Don't fear change, PM urges Heroes Circle residents
Published:Thursday | October 25, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Citing his credentials as a "post-Independence baby", Prime Minister Andrew Holness reiterated his willingness to offer change to the people of Jamaica, which includes repositioning Kingston in particular and Jamaica in general as the gem of the Caribbean.
On Thursday night, he addressed a town hall meeting of residents and stakeholders at the National Heroes Park in Kingston, colloquially termed Government Circle, shedding more light on plans to construct the new Parliament Building there. He also dealt with the worrisome issue of housing for persons whose property will be snapped up, primarily in Allman Town, as part of the overall redevelopment of the area.
Residents of Allman Town and adjoining communities had expressed their angst towards allowing the sale of their residential properties to be part of the Government Circle development, citing the lack of communication from the Government on the process.
But Holness assured them that they had nothing to fear from the change.
"Yes, there are some concerns about the change. Change is never easy. People will want change, and, on the other hand, they are afraid of what they may lose," he told them.
He said that the role of Government in effecting change is to ensure that in changing, no one is made worse off. Holness said that he considered change a good thing, if, when it's all done, those changes would have made no one worse off but would have made at least one person better off.
"And anything that I do as your leader; and yes, even for people who did not vote for me or didn't elect me, I am your leader. I am your friend. I am your representative. I am your advocate," Holness said. "I look out for your interest. So whatever change that is going to happen, whether you come from the JLP football team or the PNP football team, my job is to make sure that team Jamaica wins. That's my job."
STAND FOR ALL JAMAICA
Holness said that he knew that there were concerns, noting that some might be political and others genuine, as there had been points in the nation's history when Governments did not always act in the interest of the people they were elected to represent.
"I stand here as a post-Independence baby, so I came into this world 10 years after Jamaica got Independence. So a lot of things that happened to form the view of Government, I was not a part of it. And I take a very different perspective on things. Much of the fear that is being exhibited towards change has come because of the historical context, but I go to great pains to say that as your leader, I have taken a break from the history that has shaped our Government, and I am here to put Jamaica on a new trajectory to progress and prosperity for all the people of Jamaica regardless of politics or social station in life," he said to loud cheers.