Contribution to the 2015/2016 Sectoral Debate by Mr. Karl Samuda

Preamble

Mr. Speaker, please allow me to express my appreciation for you mature and responsible management of the affairs of this Honourable House.

I would also like to express my thanks and appreciation for the efficient manner in which the Clerk, Deputy Clerk and staff of Parliament have tried to make life of Members at least more tolerable.  I say that because everyone knows that the physical infrastructure here at Parliament leaves much to be desired.

The conditions under which we have to work is nothing short of disgraceful. Our facilities, the seat of our Government, must be among the worst in the entire Commonwealth. It reflects the low esteem in which we hold ourselves.  After 35 years of coming here I have given up any hope of ever sitting in a Parliament building that I can be proud of. We don’t even have sufficient parking or offices and have to sponge off the kindness of the JMA.

I also wish to express my appreciation, love and respect to all members of my Constituency team. Thanks particularly to my executive members who have never failed to give me great personal comfort even through the most challenging periods.

To my wife Pauline I say a very big thank you for her unrelenting commitment to the cause of bringing relief to the most vulnerable…always trying desperately to do her part in making life more comfortable for the poor and needy.

Mr. Speaker, with only 30 minutes at my disposal today let me get into the matters relating to the portfolio to which I have been assigned.

The Logistics Hub

• Mr. Speaker, when I said three years ago that the idea of completing an Economic Zone on 7,000 acres within a three to five year timeframe was a pipe dream, I meant every word and historyhasprovenmeright.

• The Government has very definitely got carried away with their own rhetoric on this Logistics Hub propaganda. Listen to what the the Prime Minister said in 2013:

“…the Jamaica Logistics Hub potentially represents US$ 9 Billion of foreign direct investments, with the prospect of generating tens of thousands of jobs in a variety of fields during the construction and operational phases…”