Contribution to the Annual Sectoral Debate Wednesday May 22, 2013 - - PDF document

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Contribution to the Annual Sectoral Debate

Wednesday May 22, 2013

• Dr. Winston Green MP
• St. Mary Southeastern

Greetings and Acknowledgements

• Mr. Speaker, as I rise today in this Honourable House, I want to give

thanks to God for His protection and guidance over the years, without Whom I would not be in this House today. I want to give thanks to my family who stuck it out with me, who understand my absences from home while I was ploughing the political field. I appreciate the words of encouragement from my children even when my political activities affected their emotional and material wellbeing.

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To my mother, Veronica Green and my eldest sister Barbara who brought me in the world of politics, and both reside in the United States of America at present, but still follow my political progress, I thank them. I want to include in this family my political mother, Aunt May Clarke former Constituency Secretary for Eastern St. Andrew. To the Rotary Movement in general, and the Rotary Club of Kingston in particular, where I am a member for some twenty years (20), has assisted in grooming me to be an upstanding citizen of this society.

• Mr. Speaker, the people of South East St. Mary have given me the

privilege to be here, not only by their votes, but by their dedicated work in securing the victory and also by their words of encouragement and prayers. I want to, for the millionth time, but for the first time from this Honourable House, say a big thank you. I know many of you are in the Gallery as I speak, and the others are tuned in via television right now.

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I would like to express gratitude to some persons for their assistance given to me in running of the Constituency like Yvonne Williams, Sharon Brown, Valerie Walters, Tanya Bentley, Junior Johnson, Dwight Sanderson, Desmond Riley, et al. I want to welcome the students along with their teachers of the Annotto Bay High School who are here today. My Councillors who are here, and, who have been giving me tremendous support in the administration of the Constituency,

• Mr. Kevin Golding and His Worship the Mayor of Port Maria,

Councillor Levan Freeman who is doing a tremendous job in his capacity as Mayor. Also with us are Councillor Caretakers Wayne Campbell and Patrick Mcleod. I want to also salute former Member of Parliament Mr. Harry Douglas whose advice and counsel are highly appreciated.

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• Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Prime Minister of Jamiaca, The Most

Honourable Portia Simpson-Miller for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of South East St. Mary. Her advice, her encouragement and her assistance have been timely and well appreciated, not only as my Prime Minister, but also as a loving, caring big sister. I thank you Madam Prime Minister. Whether she realizes every single thing her heart conceives in the interest of upliftment of the poor and oppressed in our Society, it is a shared belief that she is a great human being.

• Mr. Speaker before I start, I would like to commend the previous

speakers, a whole grouping of young persons, the eldest being in his forties and the youngest aged thirty who rocked the House yesterday.

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• Mr. Speaker, in my short presentation this afternoon, I wish to briefly
• utline a few of our achievements as a Constituency since I was sworn

in as Member of Parliament some fifteen (15) months ago. I also wish to share with you some of our plans and also the needs and aspirations of my Constituents. It is a bitter sweet reality Mr. Speaker.

Roads

• Mr. Speaker, I have inherited a Constituency riddled with extremely

bad roads among other challenges. If anything was done in the recent past in the Constituency, it certainly was not on the roads. The echoes of the cries for better roads could still be heard in 2012 when I took office as the new Member of Parliament. The miles and miles of roadway from Grandy Hole off the Junction Main Road, to Scotts Hall to Comfort Valley to Richmond was a nightmare. Roads such as Long Road, Camberwell, Epsom, Enfield Belfield, Brainerd, Gibbs Hill, Zion Hill, and I could go on and on, were in the same deplorable condition.

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Even the Main Corridor, the Junction Road from St. Andrew to Annotto Bay was something to avoid if at all possible. Farming communities such as Rose Mount had no road whatsoever.

• Mr. Speaker, I can say that the process of repairing many of these

roads has started in earnest and for this I wish to thank the Minister

• f Transport, Works and Housing, the Honourable Omar Davis and

the Minister of State, Honourable Richard Azan for facilitating this process thus far.

