Gov’t approves bill to make Portmore a parish despite Opposition’s robust protest
Published:Monday | February 17, 2025 | 10:00 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
The Government has successfully pushed through legislation to establish Portmore as Jamaica’s 15th parish despite strong objections from the Opposition during yesterday’s debate in the House of Representatives.
The bill, which amends the Counties and Parishes Act of 1867, was passed using the Government’s supermajority, marking what would be the first creation of a new parish in over 150 years.
The debate in Parliament was highly contentious, culminating in a walkout by Opposition members before the final vote to move the bill out of the committee stage. The legislation was ultimately approved with one amendment.
Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie, who piloted the bill, emphasised that the move was not merely about increasing the number of parishes but rather a historic step in post-colonial Jamaica.
“Today, therefore, nearly 158 years later, we are beginning the process of giving formal recognition and further empowerment to the people of the largest community in the Caribbean,” McKenzie stated during his opening remarks.
“We are providing, through this bill tabled in this House, the civic and the practical developmental opportunities that will allow Portmore to achieve this outstanding milestone and a fulfilment of a commitment made to the electorate of this country by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) while campaigning for public office.”
McKenzie further argued that the bill would create greater economic, social, and political opportunities for Portmore’s residents, enabling them to manage their own development more effectively.
Among the key provisions of the bill, it outlines the official designation of Portmore as a parish, including Hellshire Hills, Goat Island, and the City of Portmore as its parish capital. It also excludes specific areas such as Lakes Pen, Grange Lane, Lime Tree Grove, and Quarry Hill and provides for the creation of a new map of Portmore and a formal description of the city.
However, Fitz Jackson, the opposition spokesman on Portmore Affairs, strongly opposed the bill, calling it an attempt at political manipulation.
“Mr Speaker, this bill entitled an act to amend the Counties and Parishes Act to declare the city municipality of Portmore the 15th parish of Jamaica and for connecting matters would have been most appropriately entitled the gerrymandering of political boundaries bill of 2025,” he remarked.
His statement sparked an objection from McKenzie, who requested the Speaker’s intervention. However, Jackson repeated his assertion, stating: “Such a bill is for the resurrection of political tribalism in Jamaica.”
Reading from the bill, Jackson claimed that many of its provisions already exist under the Municipalities Act of 2003, describing the legislation as unnecessary and politically motivated.
“In this bill lies a slew of deception. If you look at Clause 8, a simple one sentence, repeals the charter of the Municipality of Portmore. You know what else in this charter they are repealing? You know what they are ripping apart from the people of Portmore? They are ripping away from Portmore their right to elect their own mayor,” he contended.
Jackson reminded Parliament that the city municipality status was not a political construct of the People’s National Party but a direct demand from the people of Portmore. He accused the JLP of using the new parish designation to solidify political control.
“This gerrymandering bill is to undo the results of last February’s local government elections. They never won the municipality by the ballot, so they want to use their majority in Parliament to achieve this,” Jackson declared.
Jackson pledged that the PNP would repeal the law once in power and allow the people of Portmore to decide their own fate. He also announced plans to challenge the legislation in court.