Adrian Frater, News Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
PRESIDENT OF the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mark Kerr-Jarrett wants the National Housing Trust (NHT) to formalise squatter settlements in the western city with a view to raising the self-esteem of residents and making the areas less attractive to criminals.
"The NHT must go into these communities and formalise them by putting in roads and water so that the basic needs of the people can be met," said Mr. Kerr-Jarrett, while addressing a town hall meeting in Montego Bay, last week. "We need to turn around these communities from illegal to legal settlements so that the people can think better of themselves."
Last year, there was a record 129 murders in St. James with the parish's 19 squatter communities, 17 of which are located in Dr. Horace Chang's North West St. James constituency, accounting for over 80 per cent of the killings.
Speaking against the background of the police's perennial complaints about the difficulty in penetrating these areas, especially at nights, Mr. Kerr-Jarrett said there is an urgent need for proper roads, which would take away the criminals' comfort zone.
CRIMINALS MORE ORGANISED
"The criminals seem to be getting more and more organised," noted Mr. Kerr-Jarrett. "If we want to prevent an all-out assault on society, we must make sure that there are no areas in which they can operate comfortably."
In articulating the Montego Bay chamber's bid to have the western city remain a viable tourist destination and an attractive centre for foreign investment, he issued a call to central government to give more of the resources earned by the city back to the city.
"As the gateway to the country, Montego Bay earns millions of dollars for the economy," said Mr. Kerr-Jarrett, who is also head of the Barnett Estate Limited. "We must mobilise at the local level to demand more for Montego Bay so that we can showcase this city for tourism and foreign investment."
With regards to the GMRC (Greater Montego Bay Redevelopment Company) Plan 2014, which has been placed on the back burner for a number of years, Mr. Kerr-Jarrett said it should be re-activated as a matter of urgency.
"We need to put the GMRC Plan back on stream so that we can set the stage for orderly development in Montego Bay," continued Mr. Kerr-Jarrett. "We must not forget that he who fails to plan must plan to fail."
The town hall meeting, which was organised by Montego Bay's mayor, Councillor Noel Donaldson, also featured presentations by Dr. Chang and the mayor.
