Social pains stunting MoBay’s growth, says mayor
Published:Wednesday | October 13, 2021 | 12:07 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Montego Bay Mayor Leeroy Williams has said that despite many notable achievements over the last four decades, the Second City is being held back from realising its true potential by challenging social issues.
Montego Bay, which is celebrating its 41st anniversary as a city this year, has a lot to be proud of, the mayor noted, having emerged as the Caribbean’s foremost tourism destination. However, its long-standing challenge in putting a lid on crime is among the issues giving the city a black eye.
“For years, crime and violence has been a major problem in Montego Bay. This issue has occupied our thinking for quite a while,” Williams said.
Last week, the city got a startling reminder of its failure to rein in the crime problem with a daring gun attack in which 10 people were shot –three fatally – in the commercial district. The mayhem unfolded in broad daylight and included a two-vehicle chase through its streets as gangsters fired a barrage of shots into a car, killing three persons and injuring several bystanders, including a 10-year-old child.
Williams, who chairs the St James Municipal Corporation, acknowledged that ongoing violence could drive away potential investors, hoping that a sustainable security solution can be found to end the bloodletting throughout the parish, which has seen more than 122 murders this year up to Saturday, October 9 – a 38 per cent increase on the 88 homicides for the corresponding period in 2020.
“I am sure that based on the resources which have been made available to members of the security forces over the past few years, the issue will be cauterised in short order,” Williams noted, however.
Despite the areas of concern, the mayor said that he was proud of the strides the St James capital has made in recent years, especially as it relates to the building out of its tourism product, the emergence and impact of the global services industry – commonly referred to as the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, the improvement of the city’s housing stock, and overall infrastructure such as the road network.
“We now have a great multimillion-dollar Harmony Beach [Park], the soon-to-be-completed Montego Bay Fire Station, a modern convention centre and a wide array of local and international colleges and universities,” said Williams.
Turning to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Williams expressed confidence that the city would rebound from the economic and social shock it has suffered.
“I must, however, encourage everyone to join the efforts to ensure that what has been gained through hard work is preserved and that Montego Bay continues its progress to the next level of the prosperity chain and become the place of choice to live, work, do business and raise families,” he said.