By Jovan Johnson—
Niu Qingbao, Chinese ambassador to Jamaica
Halt the “ill-conceived” agreement that guarantees Chinese investors US$1 million in the Government Oval project, local construction players are demanding of the Government in an intensification of their lobby against the deal.
It comes as the Chinese ambassador to Jamaica, Niu Qingbao, urged local professionals to stop complaining about alleged unfair competition. In an RJR interview aired yesterday, he said that aggrieved stakeholders should prove “whether they can do a better service”.
The ambassador’s comment is a reiteration of a statement from the embassy earlier this month rejecting claims by Opposition Spokesman Peter Bunting that the Chinese were taking over Jamaica through economic colonization.
“Our aim is not to “colonize” Jamaica but to always find areas of cooperation and mutual benefit that will improve the lives of both our people,” the embassy had said.
“The proper thing for the Government of Jamaica to do at this stage is to call a halt to this ill-conceived MOU (memorandum of understanding), and to seek consultations with local interests on the right way to proceed,” the Construction Industry Council said yesterday.
The council is an umbrella group for construction industry professional bodies, including architects, engineers, masterbuilders, planners, and quantity and land surveyors.
Those groups, among others, have been angry at the Government for accepting the January 5 unsolicited offer from the Chinese to do what the council claims is a project with an estimated construction cost of approximately US$1.6 billion.
The eight-year project will include the Government Oval at Heroes Circle in Kingston, which will include a new Parliament building and space for 17 government agencies and ministries. Project managers, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), has said more than 300 acres of land will be used in the zone to take in downtown Kingston.
Under the MOU signed March 9, China Construction America (South America division) (CCASA) will provide consultancy services to the UDC’s master plan for the project.
The construction council, which has called a press conference for Thursday, said it is “egregious” that the administration signed the 12-month agreement guaranteeing US$1 million, as well as exclusivity, as stated in the MOU obtained by The Gleaner.
“Beyond not being free, this clearly sole-source agreement from an unsolicited offer runs contrary to the Government of Jamaica policy regarding public private partnership,” the council said.
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