Kern Spencer Released

Today the nation was shocked to hear that justice Pusey had ruled that former junior minister Kern Spencer had no case to answer in the Cuban Light Bulb scandal and released him.

This is the most scandalous ruling I can recall ever hearing  in the history of the corrupt Jamaican justice system  but I can't say I WAS PARTICULARLY SURPRISED  as I had bet an attorney that this would have been the outcome, considering the clear dislike the judge had  displayed for the director of public Prosecutions and the most unusual steps she took to get her off the case and show her who was boss!

Interestingly, recent polls  have shown that some 6% of Jamaicans have admitted to bribing judges. I wonder  are the judges that they bribed??

History

Spencer, the member of parliament for North East St Elizabeth, is accused of acting improperly when, as state minister in the energy ministry, under the People's National Party Govern-ment, he exercised control over the distribution of free energy-saving light bulbs given to Jamaica by the government of Cuba.

The project had cost $276 million to be implemented but the contractor general and the police later found a number of suspected irregularities in the awarding of contracts.

The Jamaican Government was required to meet the cost of clearance, storage and delivery of the bulbs, as well as the transportation and accommodation of 300 Cuban volunteers to install the bulbs.
Contractor General Greg Christie, who conducted a probe into the project, said Spencer had hand-picked Universal Management and Development Company Ltd (UMD) to undertake the distribution of the bulbs. UMD was incorporated just about the time the delivery of the bulbs commenced in 2006.
Businessman Rodney Chin is the chief shareholder and director in UMD, as well as Caribbean Communication Media Network Ltd., which the Government paid more than $3.3 million under the project.

Sherine Shakes, who was the project manager at UMD, is the mother of one of Spencer's children. Shakes' mother, Verdie Mair, was also involved in the project. She is listed as company secretary for UMD. The contractor general has said she was also paid for catering services under the project.

EXTORTION EVERYWHERE

Ever since the onslaught downtown , the issue of extortion has again been highlighted. However, it is not only goons downtown who use extra ordinary practices against the hapless citizens of the country, but also some utility companies. My recent dealings with the National Water Commission (NWC) has brought this forcefully back to mind. Since the water lock offs began in March 2010, my bills started showing increases in consumption of between 600% and 700%. 

Naturally, I immediately took the matter up with the proper authorities and being aware of the fact that the NWC, like vicious extortionist, sometimes uses strong arm methods such as locking off supplies thus endangering lives, (remember water is life!) to try and squeeze money from hapless consumers, I also informed the Offices of Utilities Commission (OUR) of the situation. Would you believe all that did not help for after getting a letter from Ms. Jennifer Wright, Manager – Business Support Services, in late May that the matter was being investigated and hearing nothing further despite a follow up email to the Consumer Affairs Commission, I arrived home just in time on Thursday 3rd June to see NWC officers armed with disconnection notice for my property. I have been informed by the Consumer Affairs Commission that this is a regular practice by the NWC.....in other words, just like the downtown extortionists who beat up little old ladies selling on the sidewalks, burglarize or set fire to your premises if you do not pay, the NWC will cut off your service to force you to pay for what they have not supplied, although the matter is supposedly under investigation. Today's financial Gleaner has an article entitled " Drought drains NWC revenue."

This is no doubt a strategy by their public relations department setting the stage to demand that taxpayers be called on to bail them out. I however maintain that the losses at the NWC are mainly due to staff incompetence, not drought. For example, is the department charged with recouping money from persons who illegally connect to the NWC, giving the organization value for money? What about the department being paid to fix leaks and breaks in the mains on a timely basis? Is that department performing up to the required standard? Then there is my bugbear, what really was the justification for in excess of half billion dollars being used to supposedly set up a new billing system? Exactly what is the company getting for that huge unwarranted expenditure ? Has it proven to be an asset or liability?

 I am also very curious as to why the very curious Contractor General has never seen it fit to look into that particular contract which comes over as being extremely exorbitant, but I guess that's a topic for another day. It seems to me that there needs to be a serious investigation into the operations at the National Water Commission for rather than they striving for efficiency and exercising more care before throwing large sums at questionable programmes, they are trying to take the easy way out.....extortion..

I hope the ministry of water and housing know they will be held fully responsible for the unsavoury revelations which must emerge in the near future when taxpayers are called on to once again write off a huge debt there, as happened some years ago when we were forced to hug up their four billion dollar debt. Yes extortion is rife in Jamaica but unfortunately, too many of us seem to want to continue feeding it by paying up instead of standing up.