Beyond the new urban centre

For decades, St Thomas has been fraught with lack of developmental issues, and over the years it has come to be known as the ‘Forgotten Parish’. It has much historical and heritage value, and is endowed with interesting geographical features, some of which are steeped in folklore.

It also has an abundance of unengaged, talented youths who tell similar narratives of lack of employment, training and social opportunities; neglect by politicians; and successive governments’ nonchalance towards the parish that has two electoral constituencies.

Now, after years of non-stop complaints, the main road through the parish is being significantly rehabilitated, and work is about to start on the establishment of a new urban centre near the capital of Morant Bay. And, recently, on a tour of the parish, The Gleaner spoke with Omar Ryan and Kimberley Thompson, both of Botany Bay, about the proposed urban, among others things.

In keeping with the Independence theme of this publication, they were asked about the authenticity of Jamaica’s Independence. “As a country I don’t think we are exactly where we want to be. However, there is much to celebrate, and I think we should celebrate the gains … So, I believe we are an Independent country, though there is a lot of room for improvement,”was the response from Thompson, a businessperson and justice of the peace.

Ryan, also well known as ‘Melenin’, is a poet, community activist, advocate for the development of St Thomas, and administrator at The Centre for Reparation Research at The University of the West Indies Mona campus. He believes Jamaica is “semi-Independent because constitutionally The Queen (now The King) is still head of State of Jamaica”, that “a lot of the laws that we have are from the colonial books” and “so a lot of things need to be changed for us to become a republic … .”

But, for now, the winds of change are blowing into the eastern parish, which Ryan said was always lagging behind the others. As it relates to the attention that it is now getting he said, “It’s good to see that we are actually getting some development, but I am cautiously optimistic because I’ve seen projects start already, and it reached a level, then it just stopped. So, until it is complete I can say, congratulations.”

He said further that, “for the parish it means that the people will finally have some hope, that opportunities will be here for their kids”. It is a good look on paper, and hopefully the new urban centre and the road will pull back people who had left the “culturally rich” parish in search of opportunities. However, Ryan has a major concern.

“It (the new urban centre) will cause the town of Morant Bay to become almost obsolete,” he predicted. If all the major commercial entities and government departments/agencies are relocated to the new space, the capital town will gradually decline, for there is no parallel plan to develop Morant Bay. He wants whatever that is in Morant Bay to remain there, while the urban centre is established as an employment hub.

Thompson is sceptical of the plans, and agrees with Ryan when she said, “Morant Bay, as it is now, will no longer be Morant Bay … Even though we are being told that this place will be an urban centre, there are no clear plans as to what is going to happen to the old town.”

She also said she didn’t even know why it is being called Morant Bay Urban Centre, because the proposed site is in Springfield, and not in Morant Bay, per se. And, in addition to offering employment opportunities it should also provide training opportunities, such as those offered by HEART/NSTA.

Aside from the plans for the new centre, Thompson believes there should be a focus on ecotourism as “St Thomas is like a raw diamond. It’s a gem, which, if polished, it can turn out to be something beautiful. There are so many places that we can tap into to attract tourists,” she said. She also wants “to see every young people in the parish leading the charge, becoming independent within their own rights”.

Ryan is also batting for a thrust into tourism, but on the heritage side of things, with the parish evolving into a Mecca for Rastafarianism. Yet, his broader vision for the parish is embedded in CEASE (culture, education, agriculture, sports and entrepreneurship). And, “as long we can train young people properly in the area of technology, and so forth, the people in St Thomas, particularly young people, will have more hope to say they can stay here and be a part of the solution”, he said.