This is the second in a two-part series
from the Gleaner's Editors' Forum
in May Pen, Clarendon, last week.
ON ROUTE TAXIS AND
PARKING FACILITIES
R.J Henry (Chamber of Commerce rep.):
We need a modern taxi and bus park for public transportation and I hope that will be taken into account. I am a bit unhappy about the transfer of the police station from the Jamaica Heritage building to its proposed location.
I would have liked to see the police have a modern facility that would enrich the security performance of the police. The suggestion is that the station should be constructed on the Methodist land on Sevens Road and we really have to push that point. We also need a new bridge, the old one was removed by controversial reasons, we are asking that the bridge be replaced. If you notice, that infrastructure is rotting at top and bottom and maybe in another two to three years it might fall apart and the communication between northern and southern May Pen will not exist.
Wesburn Henry, National Housing Trust, May Pen:
I think one of the problems is enforcement of law and order. What we spoke about last week was the town being cleaned up where garbage and vendors were concerned. About the taxis, where should the cars park? The plazas have limited space for parking, so these are some issues that we must address, in order to get things running the way they ought to be.
ON AGRICULTURE
George Johnson, manager, Denbigh Showground:
We are in the business of agriculture. But we have just had a sumptuous meal and we know where it came from. I hope that all the vegetable was produced in Clarendon. For agricultural development as a business, there are a number of concerns in Clarendon, and in Jamaica in general.
We need a processing plant generally, for the processing of our agricultural produce. All the mangoes go to waste. Most of the cashew go to waste, except the cashew nut the seed that everybody gravitate towards. We need a processing plant. We need a proper marketing distribution area. We have the Denbigh Showground that is centrally located and it can be utilised. We need the assistance of the Members of Parliament to help the agriculturists, the poor farmers who are trying. We have Denbigh to utilise. Please, sirs, we want you to come on board, and work with us to help the farmers. There is a central outlet that is there, that is Denbigh with a cold storage. We need proper selection process. We need good transportation, and as I mention transport, the bad roads in the farming areas are a deterrent to agricultural development and young people are not gravitating towards agriculture because of what they are seeing coming out of the older folks.
Yesterday, we had a launch of the praedial larceny programme in Clarendon and if any of you were there and looked at the age group of the farmers, you would have thought we were running a geriatric contest, and that is a serious problem. Right now, we just left a forum at Denbigh, where we are launching 'Youth in Agriculture', so that is what we are trying to promote. So it is from one to the other. We go on to loan for farmers.
Farmers cannot get loans because of what you have to produce to get a loan. For some of them, it is subsistence farming; they are living on the hillsides and they cannot get collateral to get proper loans. The interest rates are such that you cannot repay, and if you cannot repay, they seize what you have. We need a tractor to rotate to the farmers in the vicinity where they can utilise, re-rotate and they can manage a tilling service.
We need to place greater emphasis on agricultural lands that are being used to develop housing projects. Sooner or later we are going to find that we have nowhere to produce any crops, because the flat lands that can be irrigated easily are being used to build houses, and when rain falls they flood. You have unforeseen circumstances, therefore, when you plant the crop you might get it or you might not get it, but when you build a house it is permanent, so we need to have a proper land policy, looking at where to build houses and where to have agriculture.
Percival Shaddock, parish manager, RADA:
In terms of agricultural marketing, at this time we are experiencing serious difficulties in the marketing of some of our vegetables, so I am going to appeal to the housewives or business persons to see how best you can assist the farmers in getting their produce to other areas. What at times we experience are distribution problems and problems with transportation because right now at Denbigh I have a lot of tomatoes selling for $10 per pound trying to help out a farmer. But you might look to places like St. Mary and Portland and it might be there for $30 or $40, and even the supermarkets are more expensive, so we are trying to get the farmers to produce, but at the same time there are things that are discouraging them. Praedial larceny is one of them, and marketing. When I saw one of my officers come to me this morning to complain that he started reaping his oranges from Saturday, which were to be collected, and it so happened that the thieves went in and bagged up the oranges and went with them. You know those things are frustrating. They are stealing pigs. A father complained to me that he lost 9 pigs Monday night. You have to wonder what is happening.
Mike Henry, M.P.:
I recommended 10 years ago, that you establish a wholesale market at your Denbigh Showground. Certainly, you are into agriculture, you have all the land. Why is there not a wholesale market established there? Has the JAS (Jamaica Agricultural Society) been ap-proached about putting up the processing plant? You have land again. But if you need the capital, the land is lying with a value on it equally.
Charles Learmond, M.P.:
I am a dairy farmer and one of the things is that the young people are distracted from farming because of two things: one, the returns are not quick enough, and secondly, I don't think our young people work hard enough. Farmers are hard workers. You get up early and you work hard. I made a presentation in Parliament a couple weeks ago and it really speaks to the whole matter of collateral a lot of farmers really don't have and we have to find a way to see how you can provide financing to farmers. I know it's difficult because a lot of farmers have reneged on business arrangements with institutions and I think this is one of the reasons why it has got so difficult. But the farmers are the economic backbone of this country and I think that the same way that Government puts money into the tourist industry and other industries, I believe that they will have to try their very best to look at the farming sector in that way. I made a speech at Denbigh and I suggested then that the Government should approach a programme of publicising buying Jamaica. It hasn't got any where.
Brenda Goodall, Bank of Nova Scotia:
The NJJ Programme was introduced, the second phase of it, and it had to be cancelled for lack of interest. We were offering up to eight per cent financing. For farmers, we do have the loan programme that is available and the Development Bank of Jamaica arrangement and we have the facilities and we provide the expertise and the help to farmers. It is up to them to come to us and let us offer the advice to them. Somebody mentioned about the need for the Government to look at the railway service. The whole business of farmers being able to move their products, that's an excellent avenue to do that and I think that's something the Government really needs to look at.
