Westmoreland neglected, says Buchanan

Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

EASTERN WESTMORELAND Member of Parliament (MP), Luther Buchanan, has accused the Bruce Golding administration of mingling in nepotism in its handling of recovery efforts following the aftermath of the recent heavy rains associated with Tropical storm Nicole.

Buchanan, who is a deputy general secretary of the opposition People's National Party (PNP), said since the commencement of recovery work, the parish of Westmoreland has been neglected.

"I am lamenting that neither the National Works Agency (NWA), representatives from RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) nor persons from the agriculture and fisheries ministry have come in to address the concerns of the people," the MP said.

Rains associated with tropical depression 16, which later became Tropical Storm Nicole, lashed the island a fortnight ago causing death and destruction. Westmoreland was one of the hardest hit parishes with livestock, cash crop and fishing taking a major beating.

Pointing fingers

In pointing fingers at the Government yesterday, Buchanan said its actions "boils down to mere neglect and lack of empathy for the people".

The MP is also lamenting the damage done to the fishing industry in his parish, saying the damage has amounted to over $10 million. But, according to him, no one has come in to address the plight of those affected.

"My contacts on the ground have told me that nobody from RADA has come ... . I have spoken to farmers and many of them have lost goats, poultry and other livestock and to date there is no help for any of them."

However, minister of Agriculture, Dr Christopher Tufton, has rubbished his claims saying that Westmoreland is one of the parishes that his ministry is particularly keen on because of the extent of the damage done.

"In the immediate aftermath of the heavy rains, the RADA parish officers were asked to do an assessment across the board with Westmoreland included," the minister said.

Tufton added that the extent of the damage has amounted to somewhere in the region of $80 million, and noted that help is already under way to assist the plight of fisherfolk and other farmers in Westmoreland and the entire Jamaica.

Call for urgent attention

Meanwhile, Buchanan has called for urgent attention to be paid to several roadways damaged during the flood rains, saying several bypass routes have become extremely difficult to traverse. He said several roadways that were not build to accommodate a heavy flow in traffic have become the alternative routes for many commuters wishing to travel to other parishes such as St James.

Buchanan said the Government should utilise year one of funding under the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme to address the devastation to the country's infrastructure.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding told Parliament last week that it would cost at least $10.6 billion to restore the infrastructure. He also said warned MPs not to "allow anybody to pressure us into making this a grand opportunity for a whole heap of relief programmes".