Broken Promises: Trelawny Residents Decry Political Promises. As 2024 drew to a close, some residents of Trelawny began criticizing political leaders for failing to deliver on promises, which they see as broken promises.
Residents believe they have been misled and taken advantage of by those who pretend to care about their needs but have failed to fulfill their commitments.
“These are the things that cause people to lose faith in politicians and other public officials,” a resident identified as Bev Smith told the Gleaner. She is particularly disgusted over the yet-to-be-mounted Usain Bolt statue in Water Square, Falmouth.
According to Smith, Bolt is celebrated worldwide as the greatest sprinter ever, but local authorities hesitate to celebrate him properly in the parish where he was born, which many see as another example of broken promises.
Sports Minister Olivia Grange reportedly announced plans for the Water Square monument in 2019. She said it would be mounted soon.
Despite preparatory work by the Jamaica Defense Force, who created the base for the statue, no further progress has been made, much to the frustration of the parish residents. These delays have been yet another source of frustration and perceived broken promises.
Prime Minister Holness’ Unfulfilled Parnassus housing project
Residents are frustrated by another unfulfilled promise from Prime Minister Andrew Holness. He had pledged to build 720 housing units on former sugar lands in Parnassus, a small community on the outskirts of Clark’s Town. This project was part of his efforts to revitalize the area.
But, to the chagrin of residents, nothing has been done since the announcement. This is another instance adding to the list of broken promises perceived by the community.
“Just a stone’s throw away from here, there is a place named Parnassus. The Government of Jamaica, through the Housing Agency of Jamaica, will be building 720 new housing solutions.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
We will be breaking ground for that this year – in fact, in another couple of months. When those are built, you will have an influx of new people coming into the area in addition to the people who live in the area, who will get some of those houses,” Holness said in February as he campaigned for the local government elections.
Residents are also dissatisfied with the Government’s failure to repair the road between Clark’s Town and Duncans.
The area has turned into a series of ditches, creating a dangerous path for both motorists and pedestrians.
In Falmouth, Mayor Collen Gager is under fire for not repairing the historic Albert George Market in Water Square. He also faces the people’s wrath for not fulfilling his promise to implement a cashless system in the municipal market.
Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie’s Broken Promises to the people of Trelawny
Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie and Tova Hamilton, the member of parliament for Trelawny Northern, have not fulfilled promises to reopen the Wakefield Post Office and the Wakefield Market. Residents are disheartened by these unresolved promises, which they view as more broken promises by political leaders.
The post office, which served Wakefield, Dromilly, Unity, Bunker’s Hill, Friendship, Deeside, and Hampden, was closed in 2021.
McKenzie’s broken promises. During a PR tour in October 2023, McKenzie and Hamilton said they would be moving to retrofit an unused market building in the community to house a new post office.
In Ulster Spring, anger mounts over the failure of Government to construct a $42-million fire station, which it promised since 2017. This failure has also been categorized under the long list of broken promises by the Government.
In July 2021, McKenzie said ground would be broken within a month for the construction of the fire station. Although the ground was broken and the site prepared in 2022, it remains abandoned and overgrown.
More broken promises. Similarly, more than 1,000 Spicy Hill residents who were promised piped water through a $34-million water are still waiting.
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