• Mr. Speaker, in the past when anyone talked about a ‘hot spot’ of

angry persons because of their road condition, it would be the Community of Enfield. Every monthly community meetings were taken up with the subject. I have full knowledge because I attended those meetings years back, even as a Candidate for Member of

• Parliament. There were countless demonstrations by the residents,

endless calls to the talk shows, but to no avail.

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I too, in my own way then, advocated for the fixing of this road. Persons might recall, after being elected as Member of Parliament, I publicly stated in one of our daily newspapers that if this road was not repaired, I would not face the electorate again! This road is approximately eight and a half (8 ½ ) miles long and serve several communities such as Fort Stewart, Juno Pen, Reddington, Enfield proper, leading up to the community of Forty-one and beyond to May River and Tinsbury, all well populated communities totaling more than seven thousand residents, one way in, one way

• ut, no alternative route.

Thousands of lives were affected, from students attending school in and outside of the Community, workers travelling daily, and farmers in moving their produce out to market. It also affected the smooth access of the emergency services such as the ambulance, police and fire brigade. It was a slow, dangerous and bumpy ride.

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• Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that late last year, I attended one of

these same community meetings and the new cry was for the installation of sleeping police as that eight and a half (8 ½ ) miles of road was rehabilitated at a cost of over one hundred million ($100M). I was heartened when a Constituent of the said community called me to tell me that her grand-aunt fell ill during the night and what would have normally taken twenty-five to thirty (25-30) minutes to get to the Annotto Bay Hospital driving carefully, now took five (5) minutes, now that the road is fixed. Not only that

• Mr. Speaker, she also told me her that the Doctor told her that due to

the nature of the illness, had it been a rough ride down and more delay, she would not have made it.

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The people of that community are everlastingly grateful to the Government for responding to their plight and have asked me to convey this sentiment today. Mr. Speaker, it was a promise made and a promise kept.

• Mr. Speaker, the approximate twelve (12) miles of roadway from

Grandy Hole off the Junction Main Road, through to Scotts Hall, Rock River, Comfort Valley and Richmond have been repaired from the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP). The Constituents of these communities which amount to thousands have also asked me to convey thanks. Approximately four (4) miles of rehabilitative work was done on the Annotto Bay to Fort George Road which included the placing of Gabion Baskets in strategic areas. They also send their thanks.

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Approximately six and a half (6 ½ ) miles of road was repaired from Richmond to Rose Hill which included repair to a massive and treacherous breakaway in the Barracks River area that was posing great danger to persons living in that community and also from many adjoining communities. I convey thanks on their behalf. Repair was done to the Highgate to Richmond Road, Richmond to Kendal, Orange Hill to Clermont, although not completed, I was asked to convey thanks Mr. Speaker. The length and breadth of the Junction Road from St. Andrew to Annotto Bay, our main Corridor, not only to St. Mary but to Portland and St. Thomas, has been completely rehabilitated.

• Mr. Speaker, you might recall in early 2011, it was televised that an
• utpatient at the Annotto Bay Hospital was walking along the

Hospital’s roadway, fell into a pothole and broke a limb.

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• Mr. Speaker, if someone should fall on the road now, that individual

would be sliding smoothly down the grade as this road has been fully resurfaced.

This however is by no way a request for people to test the smoothness of the road by falling.

Doctors, nurses, other staffs and patients and all users of the Facility are grateful. Along the shoreline, where the Highway runs through Annotto Bay, we have discovered that the sea has claimed some amount of the land to the extent where portions of the roadway is dangerously

• undermined. Money has been identified and granted for the

shoreline protection work in these areas.

• Mr. Speaker, the loud cry from the people from the Belfield

communities has been heard and a segment of that roadway is now being repaired.

