Sundoc

[Clown now in Cockpit Country Cave]

 

Chairman

[agency]

 

July 14, 2005

 

Re: Follow-up on the Bahia Principe Development at Pear Tree Bottom

 

Dear Sir,

I was delighted to hear that the Pear Tree Bottom Devilopers are having difficulties with the approval of their project and that they now must apply in phases for the permission to continue as planned. Well done! Thank you very much for taking our concerns seriously.

Despite this small but significant triumph of public interests over short-term commercial gain, I do not believe sufficient attention is being paid to the procedures being followed for this project. Did you know that clearing began weeks before the public meeting took place because [someone] of [agency] sent a letter permitting selective removal of certain species? Well, large areas of the land were razed as a result; there was no sign of selectivity. According to [a source], this occurred in the nesting season, so not only have the birds lost their habitat, but we have also lost an indeterminate number of young birds which might be protected under our laws. Is it just the birds that are protected or also their eggs? I was so appalled that I had to take pictures to document everything. This might later be of relevance when the environmental record of the [responsible people] is reviewed before decisions are made regarding subsequent phases of the development. An independent witness can testify to when the pictures were taken. Furthermore, there was indiscriminate burning of the masses of fallen trees, which could have been avoided by using more ecologically friendly disposal techniques. Is not [agency] a leading proponent of the NEEC anti-burning campaign? I am no expert, but surely there are alternatives. The tree corpses might have been saved to be utilised later in landscaping. If community development is truly a concern, wood chips might have been distributed to the parish council for road beautification or soil conservation purposes, or there could have been wooden huts built to house migrant construction workers, another of the pressing issues which so far no-one has deigned to address. It is not difficult to think of creative ecological solutions, if one has a mind to do so. However, I fear, money on the mind clouds the vision sometimes.

Please ask [a respectable person responsible for case] for specific details regarding the amount and types of species which were cleared and preserved for selective replanting upon his recommendation. What steps have been taken to monitor the sedimentation rates at our unique Pear Tree Bottom reef? I hate to think about the impact of Hurricane Dennis rains, considering there is much exposed soil at the site right now in the middle of the hurricane season. And what can we do to minimise the effects of Hurricane Emily on the site, if she comes? I have difficulty understanding the exact nature of our environmental laws and the mandate of [certain agencies] to uphold and enforce them. I am concerned that there appear to be no sanctions for disregarding the laws, orders, or whatever it is that planning and administrative bodies use as guidelines for the weighty decisions made (or not) regarding our natural resources.

It is with some disappointment that I note your lack of response to my letter of May 18, 2005. Two months is a rather long time. Hopefully the letter did not get lost, as I know is a risk in the Jamaican bureaucratic system. If necessary, I can supply you with another copy. I know [agency]did not yet fall under the Access to Information Act at that time, but I believe it was to come under said Act this month?

I am interested in writing articles about how so-called development occurs in Jamaica. I intend to offer them to international magazines like ‘The Ecologist’. I understand that copies made by government institutions are twice or thrice the price of regular commercial copies, so I cannot afford to order any photocopied documents from you, but perhaps you have electronic versions available which need not cost anything, or maybe you have a library where I might spend a few hours perusing the relevant documents, please?

May I also interview you, [respected person], and anyone else who could clarify the decision-making process involved in the Pear Tree Bottom case, as well as provide general information on how your institutions work, please?

I warned in my May 18^th letter that I would take clown action if you did not respond adequately. I consider your response so far inadequate, but rather than embark on immediate judiciary action, I would like to first offer my services as a clown consultant either free (if [agency] is unable or too stingy to pay me) or at a fair price. [agency] is a vitally important institution that could obviously use a little motivational and organisational help which I would be more than happy to give. It would be my personal contribution towards advancing the welfare of our country, and would require minimal restructuring of a mainly internal nature at an individual level. If you do not respond to this letter within two weeks, I will be forced to carry out my threats in order to maintain clown credibility and have a bit of fun at your expense. Life is too precious and this island home of ours is too beautiful for me to allow malice, anxiety, greed, inertia and ineptitude to spoil things. At least, not without a good fight.

Please, do not have me murdered, kidnapped or raped. That would be highly inappropriate as my clown war against you will be waged with balloon swords and as much love as I can muster. Also do not arrange for me to be audited, I have earned a mere J$10,100 in the last 2 years. I have taken the precaution of recruiting about 30 friends at strategic places all over the world, so that if anything happens to me, there will be a record of everything and someone else can carry on. Thanks to the Pear Tree Bottom case, I realise it is dangerous to indulge in bad thoughts. I jinxed the fence as I walked the perimeter taking pictures (before they hastily hid their sins behind zinc—do they think God cannot see beyond zinc, especially from a heavenly perspective? How absurd!). Soon afterwards, a SUV ran into the fence and mashed it up a bit. So, I will not try to fight evil with bad thoughts, for miracles are possible and I don’t want to make things worse than they already are. Instead, I hope that you, [developers] group, the [agency] staff and our entire island will be richly blessed. Especially poor Pear Tree Bottom, which I suspect will later prove to have played a very significant role in determining the course of Jamaica’s development.

In peace, One Love and wishing us all safety in the hurricane season

Sincerely

[now ABGSCSCW…etc…]

 

P.S. Could you ensure that [all concerned] receive a copy, or are informed of the contents of this letter, please? I know that is not standard protocol, but the cost of all this volunteer work is crippling me! Thanks in advance for your help.