EDITORIAL - Trelawny on the move

Private- and public-sector initiatives to transform the economy of Trelawny for the 21st century must be hailed for the impact they will likely have on the entire western Jamaica.

There was a time when the entrepreneurial flame burnt brightly in Trelawny. But that was a long time ago. In more recent times, Trelawny has largely existed in the shadow of its more affluent neighbours, St Ann to the east and St James to the west. And although a parish rich with history and tradition, and boasting an attractive shoreline, it has often been overlooked for major development.

Many within the parish had hoped that the new stadium built for Cricket World Cup in 2007 would have sparked growth in the sports and entertainment industries. But, as we now know, that has been a sad episode. The stadium is laughingly described as a 'white elephant' and the Government, having rebuffed efforts by the University of Technology to use those facilities, apparently cannot make up its mind what to do with it. It continues to use taxpayers' money for infrastructural support without any plan to make it a paying concern.

However, with the investment in a new cruise-ship pier, massive housing development and the construction of a satellite campus of the University of Technology, things have brightened up considerably for the once-sleepy parish. We applaud the many creative minds in the public and private sectors as well as educational institutions that have conceived these projects.

Skilled workforce

It is laudable that side by side with the economic development an institution of higher learning is being established to recruit and develop a workforce with the requisite training and skills to satisfy the demand that will be created by this economic boom. Businesses need the professional and financial support for them to run efficiently and successfully.

Small business people, including craft vendors, are obviously eyeing Trelawny as the place of the future, and while we must target growth companies, space has to be created for locals to ride on this expected economic wave. It may mean allowing them easy access to equity financing in the seed stage of starting up their businesses. Hopefully, a new breed of bold entrepreneurs will be created and they will confidently walk through those doors that have opened up for them to pursue new economic and business opportunities.

Housing and Water Minister Horace Chang has acknowledged the burgeoning squatter settlements and has announced that this will not be encouraged. He said these informal settlers are being relocated, and he urged those with access to National Housing Trust benefits to seek to gain ownership in the new housing development on Holland Estates.

So the movers and shakers of Trelawny must now aggressively rebrand their parish as one with the ideal environment in which to live, work, do business and rear families. These efforts must have the input of people from southern Trelawny, where hardy farmers toil in their fields to produce some of the best yams available in Jamaica. They must also be brought into the mix and see themselves as part of this renaissance.

Hopes are likely to surge within Trelawny and western Jamaica with these positive developments on the horizon. Hopefully, this optimism can be replicated in other parishes, which would undoubtedly lead to improvements in the country's overall economic fortunes.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.