Editorial | A strong case for Portmore parish

A proposal to elevate Portmore from a municipality to Jamaica’s 15th parish is taking shape with the naming of a bipartisan committee of the House of Representatives to consider the motion put forward by Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie.

For one thing, it is encouraging to see the Government move so speedily to put into motion an election promise made mere months ago. It should be a precedent-setting moment for electors, encouraging them to hold politicians to their promises.

We support the idea of having wide and broad consultations on such an important proposal, which ought to have the blessing of the majority of people who live, work, and do business in the most populous area of St Catherine, also known as the Sunshine City.

We note, disappointedly, that even before the committee’s first meeting to discuss the matter, St Catherine Member of Parliament Fitz Jackson, a committee member, has cast a rather dubious eye on the idea.

Describing it as a “pie-in-the-sky proposal”, Jackson claimed that there is no clamour from residents and suggests that there are no real benefits to be accrued from declaring Portmore a parish. But is this really true?

Mayor Leon Thomas was equally sceptical, saying there are too many issues to be dealt with and calling the move premature.

We believe the reactions of Jackson and Thomas reflect typical opposition rhetoric. We would, however, urge all the key players, including political players, to come together for a larger purpose and help steer Portmore into parish status, if it is deemed appropriate by residents, including property owners, investors, and developers.

COULD LEAD TO DEVELOPMENT

The JLP Government argues that parish status will allow Portmore to create its own development plan, collect property taxes, enjoy a share of the parochial revenue fund, and be able to finance its plans. This will, hopefully, lead to the development of its own market district, hospital, upgraded schools, water supply, and roads.

If it happens, this will be a historic milestone for Jamaica. We believe herein is a great opportunity for planning specialists to create a model parish for the benefit of citizens and future generations. We envisage the creation of a smart parish where matters such as waste management, traffic control, security, public outdoor spaces, and recreational infrastructure are all taken into consideration.

With proper planning, Portmore could be developed without some of the negatives and could specifically avoid some of the pitfalls we often see in other parishes. We refer to challenges such as overcrowding in town centres, lack of physical amenities like bathrooms, traffic gridlocks, and chaos at bus parks and taxi stands.

It is well known that bureaucratic red tape is the bane of investors’ existence. Hopefully, the Portmore parish model will be one in which red tape in processing business approval is substantially reduced in order to entice investors. A boost for business development will ultimately result in a ripple effect and create employment opportunities in a COVID-19-depressed economy.

The matter of accountability is also critical for the proper and effective functioning of a Portmore parish in which the administration will be required to be fiscally sustainable. Surely, a vision that involves the creation of wealth and growing employment and revenue is in line with the ambitions of a huge part of the Portmore population.

It is a truism that change will come or change will be forced on to a society. There is much work to be done to educate business owners about permits, fees, and taxes while offering support to existing businesses.

Parish status conveys a strong message: that the community has grown demographically and economically and that the population is supported by certain amenities and services. We believe the case for Portmore parish has been well made.