Residents protest against Portmore becoming a parish

By Racquel Porter    

 

Residents of Portmore appear to be unclear about how the municipality becoming a parish would affect them and their investments.

 

On February 11, the government, leveraging its parliamentary majority, passed a bill to amend the Counties and Parishes Act of 1867 to establish Portmore as Jamaica's newest parish. The bill has been sent to the Senate for approval before becoming law.

 

But placard-bearing residents who demonstrated along Dawkins Drive on Monday morning posed several questions. 

 

"My house, my documents, everything is in the parish of St. Catherine. How am I going to change that now? Where am I going to go to change it or how much is it going to cost me to make all those changes?" said Danny, who resides in Portmore and was part of Monday's protest. 

 

"I hope that the government can meet with the people of Portmore and make we decide; bring it to a referendum then, where we decide if we want a 15th parish or not. Because it no make no sense, we fight for our own elected mayor, and now [a year after] election, you're going to move him from us? Who going to represent us?" he questioned. 

 

Mayor Leon Thomas, Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott, People's National Party spokesman on Portmore affairs Fitz Jackson, and several councillors from both municipal corporations joined citizens in the protest.

 

Portmore receiving parish status would mark the first time in 150 years that a new parish has been created in Jamaica, a move that has sparked heated debate among residents and local officials. While the government argues that parish status will provide greater autonomy and resources for Portmore, critics insist the decision should have involved more public consultation.