Air Jamaica's slots at London's Heathrow Airport to Virgin Atlantic marks the further demise and diminution of the national carrier, knowledgeable airline sources contend.
But the sale of the airline's most profitable gateway was worsened by the fact that neither its senior management nor the minister of finance considered it necessary to inform the Jamaican public in a timely fashion, leaving that to the British media, the airline industry watchers told the Caribbean Business Report.

"Air Jamaica is more naive than a virgin," said one analyst who was making an obvious pun on Virgin Atlantic which has reportedly paid just under US$12 million for the slots which have been assessed by the experts to be worth anywhere between US$50 million and US$75 million.
Last week, head of Airports Authority of Jamaica, Dennis Morrison said that the Heathrow route cost Air Jamaica US$20 million a year in losses and this was the main reason for its exit from the London slot.
"Air Jamaica has not been able to reduce its hard costs and this latest move will hardly make a difference to that fact," predicted Tony Minvielle of Barclays Capital.
"Air Jamaica has significantly reduced its advertising and marketing spend and it has no clear plan to grow the airline and increase its revenues," he insisted. "This latest move in selling those Heathrow slots sends a signal to the world that Air Jamaica is shrinking.
"Nevertheless it's a great deal for Branson's Virgin Atlantic and he got those slots for a steal. With more hotel rooms available and even more under construction driven by Spanish firms, Branson will be quids in when arrivals pick up," said Minvielle.
He suggested that Air Jamaica had a very loyal passenger base which had proven to be its unique selling point. "But it is not a reliable airline and its competitors know this and are exploiting it. Hence you see Spirit now has two flights to Kingston and two flights to Montego Bay whereby before it was just one flight a week," he said.
A former senior Air Jamaica executive disclosed that the London route accounted for 23 per cent of Air Jamaica's revenues, earning the airline US$70 million a year. He said that when the Air Jamaica Acquisition Group (AJAG), led by Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, took over the airline in 1994, "we spent an inordinate amount of time developing that London route, eventually putting on daily routes".
"Heathrow is a prized gateway and everyone is fighting to get those slots. We returned to London, Heathrow after being out in the cold for 11 years. We began with three lousy slots that saw passengers landing in the wee hours of the morning. We worked well with the London Airport Authority and added more flights with better times as we established a very good reputation at Heathrow. To lose them to Virgin is very disheartening after all the work we put in developing them," he said.
As Air Jamaica racked up losses of US$300 million over the last two years, the national airline has been forced to cut routes, and has gone to the government "cap in hand", according to the executive, for further financial bailouts. "It has also suffered the ignominy of having one of its aircraft seized for failing to honour lease obligations. The sale of the Heathrow slots is a further nail in the coffin."
One would have thought that the onus to be more transparent, more forthcoming with the public would have been heightened.
Heathrow, regarded as one of the world's most important airports, is viewed as the main gateway into Europe. "To lose those slots diminishes the airline and cuts off the vital revenue stream of the European visitor market and those wishing to connect with loved ones in the Diaspora," the CBR source insisted.
A British expatriate in Jamaica who also did not want his name called, complained that the fact that Virgin Atlantic would be flying into Gatwick Airport and not Heathrow would be unpopular with most passengers out of Jamaica.
"It could mean that many people would end up having to take the train for the 30 or 40 miles into London from Gatwick. This adds cost and time to their journey."
But Virgin Atlantic's chairman, Richard Branson insisted that his new code share agreement with Air Jamaica represented a good deal for all Jamaicans, saying it would prevent airfares being increased by a monopoly carrier and go some way to ensure that Jamaican travellers to London would not be left high and dry should the monopoly carrier pull out of the route.
According to Branson, Air Jamaica had approached both Virgin and British Airways at the same time and both found it "a most appealing proposition".
"When it became clear to us that British Airways might be the frontrunner, we made our representations to the Jamaican government about the need for traveller choice, market competition and a fresh code share arrangement between ourselves and Air Jamaica," said Branson.
Virgin will begin using the new route in October of this year and will operate two flights weekly between London Gatwick and Kingston, in addition to its existing two flights a week between Gatwick and Montego Bay, using a Boeing 747 on the route and offering 190,000 seats.
On the question of disclosure of the sale to the public, the former Air Jamaica executive accused the finance minister, Dr Omar Davies; the minister of transport, Robert Pickersgill; the chairman of Air Jamaica, OK Melhado; and Air Jamaica's CEO Michael Conway of not sharing details of the deal with the Jamaican public in a timely manner.
He recalled that back in 1994, AJAG took control of the ailing government-controlled carrier and transformed it by offering on-time /no line services, more routes and imbuing it with a value-added culture that saw a flying chef, red carpet treatment and other marketing initiatives.
He noted that prior to taking over the airline, AJAG had been unaware that Jamaica fell under a Category 2 status which cost AJAG $300 million, although it was a matter that was entirely Government related.