R.J. Henry:
The Government has the responsibility to put out a programme. I must point out to Mr. Learmond that as Member of Parliament, and that also goes to Mr. Mike Henry and all the other four, that you ought to take the leadership and we follow and we support the way you are taking progressive leadership. And not to say that it is the people who must do. If I were a Member of Parliament I would be out there and you're gonna know that I am leading my people and I want to follow a strong leader, Mr. Learmond.
ON CLARENDON ATTRACTIONS
Charles Learmond:
Vernamfield and Milk River mineral spa are two projects that are in my constituency and these are two projects that are a part of the Millennium Projects. They are far in advance and I look forward to these two projects coming on stream in a very short time. They will open up the parish and my colleague here (Mike Henry) has always spoken of it in Parliament and we both will celebrate when the Vernamfield Airport is established.
ON TERTIARY EDUCATION
AND BUSINESS
R.J. Henry:
Right here in Clarendon, we need a college and I spoke to the former Minister of Education, Burchell Whiteman, that we should establish on a Methodist property a college called the E.J. Whiteman College of Arts and Sciences. I am suggesting that we have a management for Denbigh, encourage the private sector into current agro-business interests and we facilitate development funding by a three per cent moratorium low-interest facility. All that can take place. We should be revitalising and maximising the use of industrial zones mentioned earlier by Mr. Learmond. Where are the locations in the parish, in particular, Lionel Town, Paisley, Den-bigh and Hague. There is one more: the May Pen Development Order of 1965/95 suggests that the May Pen market should be removed to a new location. And the May Pen Primary School should be relocated as it is not in an appropriate location at present.
ON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Wesburn Henry, NHT rep:
As it relates to Mineral Heights housing development and Long Bay Park by Freetown so far for this financial year April 2002 to present, we have developed 1,921 housing benefits inclusive of serviced lots and studio units. We are also financing the Bushy Park housing development which is being put in place by the National Housing Development Corporation. There is also Island Meadows that is being developed by a private developer; we also finance this scheme. We are aware also that Clarendon has a high level of sugar workers and so far the sugar industry has donated lands to the workers and the NHT is putting in the infrastructure. So far, they have developed 670 serviced lots for the sugar workers only. As it relates to community outreach, the NHT plays a role in this aspect also. Last Christmas we donated to the Client & Association for Street People articles of clothing (donated by members of staff), a washing machine, food items. This is a yearly thing that we get into. Every year we select an organisation and make donations to them. These are some of the things that the NHT has been doing and presently our interest rate is between two and nine per cent.
ON STREET VENDING
AND STREET PEOPLE
Brenda Goodall:
These people have to make a living, they are mothers, they are fathers, some of them didn't have any opportunities. We recognise that they have a need but we have to look at what's good for the town. May Pen is a mess, it's one of the worst towns in Jamaica and I hate to say it but it was like a culture shock when I came here. The Custos has had to call me on more than one occasion and ask '...When are you going to speak to them?' They abuse you. We really have to commend the police for the efforts they are making now. It is important for them to sustain those efforts that they are making. For the street people sometimes I am sorry for Ray Wilson (CLASP). Something needs to be done about them and I think members of the community, business people need to provide the necessary support for these individuals.
Ray Wilson, CLASP:
It is interesting that we have been discussing aspects of May Pen's business and somebody mentioned how can you discuss business without discussing persons who are on the streets for 10, 20 years no bath, no change of clothes. In our business of psychiatry and mental health, we find that very interesting. The programme was started in 1995 and was registered under the Family Societies Act in 1997. Basically we are here to encourage the business community to help in this venture.
ON HEALTH
Dr. Winston Dawes:
I think HIV is probably the most serious threat that mankind has ever faced and I don't see us taking this epidemic as seriously as the other epidemics which have faced Jamaica over the years. For example, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and polio. There were very serious national efforts attacking these problems but I don't see us putting the necessary infrastructure in place to tackle HIV. We spend a lot of time on research, we have not spent enough time hearing from the general population as to what they face. I think too often as scientists we are involved in our own selves and our concerns rather than listening. Clarendon has probably, for this size population, the least number of deaths.
ON DERELICTION AND
DECAY IN MAY PEN
Custos James de Roux:
When you leave Versailles Hotel and drive up that road, right at the corner, there was a house which was built by the Govern-ment for the Resident Magistrate, Judge Myrie, and his wife. They were the first occupants. A lovely garden was maintained there and when Mr. Myrie was transferred, the incoming judge decided that he would rather live in Kingston. I brought it to the attention of the then Security Minister, Winston Spaulding, and Commissioner Joe Williams. It was a valuable piece of property and it was being vandalised. There it is today, absolutely, totally vandalised. I made the recommendation that if the judge didn't want to live there the Superintendent at the time could rent it.
Tim Lancaster, director
of Jamaica Bags:
One of the things I would like to observe is that I think that Local Government and Central Government are not responsible for everything we do and everything that goes wrong but they are responsible for creating an environment and developing plans and policies, and I think above all, setting an example. It is a matter of great distress to me as a person who lives and works here that I live in a town that has so much dereliction. There are innumerable cows which take over at nights. There are many other things, the question of wild animals on the streets, the dangers that they create to our citizens, the dereliction of our public places or public buildings. If you go into the car park of the courthouse, it is derelict. If you look out from a brand new multimillion-dollar collectorate you look out over a vast waste area. Why? We have built a beautiful new hospital and yet only recently have we attempted to clear up and clean up the front of it, why?
