No mediation required

The Editor:

Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties with concrete effects. Typically, a third party, the mediator assists the parties to negotiate a settlement. In addition to dispute resolution, mediation can function as a means of dispute prevention, such as facilitating the process of contract negotiation. Governments can use mediation to inform and to seek input from stakeholders in formulation or fact-seeking aspects of policy-making. There is no magic formula to guarantee successful resolution of workplace conflict through mediation or any other conflict management tool.

Success” in mediation occurs when conflicting parties feel as though something has shifted. Clearly,Kublalsingh, and the HRM are against the State’s decision to build a highway segment between Debe and Mon Desir, which will be part of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin. The government’s position is that any such move will cause millions of dollars in losses of taxpayers’ dollars.

I wish to point out that if this matter goes to mediation, every single citizen is a party to this. Therefore, this matter is simply not between the government and HRM. If every citizen gets involved or even a select number, there will be no result via this method.

The second point it that mediation generally comes before going to trial. The matter has already been thrown out by the high court earlier this month. The court is generally the final say unless there is an appeal. Therefore, no mediation in this matter is required.

Roger Ramdial
via email