"AJAG then rationalised the fleet, introduced new Airbus planes and turned the corner. Air Jamaica was set to fly into profitability. But then came the events of 9/11, 2001, which devastated the commercial aviation industry. Even American Airlines came close to going under and it was touch and go for a while," he said.
"While the other airlines in the United States were getting help from their government with security, cockpit modification and insurance, Air Jamaica was left to fend for itself. Government being the joint venture partner in Air Jamaica was the worst form of partner and any help offered was too little too late."
The airline executive said that eventually AJAG "got sick and tired of the political games and wanted out at any cost". "After 10 years, under AJAG, Air Jamaica's losses came to US$700 million. What did it leave behind, what could its successors build upon? Well, a rationalised fleet with new aircraft; pioneered new routes; a tried and tested hub in Montego Bay; a talented management team led by Chris Zacca; marketing initiatives that found favour with the public and a well-respected brand."
Asking whether the airline had prospered in the post-AJAG period under government control, the executive said there were now less aircraft as it continued to rely on wet leasing chartered aircraft; it had seen its load factor decline by 15 per cent due to its unreliability (from 78 per cent to 63 per cent).
"Its on-time reliability performance has discernibly declined. It now has 100 cancellations a month - that's three flights a day. In just under two years Air Jamaica has received financial assistance in excess of US$500 million while chalking up losses of US$300 million. This year the government has promised to guarantee further financial aid to the tune of US$125 million. It isn't hard to see that government control has not worked for the airline.
Commenting on the state of affairs at Air Jamaica, a former colleague of Will Rodgers lamented his recent resignation from the airline, noting that 'Butch' Stewart and Rodgers were both instrumental in setting up that Heathrow route, going into the ethnic communities and adding more flights to London. At one stage, thee were nine flights to London a week.
He said Rodgers was one of Butch's closest advisors who knew the industry "like the back of his hand" but his departure from the airline was due to a management team "incapable of internal criticism and one that spurned his advice".
The airline industry analysts said things would get worse before they got better, and pointed to the latest tourism arrival figures showing that visitor count had declined.
With the pound and euro gaining at the expense of the US dollar, Jamaica was an attractive proposition for Europeans, so losing slots at Heathrow would have a negative impact on visitor arrivals as Heathrow was deemed the gateway of Europe, they argued.
The analysts said that over the last 12 years, the tourism industry had come to depend on Air Jamaica. Working together they had made an invaluable contribution to the economy and had put Jamaican interests first. This would no longer be the case with both Virgin and British Airways being the dominant carriers.
"John Rollins once told 'Butch' Stewart that it was the expansion of Air Jamaica's routes that helped him make the decision to build the Ritz-Carlton in Montego Bay," said one analyst.
Last week, the Jamaica opposition party expressed alarm over the developments. Spokesman on tourism, Edmund Bartlett warned about the adverse impact the decision to sell the Heathrow slots would have on one of the country's top earners of foreign exchange.
"The daily service offered by Air Jamaica to both Montego Bay and Kingston will be replaced by a mere two flights a week to Kingston operated by Virgin Atlantic and from a far less popular departure point, London Gatwick," Bartlett told Montego Bay Rotarians. "It represents a loss of 1,953 seats a week to the tourist hub."
Bartlett pointed out that the move meant that Jamaica's regional competitors in the tourism industry were now enjoying more flights than Jamaica from the UK destination.
"This is nothing to be proud about when one considers that Barbados welcomes 10 British Airways flights a week, seven Virgin Atlantic flights and three from British Midland. Even Antigua and St Lucia can now boast of better-scheduled flight options than Jamaica, allowing the consumer choice and flexibility. Jamaica is the loser as a result of this decision," said Bartlett.
"By selling these slots, the government of Jamaica has relinquished the historical right that Jamaica owned for its national carrier to fly from the airport. They cannot be obtained again and should in some eventuality Air Jamaica decides to return to trans-Atlantic service they will be obliged to do so from Gatwick or Stanstead," added Bartlett.
The analysts moreover noted that the Spanish were increasingly making their presence felt in Jamaica's hotel sector. Over the last five years, six hotel companies had built a total of 10,000 rooms at a cost of over US$1.3 billion.
"Air Jamaica's presence in the north-east corridor would have played a part in attracting many of the Spanish hotel companies to Jamaica. There is a prevailing view that the Spanish are looking to bring more Europeans to their hotels in Jamaica and no doubt this latest move by the Jamaican government is being watched very closely," said one analyst.
The former Air Jamaica executive said since the end of 2004, Air Jamaica's directors had yet to devise a plan that seemed likely to bear fruit for the airline.
"They have, however, succeeded in extracting more money from the government to resuscitate the fortunes of the national carrier. If plans to improve the fortunes of the airline should fail, then an Air Jamaica, minus those Heathrow slots, presents a diminished proposition to a potential buyer. Air Jamaica's senior management style has been characterised by a lack of transparency and accountability. The country can ill afford to lose close to US$500 million in three years from an ailing airline," he insisted.g your head in the sand, there is enough info out there for me to make up my mind

