Delancy accuses JLP of undermining local gov’t

WESTERN BUREAU:

Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Danree Delancy, who is also chairman of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC), is accusing the Andrew Holness-led administration of undermining the local government structure.

Addressing a recent People’s Party National Party (PNP) Eastern Westmoreland constituency conference in his Bethel Town division, Delancy, who won the division on a PNP ticket, told party supporters that, should the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) win the next general election, they will dismantle local government and cut off municipal services to “the small man”, who is unable to connect with their members of parliament.

“Comrades, if you allow the JLP to get another term, you can bet your last dollar that they will get rid of local government,” declared Delancy. “Therefore, it’s up to you once again to give the mandate to the People’s National Party to come forward after the next general election and rescue local government and local governance.”

In defending his claim, Delancy pointed to what he argued was the Government’s tame handling of the preparation for Hurricane Beryl and its recovery process that followed, saying councillors and the country’s municipal corporations were not provided with the financial assistance needed to properly assist the people.

“After Hurricane Beryl, we heard about members of parliament being given money to do hurricane relief and not one word or mention of councillors or their municipal corporation,” said Delancy. “Comrades, what this has shown us is that the governing JLP has no regard for local government. They have no regard for the small man. Remember now, local government is the closest to the grassroots man.”

According to Delancy, the actions of the JLP are a clear indication of their desire to starve the people from direct services at the local level.

“That is now reminding me of back in the days when they (the JLP) tried their very best to get rid of the parish council and it was the PNP, under Michael Manley in 1989, that came back and rescued the parish council,” stated Delancy.

He said the JLP made another attempt to sideline local government during the era in which Bruce Golding served as prime minister of Jamaica under a JLP administration.

“We saw it again in 2007, when Bruce Golding tried to scale down and water down the thing by demoting the services to a department of local government,” said Delancy, who noted it was the PNP that, in 2012, that came to the rescue of the small man and reinstated local government and local governance to its rightful place.

The PNP is seeking to re-establish a foothold in Westmoreland, which it lost 3-0 in the 2020 general election. In Westmoreland Eastern, the PNP’s Dr Dayton Campbell is seeking to unseat the JLP’s Danny Lawrence.

editorial@gleanerjm.com