Tweet
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
CENTRAL KINGSTON Member of Parliament Ronald Thwaites was a Lone Ranger yesterday as he voted against a state-guaranteed loan from the Chinese, which the Jamaican Government has hailed as crucial to sweeping road rehabilitation nationwide.
Finance Minister Audley Shaw had sought Parliament's approval for a US$340-million loan to the Road Maintenance Fund from the China Export-Import Bank.
Following Thwaites'vote, two government members advised him that he would face the consequences of his actions.
"Yuh nah get nuh road," West Rural St Andrew MP Andrew Gallimore quipped.
Pearnel Charles, the labour minister and MP for North Central Clarendon, looked across at Thwaites and said: "If it was me, yuh wouldn't get a road."
Government and opposition members locked horns in a noise-filled chamber as they debated the proposal for the guarantee.
Puss in a bag
Dr Omar Davies, the opposition spokesman on finance, said Parliament was being asked to approve loans for a "puss-in-bag set of projects".
"We are seriously concerned about what will be funded by the $340 million," Davies said, as he argued that Government has not outlined the scope of the work and the roads that will benefit.
"We are being asked to approve a guarantee for a huge loan for a set of projects for which we have no idea about where they will be located ... ," Davies added.
A total of 570 kilometres of work is to be rehabilitated and maintained under the five-year programme.
Shaw said Davies was pretending to be a "convert" and a "missionary" despite an unflattering past of regularly embracing deferred financing.
He also told Parliament that he would "not be a part of any programme of systematic victimisation" of constituencies, adding that the list of roads would be presented to Parliament next week.
A total of US$60 million will be spent on the project this year.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ad/lead91.html
CENTRAL KINGSTON Member of Parliament Ronald Thwaites was a Lone Ranger yesterday as he voted against a state-guaranteed loan from the Chinese, which the Jamaican Government has hailed as crucial to sweeping road rehabilitation nationwide.
Finance Minister Audley Shaw had sought Parliament's approval for a US$340-million loan to the Road Maintenance Fund from the China Export-Import Bank.
Following Thwaites'vote, two government members advised him that he would face the consequences of his actions.
"Yuh nah get nuh road," West Rural St Andrew MP Andrew Gallimore quipped.
Pearnel Charles, the labour minister and MP for North Central Clarendon, looked across at Thwaites and said: "If it was me, yuh wouldn't get a road."
Government and opposition members locked horns in a noise-filled chamber as they debated the proposal for the guarantee.
Puss in a bag
Dr Omar Davies, the opposition spokesman on finance, said Parliament was being asked to approve loans for a "puss-in-bag set of projects".
"We are seriously concerned about what will be funded by the $340 million," Davies said, as he argued that Government has not outlined the scope of the work and the roads that will benefit.
"We are being asked to approve a guarantee for a huge loan for a set of projects for which we have no idea about where they will be located ... ," Davies added.
A total of 570 kilometres of work is to be rehabilitated and maintained under the five-year programme.
Shaw said Davies was pretending to be a "convert" and a "missionary" despite an unflattering past of regularly embracing deferred financing.
He also told Parliament that he would "not be a part of any programme of systematic victimisation" of constituencies, adding that the list of roads would be presented to Parliament next week.
A total of US$60 million will be spent on the project this year.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ad/lead91.html
Comment