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• Mr. Speaker, from Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme

(JEEP), Phase One (1) the neglected community of Rosemount exhaled with a sigh of relief as their rocky, uphill dirt-tracked road received limited rehabilitation by scraping and laying of shingle as a

• start. Let me hasten to say, Mr. Speaker, that this is just a start as the

road needs to be repaired. A section of Grays Inn received the same treatment under the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) Phase One (1). Mr. Speaker, knowing the limited fiscal space in which we operate, we are extremely grateful. The Westmoreland Bridge (this is in St. Mary), leading off the Junction Road accessing the communities of Lewis Store, Clonmel, Ranch, Cromwelland and others to the town of Highgate had collapsed from 2007 during Hurricane Gustav .

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Many appeals went out in those years that followed, demonstrations, call to radio programmes for repairs, as it was the main road to access these communities and to the town of Highgate. Business along this route became stagnant or dead as without the bridge, merchants, vehicular traffic, passer-by and daily commuters suffered great time and monetary loss. I am happy to report today Mr. Speaker, that at a cost of fifteen million United States dollars (US$15M), this Bridge has been rebuilt from scratch, bigger and better, and will be reopened within a few months, possible weeks. That Mr. Speaker is progress.

• Mr. Speaker, with all the repairs to roads afore mentioned, the state
• f disrepair among others is cause for major concern and disquiet in

the Constituency of Southeast St. Mary.

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The Epsom Road, Long Road, Camberwell, same Rosemount that was started, Baxters Mountain, Belfield Pen, Belfield Line, Brainerd, Jobs Hill, Gibbs Hill, just to name a few, Mr. Speaker are in need of repairs. A Constituency that borders three (3) Parishes namely, Portland, St. Andrew and St. Catherine and comprises many hilly terrains, the road situation will be a challenge and it is impossible to be resolved in a short space of time, but with the representation and advocacy that I continue to make on the behalf of my Constituents, I am sure that the progress which has started will continue.

• Mr. Speaker, I feel their pain, and I understand their impatience as

they have been enduring for a long, long time. In the same breath, I wish to congratulate them for the responsible manner in which they have conducted themselves, being knowledgeable and demonstrating an understanding of the fragile state of the Country at this time. (repeat)

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I know their hope is hinged on the fact that they have good leadership and that the Country is ready to move in the right

• direction. With everything that is happening to put the Country on

the right track for development and growth, they prefer this Pathway to move them forward.

Hurricane Sandy 2012

• Mr. Speaker, the passage of Hurricane Sandy 2013 made a bad

situation worse. As you can recall, mainly the three (3) eastern Parishes namely St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary felt the full effect. It wreaked havoc to our roads, hillsides, river courses, housing and economic crops. The subsequent heavy rains that followed shortly after, added insult to injury, but, Mr. Speaker, the response to the Government was swift and the life of the Constituency returned to normality in short order. No resources were spared in having the roadway cleared in a timely manner.

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Many of our farmers who lost their crops during the Hurricane, received assistance from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). Constituents, some of whose houses got damaged received monetary assistance of up to the tune of sixty thousand dollars ($60,000.00) to effect repairs on their houses. Some twenty-five (25) Fisher-folks received cheques in the sum of sixteen thousand dollars each ($16,000.00) to effect repairs to or purchase fishing equipment. The Annotto Bay Hospital which was badly affected, especially the Accident and Emergency section followed by the Paediatric Ward received swift attention from the Ministry of Health and the Minister himself who visited and toured the facility and some sixty million dollars ($60M) was allocated without delay to repair same.

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Here, I want to thank the RJR Communications Group who garnered funds including my contribution from the Constituency Development Fund to assist in the Hospital. We also saw minor repairs to the Annotto Bay Health Centre, to the sum of two million, two hundred thousand dollars ($2.2M). Enfield Health Centre, approximately four hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($450,000.00) for repairs, and, while on the subject of Health Centres, I am happy to inform that the Brainerd Health Centre was constructed at a sum of twelve million, nine hundred thousand dollars ($12.9M) and is ready for opening.

• Mr. Speaker, the Annotto Bay Police Station was also affected during

the passing of Hurricane Sandy 2012, the Minister of National Security visited during the aftermath and without delay, funds were allocated to effect repairs. This will be done in two phases.

