Omar Davies, Contributor
DAVIS
'I refuse to appoint or recognise dons as a part of the political apparatus, despite the advice to this end that I have received from many quarters. I believe that the people of South St. Andrew deserve and demand a better way, like people who live elsewhere in Jamaica.'
I WRITE in response to columnist Heather Robinson who has sought to compare unfavourably my stewardship as the Member of Parliament of South St. Andrew with the incumbency of the late Tony Spaulding. Such comparisons are at best problematic; I leave it to others and to history to make such determinations. It is, however, necessary to put in perspective the challenges of political representation and in so doing to correct the inaccuracies contained in Ms. Robinson's column of Thursday, December 29, 2005.
Heather Robinson was a political representative for the Peopel's National Party (PNP) in the constituency of South Central St Catherine. By her own account, when she was confronted with what was required to survive and maintain a political garrison, she walked away. Some have commended her actions as noble. As noble as her actions might have been, they did not address the question of how to transform a garrison and how to offer to the Jamaican citizens who live in such places the quality of political representation and of life that they deserve.
For my part I have sought to stay the course. This has meant in the first instance to seek to give political representation to the entire constituency, including those sections of the constituency that have been strongholds of the political opposition. When I entered representative politics in South St. Andrew twelve and a half years ago, I found that everyone was prepared to accept a status quo in which there were virtual no-go zones between the northern and southern sections of the constituency. We have sought to change that and there is now free movement between Rema and Arnett Gardens. The decision has had very practical and tangible benefits.
REFURBISHING HUGH SHERLOCK SCHOOL
The Hugh Sherlock School that had been closed for 20 years because it was located in the no-go zone has been refurbished reopened and expanded. The children of the southern section of the constituency could not go north to Arnett Gardens or south toward Denham Town and, therefore, had no choice but to attend the overcrowded Boys Town All-Age School. The reopening of the Hugh Sherlock School has served to expand the campus of the Boys Town All-Age School. We are refurbishing the high-rise buildings and are now returning them to the use for which they were intended, the normal life of citizens in community, instead of as hide-outs for warring combatants.
On January 2, 2006, Boys Town Premier League FC hosted its first match for 10 years on its home ground. We have refurbished the Boys Town field, dug a well, put in a pump; and the Old Boys association has put up stands and lights at a field regarded as one of the top three cricket pitches in the country, but had been unused for more than ten years because of the impact of political tribalism and violence.
After we rebuilt and expanded the Tony Spaulding football complex and turned it at considerable cost into a sport complex of the highest quality and standard complete with football field with lights according to FIFA international standards, basketball and netball facilities and a fitness gym, we invited former Prime Minister and then Member of Parliament for the neighbouring West Kingston political constituency to be our guest at a football match. When Mr. Seaga attended that match in 1999, it was the first time he was entering Arnett Gardens in 27 years. Not even during his tenure as PM for Jamaica, 1980-89 was he able to come into Arnett Gardens. All of that has changed, thanks to our attempts at dismantling a political garrison there is free movement within and between constituencies.
As impressive and eye-catching as our work in seeking to de-tribalise the constituency and to raise the standard of the facilities in the community has been, we believe our most important initiative has been on the improvement of the reading scores for primary school children and in our Adult Continuing Education (ACE) programme.
In the last 18 months or so, our mettle has been tested by the most lasting and pernicious legacy of political garrisons, gunmanship. This has been wasteful of human lives, distracting and has threatened to ruin all the gains we have made. My position in refusing to embrace criminals or interfere with the security forces has been misunderstood. There are those that have sought to directly link the upsurge of violence in communities like South St. Andrew to the nature of the political representation given. We believe that gunmanship is a problem that transcends political parties and political constituencies. Nevertheless, we accept the challenge it poses to the task of political representation. In response to those who accuse of taking a 'hands-off' approach, non-interference does not mean non-involvement. We have been constantly involved at every level exploring options, holding meetings with as many parties and factions as have been identified, making visits to the scene of violence and to the victims of crime.
SECURITY FORCES VS DONS
We accept that the decision to leave the problem of criminal violence to the security apparatus is fraught with difficulties in an environment in which there is a firmly held view by many, including by some in the security forces that certain sections of the population require the installing of dons in order to assist justice and security. We reject that view and we have had to deal with the matters arising. I refuse to appoint or recognise dons as a part of the political apparatus, despite the advice to this end that I have received from many quarters. I believe that the people of South St. Andrew deserve and demand a better way, like people who live elsewhere in Jamaica.
Happily, the security forces have shown recently a greater resolve to respond to the security challenge in the constituency. We are working together to clean up the physical appearance in the constituency and remove derelict buildings and massive amounts of solid waste, including old motor vehicles and furniture items often used to block roads. We believe that the security forces have many of those who caused the disruption on the run. We have had meetings with leading members of the community and we anticipate a coming together of the entire community in time for the reopening of schools for the start of the January term.
Finally, I need to indicate that the bust of former Member of Parliament Tony Spaulding was commissioned by the constituency under my leadership in discussions with the PNP secretariat, was paid for and erected by the constituency. During the expansion of the phase of the sporting complex, the bust was placed in front of the press box temporarily. We are awaiting architectural advice as to the best location whether in the eastern or western section of the facility to mount the bust. We remain firm in our commitment to honour those who have served.
