‘A blessing in disguise’

FORMER INDEPENDENT councillor for the Lorimers division in Southern Trelawny, Paul Patmore, says that the absence of a member of Parliament (MP) for the area is a blessing in disguise.

His comments come after Jamaica Labour Party MP Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert resigned from the constituency with immediate effect in September amid a ruling by the Integrity Commission that she be charged for allegedly making false statements on her statutory declarations.

“This absence of an MP will teach the people that they can live without hand-outs... . When they see that they can survive, they will appreciate the blessing,” Patmore said.

The one-term councillor who represented the division from 2012-2016 said he no longer has any interest in representational politics.

“What I want for the people is for them to get rid of the diehard mentality and vote for services. This is a constituency without potable water in people’s home; this is a constituency without a hospital and without a fire station,” he emphasised.

Patmore contended that all the money given as hand-outs could be better used to improve the infrastructure in the area and provide services to benefit all.

“Southern Trelawny has a vast amount of underground water supplies. I remember years ago a pink dye was put into a stream at Lorimers. That pink dye ended up at Rio Bueno after sinking and rising at different parts along the 30 mile journey. The water is there, it just needs someone with a vision to do the research and put things in place to provide portable water.”

Going forward, the person who comes to represent South Trelawny must come with a vision to improve on what the area has, he said.

“That person must recognise that we have no playfield, no community centre, no person to talk for the yam farmers. After $16 million was spent on a Yam House it is now closed. Yet farmers continue to produce the most yam in the country and nobody to help market it for them,” lamented Patmore.

Leon Jackson