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LAST Thursday's virtual town hall meeting, convened by the joint select committee which is considering the proposal for Portmore to become Jamaica's 15th parish, yielded little, as Government and Opposition representatives butted heads over concerns raised by residents.
The Dr Andrew Wheatley-chaired virtual forum was the first opportunity given to residents and stakeholders, outside of Government and formal interest groups, to publicly voice their opinions and concerns about the proposal for the municipality to become a parish.
Amid the political jabs, the resounding calls from residents was for critical amenities such as a hospital, fire station and market to be built before the upgrade to parish status. They argued that rushing to confer parish status would be putting the proverbial cart before the horse, as such a major development should be a phased, long-term process, bolstered by development projects.
The majority of attendees and participants said they were wary of the idea of Portmore being left on its own to lobby for a hospital and other facilities after the municipality receives parish status. Sentiments were also expressed that the contentious matter of the extension of the boundaries for Portmore should have been settled before the parish proposal was put forward.
Some argued that the town hall was a mere formality, fulfilling a requirement to proceed with the objective of making Portmore a parish, and that the Government had in fact already made its decision to go ahead.
"This town hall meeting is not a forum. I believe it is compliance with the requirements to proceed to the objective...the first issue is that for a major project, we are assigning or sticking promissory notes to these mile-markers which should have been established over an extended period of time. No marker objectives has been stated, which is a priority to the objective of establishing Portmore as a parish. It leaves far too many needed amenities already outstanding," one participant posted.
Another said, "Absolute formality at its best. I cannot contribute to a decision that is already made, in my view".
Government Senator Natalie Campbell Rodriques, who was among those who got heated during the meeting, suggested that the Opposition was fearful that they would lose votes in St Catherine if the boundaries were amended to extend into certain areas.
"Are we making this about politics? Is this why all the members of the PNP today are fighting so hard against this because they're afraid of losing the St Catherine Parish Council? We have to do what benefits the people of Jamaica, the people of Portmore, and not politics," she said.
She also argued that according to the Ministry of Health, no one needing health care in Portmore had to travel more than 10 miles to get it. But participants disagreed, arguing that the Spanish Town Hospital and Kingston Public Hospital could not adequately deal with the needs of Portmore, and that it would be the only parish without a hospital.
Mayor of the municipality, Leon Thomas also rubbished the argument. "Do we have to be a parish to get all these benefits we are hearing [about]? The population of Portmore warrants a hospital and I don't want no one to tell me that you travel less than 10 miles. The population itself should indicate that we need a hospital," he stated. Campbell Rodrigues and other Government members further contended that having parish status would give Portmore better lobbying power to demand the infrastructure and amenities it needs, and that it would then be better able to manage more of same.
There were also calls for improvements to the sewerage network, and adequate water supply for Portmore - an issues which have plagued communities there for decades.