Guests and members of the Rotary Club of Black River in St. Elizabeth socialising after their weekly meeting held at the Invercauld Hotel on Thursday. From left are Reginald Bennett, Clovis McKnight, Vivian Daley, Dr. Christopher Tufton, the Jamaica Labour Party candidate for South West St. Elizabeth, who was the evening's guest speaker, president Dr. Adeniyi Bamidele, Seymour Ebanks and Dr. Vivian Elliott. - Photo by Noel Thompson

Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica Labour Party candidate for South West St. Elizabeth, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has said he will be lobbying government to transform the birthplace of the late Donald Sangster, former prime minister, into a national heritage site.

"If given the mandate by the people, I will be seeking to have the late prime minister's birthplace become a heritage site, which could also serve as an added tourist attraction of the parish," Tufton told the Rotary Club of Black River's weekly meeting, held at the Invercauld Hotel in St. Elizabeth, on Thursday.

Turning his attention to education, unemployment and youth in St. Elizabeth, Tufton said that over 50 per cent of school children in the parish were still using pit latrines, which should not be tolerated in modern Jamaica. Unemployment among young people 30 years old and younger, he said, was running at about 30 per cent.

Underachievement

The underachievement in education among the parish's youth, he argued, was having a significant impact on the unemployment rate.

"We cannot stay in Black River and plan our future without being concerned about what is happening elsewhere in Jamaica and the global village. We have to understand the context in which we live," he said.

Suggesting that St. Elizabeth has some positives, as well as some challenges, he said that the people needed to understand the challenges and use them as steps in formalising their future.

Charting agriculture, Tufton said: "We need to take a holistic approach in developing the agricultural sector in St. Elizabeth, as it is the mainstay of most families in the parish."

He added that the many attractions and historical sites across the parish made St. Elizabeth unique.