[Assasin]

The big question on that Air Jamaica Heathrow deal
Diane Abbott
Sunday, June 03, 2007


Air Jamaica has now belatedly admitted that it has sold off its Kingston/London route to the British airline Virgin Atlantic. But this came well over a week after Virgin had proudly announced the news in London. And there are still questions to answer, in particular, where does Air Jamaica go from here?
Diane Abbott
The most striking thing about the whole episode was the apparent reluctance to come clean with the people of Jamaica. It is understandable that there had to be a measure of confidentiality when the "sell off" negotiations were actually going on. But on Tuesday, two weeks ago, Virgin Atlantic put out a press release stating "Virgin Atlantic. is to expand its services to Jamaica later this year with the launch of new flights between London Gatwick and Kingston. The move follows Air Jamaica's decision to cease operations between the UK and Jamaica so as to concentrate on its core routes."
Virgin could not have been clearer about what was really happening. But days later the chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board would still only admit that the Government was "reviewing its options" in relation to Air Jamaica. And Air Jamaica itself was silent. Instead, Jamaican journalists were deliberately confused by talk of "code sharing".
Code sharing is an administrative procedure designed to allow Air Jamaica passengers to be booked onto Virgin flights with the minimum of complications. The real story was not the "code sharing", the real story was the sell-off. But Jamaicans might have been forgiven for believing that the phrase "code sharing" meant that Air Jamaica and Virgin were somehow to continue to run the route jointly.
Yet, Air Jamaica seemed happy for this misapprehension to linger. Once the deal was signed, why was there the delay in spelling out for the Jamaican people what was really going on?
The other unanswered questions are about the future for Air Jamaica. Business consultants are supposed to have advised the Jamaican Government to concentrate on Air Jamaica's regional operations. But where is the business plan for that? Competition in the region is fierce. Not just Caribbean Airlines, but American Airlines is increasingly in contention. And in its press release last week Virgin hinted that in the future it might be competing directly with Air Jamaica by using Jamaica as a hub for flights all over the Caribbean. It said, "In future, we will look to build up connecting traffic via Jamaica to other points in the Caribbean region".
So what plans has Air Jamaica got for staving off the competition? Air Jamaica was losing $2 million a month on the London/ Kingston route. But British Airways and Virgin are apparently able to run the same transatlantic route profitably. They obviously have economies of scale. But their fares are no higher than Air Jamaica's (in Britain at least). Could it be that there are structural reasons why Air Jamaica loses so much money, which will not be solved just by jettisoning a particular route? And, if those structural problems are not being addressed, why should the Jamaican taxpayer be asked to continue pouring money down the drain supporting the airline?
Business consultants are supposed to have advised the Jamaican Government to concentrate on Air Jamaica's regional operations. But where is the business plan for that?
But perhaps the biggest unanswered questions are about the sale of Air Jamaica's take-off and landing slots at Heathrow. It cannot be stressed enough how valuable those landing rights are. Heathrow is the busiest airport in the world and is virtually full. The "Open Skies" agreement, which has opened up the United States market, has made those slots more valuable than ever. Some airlines that have these slots but no longer use them refuse to sell outright. Instead, they "lend" them out. Others run empty planes out of Heathrow, just to maintain their right to the slots.
Getting their hands on these take-off and landing rights at Heathrow would have been almost as important to Virgin as obtaining the Kingston/London route itself. Notably, Virgin will not be wasting these slots on flights to Jamaica. Instead, Jamaican flights will be relegated to the less popular Gatwick airport.
In 2004, the Australian airline Qantas reportedly paid US$40 million to buy just two pairs of such slots. At the end of last year, the Trinidad and Tobago Government sold seven such slots to British Airways for US$10 million. But local politicians claimed the slots were worth much more.
So how much did Virgin pay for the Heathrow landing rights? Divesting the London route probably made sense in terms of Air Jamaica's long-term future and the need to rationalise costs. But selling the take-off and landing rights at Heathrow was asset stripping pure and simple.
Presumably the Jamaican public will not have to wait long to find out how much was paid for them. The Trinidad and Tobago Government announced in Parliament how much they sold BWIA's Heathrow slots for. So what reason could there be for the Jamaican Government not to follow their lead?

