Fix the road, Andrew! - Bobby Montague rallies Holness to repair more roads in St Mary
Published:Sunday | September 17, 2017 | 12:00 AMRomario Scott
"Fix the road, Andrew, fix the road, Andrew!" was an animated Robert Montague's rallying cry for Prime Minister Andrew Holness to fix more roads in St Mary, even as the Opposition is crying foul over the timing of a $600-million road-construction project scheduled for the northeastern parish.
Montague, the member of parliament for Western St Mary, told Labourites in Montego Bay, St James, on Sunday that the Junction main road was to be fixed from monies that had been approved from the Kuwaiti Fund.
'BAD-MIND PNP'
But according to Montague, "PNP (People's National Party) sit down on the money and make the money go back to Kuwait.
"Now Andrew Holness come and find the money to finally fix the Junction road to make St Mary and Portland come on the map, and the bad-mind PNP dem a seh we nuh fix the road," Montague said to loud cheers from supporters.
The PNP has questioned the timing of the road repairs, suggesting it could be used to influence the pending by-election between Dr Shane Alexis and Dr Norman Dunn for the St Mary South East seat, left vacant by the sudden death of Dr Winston Green.
The Opposition party said it has called on the Office of the Contractor General and the political ombudsman to monitor the multimillion-dollar roadwork, which is to begin next month.
But Montague, in his address to Jamaica Labour Party supporters attending the Area Council Four meeting, said he would have made an appeal to the prime minister yesterday (Monday) at Cabinet to consider the stretch of road from Grandy Hole to Richmond to be fixed as well.
Montague said that Holness should not allow his detractors to "cow him dung", but should instead find more money to fix more bad roads in St Mary because poor people will benefit.
"If house fi build, build the house, Prime Minister; if water is to go to the people of South East St Mary, send water to them - they are taxpayers, too. Fix them up, Prime Minister," Montague said.