Monique Hepburn, News Editor
Joan Munroe-Green, youth peace facilitator at the Flankers Peace and Justice Centre, in Montego Bay, assists two Flankers Primary and Junior High School students after school. An affiliate of the Dispute Resolution Foundation, the Peace and Justice Centre offers an after-school homework centre, youth computer classes, skills training and mediation services. - Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
CONVINCED THAT her participatory 'bottom-up' approach to national development is a wise and sustainable move, scores of community leaders in western Jamaica are pledging their support for Prime Minister-designate, Portia Simpson Miller, whom they say is on the right path.
With a reported 750 communities across the island, each with
varied needs, many will be clamouring to air their issues with a view to having her address them on her proposed community agenda.
"I look forward to working with her, as we have at the local government level, and she has our total and complete support," Mark Kerr-Jarrett, chairman of the St. James Parish Development Committee (PDC) and its accompanying Crime Prevention Committee told The Sunday Gleaner. "Jamaica is our country, and we have to fix it; we cannot depend on foreigners to fix it for us or to enhance the quality of our lives."
With 18 informal settlements in St. James, the parish has had to grapple with the problems associated with developing and policing such communities. Mr. Kerr-Jarrett has welcomed Mrs. Simpson Miller's approach and expects that she will lend her support to the objectives of the PDC in alleviating social degradation in the parish.
LOOK AT INFRASTRUCTURE
"One thing we have to look at is infrastructure. We have to get the roads in good condition. Street lighting and street numbers are necessary, so as to enable the efforts of emergency response units."
The PDC chairman, however, contended that the establishment of community development committees should be encouraged with greater urgency.
"Capacity building has to be done in order for communities to take ownership and to have an effective way to get consensus and determine priorities. We need to establish the community centres, where the youth can get assistance on homework, as well as adults, for literacy," said Kerr-Jarrett.
For sustainable community development, Mr. Kerr-Jarrett proposed the establishment of several entities within communities such as:
Post offices
Disputes resolution centres
Rape crisis centres
Police posts
Parental skills training centres
He also wants the regularisation of informal communities, so that they can contribute to and benefit from social services.
As a part of its crime prevention strategies, the St. James PDC has submitted a draft
community safety plan to the Ministry of National Security for review.
"Hopefully by mid-April the reformulated plan will be available, and we have the commitment from the ministry for assistance in dealing with the key elements of the plan."
Key elements include:
Community-based policing
Extortion
Public order issues
Environmental and quality of life
Sexual violence and abuse
Tourist harassment
Drug abuse and rehabilitation
Praedial larceny
Rehabilitation and monitoring of deportees.
Increased access to information
MERRIS HAWTHORNE, chair-man of the Hanover Parish Development Committee (PDC), said that residents are in need of increased access to information in order to make better decisions.
"The people need literacy training and they need to know how issues concerning local
government reform will affect them," she told The Sunday Gleaner in outlining community issues to be addressed by incoming Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.
"We need a broad-based programme of awareness and public education and we need as rural folk to see value for out tax dollars," Mrs. Hawthorne contended.
She listed several points of concern of the vast majority of communities in the parish. They are:
Waste disposal
Youth employment or lack of employment-
Training and certification for youth and adults
Training and information on land use
Engagement of idle lands
Greater use of agricultural products and the creation of more products to boost commercial and manufacturing sector
Greater monitoring of public servants and parish councillors
COMMUNITY SELF-RELIANCE
Chairman of the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA), Hugh Dixon said that a large part of the Prime Minister-designate's role should be the mobilisation of communities towards self-reliance.
"There is a considerable amount of wealth of knowledge and capacity among our people that could improve their conditions of life and with her high level of popularity she would be able to facilitate this," Mr. Dixon said.
Mr. Dixon called for the following:
State to re-examine its mandate
Eliminate subsidies and replace them with credit schemes,
Provide greater access to technical assistance
Place greater emphasis on enforcing laws
According to Mr. Dixon, many communities do not have a culture of participation, thus residents depend solely on the government, stalling the development process.
"There is a need to "free-up" public entities and put greater emphasis on the role of communities. In Trelawny, there is not a culture of participation and the lack of a running PDC reflects this."
FOCUS ON AGRI-BUSINESS
In Westmoreland, Reverend Carlton Wilson, explained that one of the primary goals of the PDC is to attract investment.
"The community can be enabled to sustain itself and to attract investment so that more of our people can be employed," he said. "We want to focus on agri-industries because of the strength of that sector in Westmoreland."
In making reference to other development plans, Reverend Wilson also suggested greater integration into the South Coast Development Plan.
"That would be a major thrust vis-a -vis heritage tourism and other prospects."
Colin Campbell, former communications advisor to Team Portia told The Sunday Gleaner that while Mrs. Simpson Miller's overall strategy is "centred around communities, in that there will be opportunities for them to be involved in policy and economic opportunities, rural development and public safety, it is not just a question of putting emphasis on community development, but development through consultation and integration."
- M.H.
