MP backs vendors in pushback against Public Order Reset
Published:Wednesday | October 19, 2022 | 12:10 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
MEMBER OF Parliament (MP) George Wright has thrown his support behind disgruntled vendors who have pushed back against a police campaign to clamp down on illegal vending on the streets of Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, and to rid the town of unruly public transport operators.
While saying that he was in full support of the Public Order Reset effort, Wright lamented that the market is unsanitary and unsuitable to accommodate all the vendors, saying that the facility needs significant work.
“ ... The market is leaking ... . If you go inside the food section, there is a lot of zinc that has been removed. All these issues need to be addressed before,” the Westmoreland Central member of parliament said on Tuesday.
“ ... I would want to ensure that the vendors are in a safe space, safe from flying zinc and security concerns, as several vendors have gotten robbed before,” he added.
Wright believes that the vendors should be given breathing room to earn a living while the local municipal authority effects remedial work on the market.
Last December, Local Government and Rural Development Minister Desmond McKenzie pledged to set aside $50 million for the rehabilitation of the market, but Wright said that the funds have not yet been allocated.
Wright told The Gleaner that he was not made aware of the Public Order Reset operation before it was put into action on Tuesday and that he had shared his opinion with Wayne Josephs, the senior superintendent of police in charge of the parish.
Community advocate and former Councillor Milton Miles agreed that the market is too small to facilitate all the vendors and is badly in need of repairs.
“I am saying to the vendors: withhold your market fees. Don’t pay the market fee until something is done,” he said.
Miles, who was honoured as a local community hero on Monday for his contribution to community development in Westmoreland, said the vendors deserve a better environment in which to operate.
Josephs said that the police are making progress.
“We have been getting compliance from taxi operators. However, they have some concerns that we will have to address,” the Westmoreland commanding officer said.
“Ultimately, law and order must prevail. We have to take back the town. It is coming down to the Yuletide season and congestion in the town will prohibit us from carrying out regular police activities that are required to keep it safe,” Josephs added.
“We are trying to have a dialogue with the business operators who have trucks that are delivering outside of the scheduled delivery hours,” Josephs added, noting that this should see some congestion concerns eased.