Put country before party

Editor: The letter carried in last week’s edition by Francis Periera on the controversial cross-country road makes interesting reading, since the writer aptly states his case by declaring political credentials as a supporter of the ULP. He then goes on to urge caution in the ULP government’s approach to the project, reminding that there should be no haste in moving on such an important project. {{more}} Anyone with respect for the environment would agree that, notwithanding one’s political allegiance, in issues of national importance, the broader interests of the long-term development of the country come first. The so-called “mandate” given by the people at elections to the ULP cannot be a serious argument to put forward for embarking on a project whose economic benefits, relative to the urgent needs of the rest of the country, are at best still dubious. And this does not mean that one is afraid of moving forward with grandiose future developmental plans.

One must ask, is the cross-country road going to relieve the pressure on the nightmare of traffic in Kingstown? Is the project going to solve the concentration of commerce in Kingstown? Can we not begin to decentralize away from Kingstown to stem the need for 98 per cent of our people to go to town for every business transaction?

We need to plan beyond narrow political interests and building monuments in one’s honour. And this cuts across party lines.

Yours sincerely,

Max de Knight