ST THOMAS, Jamaica – Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) caretaker/candidate for Eastern St Thomas, Delano Seiveright, says that a combination of tourism and ganja cultivation has been proposed as a solution to the high levels of poverty existing in areas of the constituency.

He said that the plan was one of several proposals from a “high-level” task force, which he had established last year to organise and implement a development plan for the constituency, including job creation.

The integrated tourism and ganja plan would include redevelopment of the Morant Bay Courthouse into a museum; re-establishment of the statue of National Hero Paul Bogle, which has been missing for years; and the restoration of the Morant Bay Fort, which dates back to 1758.

He said that other plans were for; the incorporation of a Paul Bogle trail attraction; the rehabilitation of the Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa; the refurbishing and expansion of the run-down 1779 established Bath Botanical Gardens; restorative work on the Stokes Hall Great House; enhancement of the Morant Point Lighthouse, the oldest in Jamaica; and the eco-friendly development of several miles of stunning beach areas along the coastline.

The taskforce was led by Cayman based international financial consultant Peter Young, and also included Olympian and 1992 Sportswoman of the Year Juliet Cuthbert, as well as young Scholar and Chemist Dr Peter Nelson, who is currently studying in Israel . All three were born in St Thomas .

Seiveright made the comments while touring the Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa on Thursday. The mineral spa/spring was discovered in the late 1600s by a runaway slave. He said that the Jamaica National Heritage Trust has noted that the mineral spring there flows from two rocks, which produce both cold and hot water.

“The water is mixed before it enters the bathhouses, which are built for guests. The spring is rich in sulphur and lime and is believed to be very good for the treatment of rheumatic ailments and skin diseases,” he explained.

He said that in order to get the project properly financed would require leaning heavily on private sector and non-governmental organizations, locally and internationally, to pilot several key projects.

“A number of potential local and international investors have already expressed a strong interest, albeit their insistence that the parish must upgrade infrastructure, bring government bureaucracy down to a minimum, stymie corruption and an assurance from the state that personal and property security will be a priority,” he explained.

However, he said that the tourism/ganja project was not the only proposal from the taskforce, as a 12-point plan, which also incorporates development of education, skills training, health, sports, media and telecommunications, agriculture, agro-processing, youth development, roads and water infrastructure development, was also available to residents.