Nagra Plunkett, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU: THE UNCERTAINTY as to the exact size of the population is being blamed for the country's inability to properly utilise its social amenities, a key factor in promoting orderly development.
"I think why we're having a problem, especially with our social services system, is that our census data is wrong. I think that this country is really closer to 2.6 million people," Montego Bay businessman, Mark Kerr-Jarrett, argued yesterday.
PROJECTIONS AND PLANS
"If our census data is inaccurate, all of our projections and plans to build for social services whether security, education, or health, we're always going to be behind the eight ball," he declared.
Mr. Kerr-Jarrett, who is also chairman of the St. James Parish Development Committee (PDC), was speaking at a Gleaner Editors' Forum in Montego Bay, which was used as a backdrop to the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce's Expo 2004 which starts today.
The forum was used to discuss issues affecting the development of western Jamaica, especially Montego Bay and its environs, as well as to come up with workable solutions for some of the problems identified.
The uncertainty as to the size of the population was highlighted as one of the factors contributing to the growth of squatter settlements, 19 of which can be found in and around the resort city.
Basil Johnson, managing director of Discount Lumber and Hardware, said he, too, believes that a lot of people are not on record. "I have seen more people now than two years ago, coming into my store to get goods and services," he commented.
According to Kerr-Jarrett, the population of Montego Bay is said to be 100,000. However, with the 19 informal communities, each accommodating about 5,000 residents, with another 60,000 in formal settlements, he thinks the actual figure is closer to 200,000.
"We're 50 per cent off! That's why the census data is important, it gives us the basis on which to build our support services. If that's wrong we will always be behind and we will not always meet our development criteria," he argued.
The PDC chairman pointed out that public health officials should play a greater role in gathering information to collate census reports. He said data collection should be mandatory and not voluntary so as to make Jamaica's social services more effective for its future growth.
"Make our census data accurate so we know through the Registrar General's Office, records of births and deaths," he explained. "Let the registration of births mandatory and let the nurses and midwives go out into the communities to ensure that these are done, so we know how many children we have to plan for in five or six years time."