[Lazie]

For the guy whose favourite pastime is regurgitating the statements of politicians: I'm not impressed by political statements.... I recognize them for what they are.

If there was evidence of bribery there is no doubt that charges would have been laid.
Your nonsense about the police not having the balls to do so is completely ludicrous.

I hope to see the day when you can think for yourself and not through the words of those who practice politricks.

Don1 .. when things don't fit into your mythical world you blame politicians. Did the Dutch investigators question Trafigura officials? Blame politicians all yuh want ... yuh people took a bribe.

In first world countries, who investigate corrupt politicians? Suh how all of a sudden yuh want JLP politicians fi investigate PNP politicians? Yuh spin suh much till yuh tun fool.

[Mosiah]

Keep hoping!

[Don1]

Don1 .. when things don't fit into your mythical world you blame politicians. Did the Dutch investigators question Trafigura officials? Blame politicians all yuh want ... yuh people took a bribe.

In first world countries, who investigate corrupt politicians? Suh how all of a sudden yuh want JLP politicians fi investigate PNP politicians? Yuh spin suh much till yuh tun fool.

AAAhhh bwoy.

Lazie, who controls the police? Are they independent?

Forget that crap about first world countries.

If the Prime Minister gets evidence of bribery do you really think nothing would come of this??
Don't you know that a PM in our system is vastly more powerful (relatively of course) than say..a US president? Has far fewer checks and balances??

What's stopping the GOJ from acting on this so called Dutch evidence??

Please try to think for yourself... pretty please?

[Don1]

Keep hoping!

I'm like Assasin... always hoping!

[Lazie]

AAAhhh bwoy.

Lazie, who controls the police? Are they independent?

Forget that crap about first world countries.

If the Prime Minister gets evidence of bribery do you really think nothing would come of this??
Don't you know that a PM in our system is vastly more powerful (relatively of course) than say..a US president? Has far fewer checks and balances??

What's stopping the GOJ from acting on this so called Dutch evidence??

Please try to think for yourself... pretty please?

Suh the police need the go ahead from the PM to launch an investigation? A wha duh dah bredda yah? Suh now yuh pushing for political interferance with the JCF?

Bettah yuh cool .... yuh form fool wid Omar's conduct ... now yuh a form biggah fool wid Trafigura?

The crap bout first world countries yuh should be promoting.

[Don1]

The big question on that Air Jamaica Heathrow deal
Diane Abbott
Sunday, June 03, 2007


