Dear Editor,
It is the democratic right of every citizen of this country to publicly question and seek to analyse a decision taken or course of action proposed by the administration. Where thousands of jobs are at stake, this right becomes a responsibility. To engage in this process is not to challenge or seek to undermine the administration. It is merely a part of the democratic process. It is, in part, the expectation of being questioned publicly that encourages a sitting government to craft careful policies and plans that will withstand public scrutiny. In similar vein, the administration is perfectly entitled to question statements and to query the validity of proposals made in a public forum.
Moray House Trust invited the Board of GuySuCo, the senior management of GuySuCo and several ministers to attend the forum on Friday 5th February (‘The Closure of Wales Estate: are there alternatives?’). Mindful that these officials might have multiple claims on their time, we encouraged GuySuCo and the ministries to send deputies in lieu of a head. In the interest of offering a plurality of views, Moray House Trust also asked GuySuCo to field a representative on the panel. GuySuCo declined.
Since the announcement of the proposed closure, neither the corporation nor the ministry has taken the initiative to spell out in clear and unambiguous terms what their plans are for Wales. There is still, therefore, an information ‘gap’ in the public sphere and it continues to give rise to speculation and uncertainty.
Rather than seek to dismantle, in piecemeal fashion, statements and proposals made at the Friday 5th February forum, the administration should publish without further delay its detailed plan (and attendant costings, time-frames and supporting research) for Wales Estate and environs post-closure.
Yours faithfully,
Isabelle de Caires