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Phase 1 was completed at a cost of approximately six million dollars ($6M) and Phase 2 which is not yet completed is estimated to cost approximately ten million six hundred thousand ($10.6M). The Ministry of Housing in conjunction with Food For The Poor (FFP) are effecting the building of houses for some of the affected persons.

• Mr. Speaker, hours before the Hurricane, I was in the Constituency

advising persons to batten down their windows and doors. One of the areas I visited was the Coastal community of Annotto Bay where houses are perched precariously, just feet from the seashore. I could already see the potential danger from the surges that were already taking place. In my visit to that same community in the aftermath of the Hurricane, I ran a political risk of telling the persons that I would not allow monies to be spent to rebuild on the seacoast as it poses danger not

• nly to property, but to life. I told them that relocation was the only

solution.

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• Mr. Speaker, the rest is history.

They readily agreed, and I subsequently had dialogue with the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, which in conjunction with Food For The Poor are building twenty-two (22) houses and are still looking at the possibility of building more houses to relocate these

• residents. That is caring, Mr. Speaker.
• Mr. Speaker, it is well established that the Jamaican “Anancy” game

was played by some unscrupulous persons who got benefits not proportional to damages received, and I dare to say some also got benefits although they received no damages whatsoever, whilst persons who received major damages, got nothing and this has caused a little ill-will in the Constituency.

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Most persons understand that this has come from deception of unscrupulous persons among them rather than any biases from Government, so nevertheless, the majority are saying thanks to the Government for the swift response to their plight.

Water

• Mr. Speaker, next to road , the issue of water is of great concern in

the Constituency. The amount of calls I receive daily complaining of the lack of the commodity shows that this is high on the hierarchy of needs and I want to spend a few minutes dealing with it. Even with the commissioning of the water supply system, eg. in Enfield and one commissioned at Broadgate to supply that and adjoining communities, the supply remains inadequate.

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The water supply network throughout the Constituency, and, indeed the entire Parish of St. Mary dates back to the 1950’s. These aged infrastructure are now undersized due to the expansions and developments in the Parish. These challenges have contributed to unacceptable levels of services.

• Mr. Speaker, I can now comfort the Constituents of Southeast St.

Mary, through the Water Supply Parish Plan (WSPP) will be spending some ten billion dollars ($10B) over the next twenty years in carrying

• ut a number of water supply rehabilitation and upgrading work

which will lead to improvement on the water supply pressure and service reliability. Constituents from Annotto Bay, Iterboreale Housing Scheme and Gibraltar Housing Scheme where the pump of Cresses breaks down almost monthly, or those in the elevated areas who constantly suffer from low water pressure during the day time… .your problem will soon be solved with the plans ahead.

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This involves the:

• 1. Laying of new pipes
• 2. New storage tanks
• 3. New well to be commissioned at Agualta Vale to boost the

system. Constituents of Castleton and Friendship Gap supplied by the Castleton system will benefit from the replacement of pipelines and new tanks and upgrading of pumping unit. Constituents of Richmond, Lewis Store, Clonmel, Belfield, Orange River Housing Scheme, Albany and Zion Hill served by the Iterboreale and Enfield system will get similar improvement with the construction

• f three (3) major storage tanks, one (1) at Enfield, One (1) at Dover

and the other one (1) at Epsom along with the upgrading of the pumping unit.

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Constituents of Clarke Castle, Mt. Vernon and Platfield will benefit after the laying of new pipes and the construction of a two thousand (2000) gallon water tank. Marlborough, Hope Well, Bungo Town, Orange River, you too will see improvement from your Martha Hall System. Brainerd, Sue River and Lewisburgh (the latter is without piped water) will see improvement with the planned rehabilitation of the Brainerd System.

• Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to have spent so much time on the proposed

Water Supply Parish Plan (WSPP) but my Constituents also realize that water is life and the lack thereof brings great distress.

