Tourism interests oppose refinery

Haile A. Clacken,Hospitality Jamaica Writer

"WE DON'T want anything incompatible with tourism in that area and we wish they would really find somewhere else," a concerned Godfrey Dyer, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, said.

It does not take last year's blast at Petrojam to serve as a stark reminder of the nature of oil-related industrial accidents, and the concern is even more grave when considering an asset as priceless as
picturesque Font Hill.

A staunch supporter of Dyer's position, former Minister of Tourism, Frank Pringle, also finds it difficult to reconcile with having the two industries in the same locality. "The beaches there are beautiful ... to put a petrochemical plant there? that's just mind-boggling," he stated emphatically.

Interestingly, Roy Gayle, a tourist from Canada who brought eight members of his family to enjoy the food and scenery of Font Hill, gave a balanced view when asked his opinion on the matter.

"It could be a source of income for this area but you also have to be concerned about the pollution ... It's a give-and-take which requires careful environmental analysis," he said.

When asked if he would be deterred from coming to Font Hill if there was an oil refinery and petrochemical factory present he replied, "No, I would say definitely not!"

ROLE IN FONT HILL

The border of St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland is a famous fish and bammy retreat for locals and tourists. It happens to be less than a mile from the Scott's Cove site where an oil refinery and petrochemical facility could be built.

The lucrative $400 million-$800 million per year profiteers, Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) has always demonstrated outstanding social responsibility in Font Hill. For example, there is the Fustic Grove Basic School. Here 33 tiny tots are taught in a modern facility and delivered warm lunches every day by Textbert Gooden, the PCJ acting property manager.

The little ones are also provided with books, bags, school equipment and uniforms. As one overjoyed parent, Tracy-Ann Miller, sums it up, "We can send them with nothing at all ... only themselves." So it is no surprise that the PCJ has garnered almost fanatical loyalty from many residents and small business people in the area, especially along the 'border' where tourists stop for fish and bammy. However, the fishermen who underpin the entire food service are exasperated by the idea of an oil refinery.

"Dem sumtin deh wi hurt the sea suh that cyaan work man ... the fishing a we living and the oil and the fish nuh gree, suh if dem put up a oil refinery and it mash up the sea, wha we gwen du ... we dun," said an animated Theodore Brooks with hands to the sky. Fishing for the past 33 years is the best way Brooks knows how to provide for his family of seven.

The economic trade-off is a saga of erosion that may very well produce the beaches of tomorrow without the fish of today. Development is now the catchword on the south coast, but southerners will have to wait to see just what type of development that will be.