Phillips accuses gov’t of mishandling Jamaica's affairs

Member of Parliament for North Western Manchester, Mikael Phillips, has accused the Jamaica Labour Party-led government of continuously mishandling the country's affairs, which he said has directly affected the poor.

Phillips, speaking at the People's National Party's (PNP) Knockpatrick Divisional Conference in May Day, Manchester on Sunday, cited political bias as undermining Jamaica's growth and development.

He claimed that there has been an unfair disruption in funds to first-time MPs.

According to him, Clarendon South Western MP Lothan Cousin is one such representative who has been felt out.

Phillips also argued that the government has failed to adequately contribute to development efforts in parishes outside Kingston and St James, claiming that he has not seen any development in some parishes over the past four years. 

"If the government's only solution in dealing with the sufferation that is happening now is by giving a taxi driver a little $25,000 voucher, giving out two food packages, then we are in for a rough ride. 

"When I look at the roads they are the worst they have ever been...," stated the only sitting PNP MP in Manchester.

Further, Phillips accused the government of lacking a plan for solid waste management and sanitation.

With $1.8 billion budgeted in the 2022/23 Estimates of Expenditure to procure 50 compactor trucks to improve garbage collection on the island, Phillips described it as an embarrassment to the people of Jamaica. 

"I have never seen the amount of garbage that I am seeing right across the country now.

"Fifty garbage trucks cannot fix the problem that we are seeing now and it just shows the arrogance of this government. When the Minister of Local Government can stand up in parliament and tell people that dem nasty, him out of order." 

The National Housing Trust yet again faced scrutiny from Phillips who said the government has seemingly forgotten why the organisation was created. 

"...He (Andrew Holness) is behaving as if his hands are clean. When I hear what is going on at NHT right now, Michael Manley suppose to be turning in his grave. 

"Less than 50 percent of persons who contribute to NHT can't get a benefit and the majority of people who contribute to NHT a poor people who a work but them can't get a house...The policy document commissioned by the Prime Minister says the NHT needs to build 15,000 new houses per year and the NHT delivery is under 4,000 houses per year..." 

Phillips wants the Integrity Commission and the Auditor General's Department to assess the Guaranteed Purchase Programme (GPP), which is a partnership between the National Housing Trust and developers, where the agency agrees to purchase, for its contributors, all or portions of units in housing developments done by private or public real estate developers. 

"You have a development in St Elizabeth, a developer build some houses from 2019, fifty-four houses, collect whole heap a money and still can't deliver the 54 houses...

“You have another development in St Ann, in 2020 [the] developer collect money and up to now not one house delivered." 

Phillips said he will be tabling questions in parliament to the Prime Minister on the issue.

- Tamara Bailey

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