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Housing

• Mr. Speaker we want to thank the Government for the twenty Food

For The Poor houses which were given to the Constituency. We are thankful for the Nashville Housing Scheme being developed by the National Housing Trust in the Cromwell Land area of the

• Constituency. This will entail sixty three (63) service lots along with

forty four (44) units that will be built by the Trust. This, Mr. Speaker, will increase the housing stock in the Constituency. In the Fort Stewart area Mr. Speaker, subdivisions for over one hundred (100) were done for housing. We have been having dialogue with the Minister and, the St. Mary Parish Council which has so far done a Site visit and given their recommendations. We are still looking around for suitable Government lands to do similar ventures to increase the housing stock in the Constituency.

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Postal Service

• Mr. Speaker I know that limited time is given to me, but I am trying to

pack in a number of important issues. I am trying to express not only the gratitude but also the complaints of my Constituents. With respect to Post Offices and Postal Agencies, there is not one in the Constituency that is not in a state of disrepair, Post Offices like Annotto Bay, Long Road, Scotts Hall and Belfield to name a few. Some are even threatened with temporary or permanent closure. While the majority of us use Tablets and iPhones, etcetera, we now text, tweet, email, WhatsApp, online banking, etcetera, we need to remember Grandma Lucille who needs to collect her little pension money or buy her stamp and post her hand-written letter to her granddaughter Kimmy in Connecticut.

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• Mr. Speaker, we still require efficient and cost effective postal and

related services and whilst the Minister is doing very well in various areas of his large Portfolio, my Constituency is asking you to take another look in their direction.

Education

• Mr. Speaker, in the field of Education, we have been playing our part

through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to assist in this National Thrust. Last Financial year, we spent some Five Million dollars ($5M) or one third (1/3) of the Fund directly or indirectly in that regard. In Education, we were able to assist a record number of students at all levels. Students at the Primary, All-Age, High-School and Vocational levels were assisted with Back-to-School Vouchers. Early Childhood was not left out. Our Basic School Children were assisted with School Fees and other materials.

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• Mr. Speaker we have established what we call the Bright Future

Programme where no child at the Basic School age should be out of school because their parents cannot pay their school fees. We know the importance of an early start in that, good Basic School children make good Primary School children and good Primary School children make good High School Children. Similarly, good High School children make good Tertiary and good Tertiary make good Professionals, so wherever such a child is identified, his or her school fee, and where possible other school need is paid for from the Constituency Development Fund. A programme was formulated to give many young persons a second chance of obtaining their (CXC) through classes paid for through the Constituency Development Fund. Many from the Tertiary Institutions got College and University Fees paid also.

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• Mr. Speaker, it grieves my heart that even after this expenditure and

assistance given otherwise, there are still parents who are finding it extremely difficult. The statistics of negative results are frightening. The Minister of Education has reminded us that National Development and personal growth cannot succeed without educational transformation and that all of us must therefore take a share of the responsibility. I am indeed heartened by the plans for education for this financial year and beyond and also the focus on Literacy and Numeracy, and Vocational Skill Training. Just last week I heard the Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing speaking to an audience where he described the majority of labour force in St. Mary as unskilled. This is so true Mr. Speaker, that many times you wish to assist but can’t because of the lack of proficiency in literacy and numeracy or the lack of certified skills.

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I want to thank you Mr. Minister of Education for the intended Adult High School Diploma Equivalent (HSDE) which is to be offered at the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) and Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), Entrepreneurship and Innovation abound. We must develop the human capital. Big development such as the Logistics Hub represent some US nine billion (US$9B) of foreign direct investment with the prospect of generating tens of thousands of jobs in a variety of fields deriving from the construction and operational

• phases. Even if the majority of my Constituents do not fully grasp the

term “Logistics Hub” they must relate to it directly by participating in these developments. It is a part of my duty, Mr. Speaker, to prepare them through training. As such, Mr. Speaker, we are looking at reviving the Skill Training Centre at the Broadgate Community where the focus was on Garment manufacturing and welding which ceased operation sometime in

• 2008. Plans are well ahead, Mr. Speaker, to restart this Skill Training

Centre with even new focus.