Air Jamaica has now belatedly admitted that it has sold off its Kingston/London route to the British airline Virgin Atlantic. But this came well over a week after Virgin had proudly announced the news in London. And there are still questions to answer, in particular, where does Air Jamaica go from here?
Diane Abbott
The most striking thing about the whole episode was the apparent reluctance to come clean with the people of Jamaica. It is understandable that there had to be a measure of confidentiality when the "sell off" negotiations were actually going on. But on Tuesday, two weeks ago, Virgin Atlantic put out a press release stating "Virgin Atlantic. is to expand its services to Jamaica later this year with the launch of new flights between London Gatwick and Kingston. The move follows Air Jamaica's decision to cease operations between the UK and Jamaica so as to concentrate on its core routes."
Virgin could not have been clearer about what was really happening. But days later the chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board would still only admit that the Government was "reviewing its options" in relation to Air Jamaica. And Air Jamaica itself was silent. Instead, Jamaican journalists were deliberately confused by talk of "code sharing".
Code sharing is an administrative procedure designed to allow Air Jamaica passengers to be booked onto Virgin flights with the minimum of complications. The real story was not the "code sharing", the real story was the sell-off. But Jamaicans might have been forgiven for believing that the phrase "code sharing" meant that Air Jamaica and Virgin were somehow to continue to run the route jointly.
Yet, Air Jamaica seemed happy for this misapprehension to linger. Once the deal was signed, why was there the delay in spelling out for the Jamaican people what was really going on?
The other unanswered questions are about the future for Air Jamaica. Business consultants are supposed to have advised the Jamaican Government to concentrate on Air Jamaica's regional operations. But where is the business plan for that? Competition in the region is fierce. Not just Caribbean Airlines, but American Airlines is increasingly in contention. And in its press release last week Virgin hinted that in the future it might be competing directly with Air Jamaica by using Jamaica as a hub for flights all over the Caribbean. It said, "In future, we will look to build up connecting traffic via Jamaica to other points in the Caribbean region".
So what plans has Air Jamaica got for staving off the competition? Air Jamaica was losing $2 million a month on the London/ Kingston route. But British Airways and Virgin are apparently able to run the same transatlantic route profitably. They obviously have economies of scale. But their fares are no higher than Air Jamaica's (in Britain at least). Could it be that there are structural reasons why Air Jamaica loses so much money, which will not be solved just by jettisoning a particular route? And, if those structural problems are not being addressed, why should the Jamaican taxpayer be asked to continue pouring money down the drain supporting the airline?
Business consultants are supposed to have advised the Jamaican Government to concentrate on Air Jamaica's regional operations. But where is the business plan for that?
But perhaps the biggest unanswered questions are about the sale of Air Jamaica's take-off and landing slots at Heathrow. It cannot be stressed enough how valuable those landing rights are. Heathrow is the busiest airport in the world and is virtually full. The "Open Skies" agreement, which has opened up the United States market, has made those slots more valuable than ever. Some airlines that have these slots but no longer use them refuse to sell outright. Instead, they "lend" them out. Others run empty planes out of Heathrow, just to maintain their right to the slots.
Getting their hands on these take-off and landing rights at Heathrow would have been almost as important to Virgin as obtaining the Kingston/London route itself. Notably, Virgin will not be wasting these slots on flights to Jamaica. Instead, Jamaican flights will be relegated to the less popular Gatwick airport.
In 2004, the Australian airline Qantas reportedly paid US$40 million to buy just two pairs of such slots. At the end of last year, the Trinidad and Tobago Government sold seven such slots to British Airways for US$10 million. But local politicians claimed the slots were worth much more.
So how much did Virgin pay for the Heathrow landing rights? Divesting the London route probably made sense in terms of Air Jamaica's long-term future and the need to rationalise costs. But selling the take-off and landing rights at Heathrow was asset stripping pure and simple.
Presumably the Jamaican public will not have to wait long to find out how much was paid for them. The Trinidad and Tobago Government announced in Parliament how much they sold BWIA's Heathrow slots for. So what reason could there be for the Jamaican Government not to follow their lead?

These are your analysts??

Riggle mi dis an riggle mi dat... why were the two bids (from fierce competitors) virtually identical?

What do they know that your analysts don't?

I recall before the government botched the sugar privatization... there was debate about the price the government was getting for the assets being too low.

Of course then you had no problem with the low price... you found a ready excuse for it.

The market sets the price my friend.. not analysts.

[Don1]

Suh the police need the go ahead from the PM to launch an investigation? A wha duh dah bredda yah? Suh now yuh pushing for political interferance with the JCF?

Bettah yuh cool .... yuh form fool wid Omar's conduct ... now yuh a form biggah fool wid Trafigura?

The crap bout first world countries yuh should be promoting.

Political interference?? Lazie I guess you don't know the reality of politics. Political interference is standard operating procedure.... look at the Vascianne case for a nice example.

Then again you are relatively new to this business... so your naievete is understandable.

[Lazie]

Political interference?? Lazie I guess you don't know the reality of politics. Political interference is standard operating procedure.... look at the Vascianne case for a nice example.

Then again you are relatively new to this business... so your naievete is understandable.

Suh the Vascianne case is the same as interfering with the operations of the JCF? Is that another attempt at humor?

Wait, you're the one who came here spinning for Omar when yuh client deh elsewhere making you look like yuh have no clue what yuh saying .. yet you question me? Gwaan stuggle removing yuh foot from yuh mouth. Next time get the facts before jumping to anyone's defense.