Walker jumps into politics - Former athlete looks to lift hometown and create opportunities

Throughout his teenage years, Wilbert Walker carried the town of Morant Bay on his shoulders, as he carved out a reputation as a top competitor at the Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, while representing his alma mater, Morant Bay High School.

Now a retired athlete, the 35-year-old is looking to continue to lift the profile of St Thomas’ capital, this time in the area of politics, as he seeks to become the caretaker councillor for the Morant Bay division, on the Jamaica Labour Party ticket.

Walker, a native of Red Hills in the parish, said the destitute conditions in which some people in the parish are still living inspired him to be part of the change.

He believes creating awareness of the history and natural resources of Morant Bay can boost its economic activities and subsequently raise the standard of living of its residents.

“When you go into different areas and you see that poverty is real, and because you have travelled the world and see that there is a better way that people can live, it just inspired me to want to do something about it,” Walker told The Sunday Gleaner. “I think if we put Morant Bay on the map, then a lot of people in the parish can benefit.”

Walker, who represented Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, supports Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ plans to turn the town of Morant Bay into a cultural centre, anchored by the Morant Bay Urban Centre project, which he believes would attract tourists to the parish.

He is also pushing for the parish to export more of its natural products, like mangoes.

“St Thomas is known for producing a lot of mangoes, and I think we can use this to our advantage,” he explained. “Not only can we export the mangoes to other parishes, but we can also use them to make products that we can export.”

He continued: “In that way, we would be creating employment for people in the parish on a wider scale.”

TRAINING CENTRE

The Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, graduate says he will also be exploring means to build a training centre for children who are not capable of seeking higher education.

“The reality is that not everyone is educational inclined, and if some of these people have the opportunity to learn skills to become plumbers and electrical technicians, then they can make meaningful contributions to the parish,” he said.

Since Walker moved back to the parish four years ago, he has been making contributions to its development through voluntarism as the track and field coach at Paul Bogle High School and the establishment of his business, Wilbert Walker Personal Fitness Club.

These, along with solutions for other issues, are what Walker will present to his colleagues when he faces off with Denver Howell in the July 4 run-off that will determine who will attempt to unseat the People’s National Party’s Rohan Bryan.