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• Mr. Speaker, the Annotto Bay High School lies on some twenty-five

(25) acres of land. Rooms were constructed for a Vocational Training Centre, by former Member of Parliament, Harry Douglas, but due to the lack of classroom space, this area is now being utilized for

• classrooms. We need to build new facilities and implement

programmes to start a Vocational Skill Centre there, not only for the Annotto Bay community but also to include adjoining communities. Discussions have started Mr. Speaker in this regard. The Cape Clear property in the Lewis Store area comprises some forty (40) acres of arable lands. This is another area for Skill Training in various areas but must include crop production and animal husbandry. This idea was being worked on as early as last year but had come upon some setbacks. It will certainly come to fruition in this financial year of 2013-2014.

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Agriculture

• Mr. Speaker, since I am on the subject of Agriculture, I want to remind

the Minister of Agriculture that we have acres upon acres of unused arable lands, some owned by private individuals who have no interest in Agriculture again, some who have migrated, some have willed these properties to children who have no interest in farming and also a great portion of these lands are owned by Government. To compliment that Mr. Speaker, we have thousands of Constituents, the majority are young and idle, not by choice but by their situation, who are willing to farm these lands.

• Mr. Speaker, we need to put those lands into agricultural productions.

The equation is acres of idle lands plus hundreds of idle hands together equals agricultural production.

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Of the nine (9) proposed Agro Parks/Agro Farms, I was a bit surprised that St. Mary was not chosen as one of the Pilots, but being somewhat parochial, I had word with the Minister of Agriculture who assured me that St. Mary is being considered and, I have no doubt that the Southeastern section is ideal. We are therefore searching and identifying lands for this and other agricultural ventures. Our soils have produced some of the best graded ginger in the world. Turmeric also grows well there.

• Mr. Speaker the Cocoa which was one of the main stay of the Parish

in the past, has lost its place of pride. This is partly due to the fact that the farmers were badly remunerated for their produce with payments not forthcoming months after delivery of the beans.

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This will soon see a change Mr. Speaker as there is renewed interest in the crop as the French, will take up our Cocoa at a higher price as it is currently being sold for and the new buyers will be more generous in terms of payment schedule. I have had talks with the President of the Jamaica Cocoa Farmers Association and we have developed a programme to train persons from the constituency who will visit existing Farms to do clearing, pruning and impart knowledge to these farmers which will assist in the rehabilitation of the crop. The cost of this programme Mr. Speaker will be borne by the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Banana and plantain is also

• n the rise again, and I want to commend the farmers for their

resilience as many had lost most of their crops during the passing of Hurricane Sandy. I would also like to thank the European Union for their tremendous assistance through grants etc which assisted greatly in the resurgence and diversification into other crops.

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Bees

• Mr. Speaker we will be using funds from the Constituency

Development Fund to train persons in Apiculture, as we realized that there is great potential in this area, not only in Honey production but also in the by-products.

Aquaculture

There is an existing Ornamental Fish rearing project in the constituency which went dormant over time. We intend to in this financial year revive same and I have been having dialogue with an expert and invester in the field, with the intention of training persons in the field and thereafter furnishing them with vats and the necessary equipment along with fish for their own investment. Mr. Speaker, research shows that there is good returns in the overseas market of North America for ornamental fish.

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• Mr. Speaker, I inherited a Goat Mother Farm Programme which too

had ran-down and most of the goats were actually distributed weeks before the 2011 general elections. This depleted the stock to the extent where it was not feasible to maintain for the original objective

• f breeding and distributing to farmers for increased production.

My intention is to restart this project in this financial year as we consume tons of goat meat per year, and as we all are aware the greater portion is imported and it does not have the same taste as

• ur local goats.

Anything to assist the farmers and to improve on our food security should be given serious thought.

Pig Rearing Mother Farm

• Mr. Speaker, we have a pig rearing mother farm where we took three

million dollars ($3M) from the CDF last financial year to establish.

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Like the goat programme it is to breed good quality pigs, train farmers in pig rearing then distribute the animals to them for breeding.

