Portmore residents peeved at potential annexation without consent
Published:Monday | February 17, 2025 | 9:56 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Several residents of Portmore, St Catherine, are expressing outrage over the Government’s decision to table legislation to transform Portmore into Jamaica’s 15th parish, citing a lack of consultation and the potential loss of their democratic rights.
The House of Representatives is set to debate the bill today, with the Government holding the majority votes needed for passage.
The bill outlines the boundaries of the new Portmore parish, which would include areas such as Hellshire Hills and Goat Island, but it leaves out communities like Lakes Pen, Grange Lane, Lime Tree Grove, and Quarry – areas seen as PNP strongholds.
The newly designated parish town will be called the City of Portmore and will encompass lands east of North Arscot, as well as the municipal building, police station, Inland Revenue Department, and parts of Naggo Head and Braeton.
Residents from areas annexed in the proposed changes are frustrated, claiming they were blindsided by the decision.
Dian Bynloss Riggs, a resident of Lime Tree Grove, was outspoken about her dissatisfaction when she spoke to The Gleaner on Monday.
“I have my vote in the Portmore Pines division, and I voted for Claude Hamilton to represent me in the city municipality. Now, based on the boundary alignment that I am hearing about, I will be deprived of my choice, which I made in free and fair local government elections in February last year,” she stated.
“Myself and my household that consists of 17 voters that voted in the local government elections are not pleased with this move. This should have come to the people. We have been voting in this constituency since 2010, and now to be deprived of the person whom we want to represent us is an issue for me,” she continued, adding that she is prepared to protest against the change.
Tasha Williams, also of Lime Tree Grove, echoed similar sentiments, calling the move “ridiculous”.
“I don’t see the sense in it. I don’t know why they are trying to do it. To me, they should give us a chance to make our voice heard in a referendum. I saw it on social media. I really didn’t know that I would lose my vote that I cast in the local government election because we will no more be a part of Portmore Pines,” Williams said.
NO CONSULTATION
Lakes Pen resident Anna Kay Reid said she was shocked that such a significant decision was made without public input.
“Nobody knows about the plans to make Portmore a parish. We don’t have the amenities other parishes have, like a hospital, market, motor vehicle examination depot, and other important facilities, so in my view, we are not even ready to become a parish,” Reid said.
“Furthermore, there has not been any consultation with us like what happened when we were granted city municipality status,” she added, referring to the 2003 change.
Waterford resident Velma Brown also criticised the Government’s approach, arguing that the people of Portmore should have been involved in the decision-making process.
“They did not consult us on the issue. All we have been hearing is that Portmore will be Jamaica’s 15th parish. It is not too late for the Government to hold back and test it on the ballot in the upcoming election,” Brown stated.
“As far as I am concerned, we are not ready to become a parish. There are things that must be in place, like hospitals and markets, before this is done.”
Dawn Smith, another Portmore resident, questioned the benefits of the change.
“Simply put, it will not make Portmore richer or provide increased employment for residents. Furthermore, there are no amenities in Portmore that will prevent us from going to Spanish Town, so I think the Government should rethink this move,” Smith told The Gleaner.
St Catherine East Central Member of Parliament Alando Terrelonge of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party has defended the proposal, stating that as a parish, Portmore would be better equipped to manage its own affairs. He cited the recent investigation into an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud at the St Catherine Municipal Corporation as an example of why Portmore should have independent governance.
However, People’s National Party MP aspirant Raymond Pryce has accused Terrelonge of ignoring the concerns of the affected communities for eight years and has slammed the move as “gerrymandering”.