‘Vexed votes’ to provide route for PNP victory in St Thomas

Despite the massive road-improvement programme benefiting the underdeveloped parish of St Thomas, Morant Bay Mayor Hubert Williams says the Government’s disregard for the residents and their livelihoods during the work process has caused disaffection with the electorate, and the Opposition believes that that will increase its showing due to ‘vexed votes’.

Speaking at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum ahead of Nomination Day today and the upcoming local government elections, Williams told the forum that the disaffection was significant and claimed that supporters of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have offered their support to him, especially because of the advocacy he has provided on their behalf.

With the parish considered one of the island’s most forgotten and underdeveloped, Williams said the development is welcome, especially as benefits will accrue.

However, he said he believed that residents who were disrespected in the process would give the advantage to the People’s National Party (PNP).

“In terms of voting pattern, it’s going to work for the PNP, and I am going to tell you why,” said the PNP councillor for the White Horses division. “The Southern Coastal Highway has been noted to me to be the most mismanaged infrastructure project in the history of Jamaica. At one time, it was taking four hours from Morant Bay to Kingston, one way, and that went on for almost two years. A lot of families were destroyed in that period. A lot of families were destroyed, and at one time commerce came to almost a standstill because the project should have been done in segments, but you take on the entire project at once, and it crippled the economy of St Thomas ... .”

Williams’ comments come as the two parties push candidates for the local government elections, slated for February 26. The PNP and JLP each won five divisions in the elections held in 2016. The JLP assumed the mayorship by way of the popular vote, but as no by-election was held following the 2023 death of Lenworth Rawle, deputy mayor and councillor for the Trinityville division, the balance of power shifted to the PNP, and Williams became mayor.

The economic fallout “did more damage to the St Thomas economy than COVID”, he said yesterday.

“That’s how bad it was. Just imagine if you are out of a job for two years what it would do to you. Most residents of St Thomas actually work in Kingston, and when the travelling hours become four hours, each way, your working days become 18 hours,” Williams argued.

Forum panellist urban planner Professor Carol Archer corroborated Williams’ description of travel delays, and many others have shared similar stories of hours of wasted road time.

The people, he said, also did not benefit from the work, and only ‘labourer’ work was available for residents who he claimed were paid paltry sums for their efforts.

“There is a lot of vexation about the way the work was carried out. People believe that the project didn’t work for the people in the space. The highway was mismanaged. A lot of inferior work was done, and parts of the highway is already damaged. A lot of the drains that they created can’t manage the volume of water that supposed to go through them. We saw it the other day with the heavy rains,” he alleged.

He said residents in Grants Pen are at risk of facing flooding because of poor drainage work associated with the highway.

Citizens have demonstrated against the inconvenience caused by the road programme and the dust nuisance, which residents allege has caused a number of illnesses in children and the elderly.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, on many occasions, has apologised to the affected residents, telling them that the end product and benefits will make life better for them.

On Tuesday, the four-lane 17-kilometre Harbour View to Yallahs Bridge highway project was declared open as part of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com