Sports and Culture

The Prime Minister in her presentation reiterated that culture and creative industries are an important part of our growth agenda. They create avenues for social expressions, jobs and will help generate additional streams of revenues. She also said that a cultural and creative industries commission is being established to promote growth and development in this area. Mr. Speaker, St. Mary is a cultural potpourri from the Maroons of Scotts Hall to our modern performers who have excelled both locally and internationally.

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• St. Mary produces cultural icons and entertainers such as Oliver

Samuels, Amina Blackwood-Meeks, Capleton, Beris Hammond, Ninjaman, Josey Wales, Tanya Stephens, Hopeton James, One of the members of One Third, Determine, Clonmel Culture Group among

• thers.

In sports we have our future sunshine girls and our talented footballers who hail from clubs like Axum, Grays Inn Football Club and Highgate Football Club but do not have a home field in the entire

• St. Mary to play.

That is why Mr. Speaker, I, along with my fellow Members of Parliament from St. Mary have each donated seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000.00)from our Constituency Development Fund along with Jamaica Producers Group and other Stakeholders to build stands and other facilities to accommodate football up to Premiere league

• standard. The ultimate goal is to transform it to a Mini Stadium.

The annual stage show, “A St. Mary Mi Come From” is held in the

• Constituency. Mr. Speaker, following in this fine tradition, we will be

formulating a Talent Hunt Programme in the performing arts.

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These talents will be identified and persons assisted in future training and exposure so that they can grasp any opportunity that may present itself.

• Mr. Speaker, the parties that we commonly called Round-Robin are a

great medium, for friends and family to meet, socialize and have fun. They provide recreation and income in the form of the oldtime “partner-draw” that we are so used to. Let me make it clear, Mr. Speaker that I am not for promoting the extreme night noises and dances until wee hours of the morning, as a matter of fact the law now stipulates the time frame for these events and we must abide by them. I am however making a public appeal to

• ur local security heads to ease up on the seemingly clamping down
• f permission for these events.
• Mr. Speaker, as soon as we have started to resolve some of the old

challenges, new ones evolve. Just last week I was talking to four (4) ladies in the Belfield area of the Constituency and in summarizing, I could see that the temptation exist for some to lose heart and despair.

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But, I was encouraged Mr. Speaker, when one of the ladies said, and I quote: “ you are doing something for my son that has kept him in college, and his father is now working at the Nashville Housing site”. She continued to say Mr. Speaker that: “the same way that the Belfield Road has been really bad for years and now repairs have started, we just have to understand and be patient”. Not only am I encouraged by these simple pronouncements but it provides an impetuous to make strong representations and passionate advocacy for my Constituents who harbour justified expectations and aspirations. If we are to seriously move towards realizing the relatively modest but at the same time, relatively noble objectives of Vision 2030, certain fundamental issues will have to be addressed now. We cannot continue to echo catchy slogans and rhetoric that are pleasing to the ears, nor can we simply play to the Gallery.

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If I should do that Mr. Speaker, my conscience would not allow me to have a good meal and sleep well, if I do not become the voice of my down trodden constituents. That is why here I have to “talk up the things”. That is why it is not enough to seek stop gap fixes to our problems. We have to seek enduring and sustainable solutions. I believe in what my Prime Minister says when she states that “Balancing the book while balancing peoples’ lives is a journey, not an event”.

• Mr. Speaker, while we as a Constituency seek our development and

upliftment, we are mindful that as a part of the whole growth agenda, the North/South Highway, the Kingston container terminal: the Logistics Hum; diversification of our Tourism markets and the Agro Parks will have its positive effects on us too and our share of pie is there for the taking.

• Mr. Speaker, at one stage St. Mary was regarded as the poorest Parish

in the Country, we have come from behind and are moving with well thought out strides.

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I am convinced Mr. Speaker, that Southeast St. Mary will take its rightful place in a developed Jamaica. When Jamaica fully becomes the place to live, work, raise families and do business. Southeast St. Mary will be a desired choice. Mr. Speaker, May God Bless Jamaica, Land We Love.