RONALD Thwaites, government member of parliament for Central Kingston, has complained that the Port Authority has gone ahead with “phase three” of the dredging of the Kingston Harbour, despite a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that the project be put on hold.

“The Port Authority’s action shows contempt for parliament as the resolution represents the binding will of the representatives of the people.” Thwaites told the Observer yesterday. “For a government company to do that is egregious. Where is the minister?”

Thwaites, an attorney, moved a resolution in the House recently, outlining the fears of fishermen from Rae Town in his constituency that the pollution of the Kingston Harbour as well as plans to dredge it would “damage the spawning ground for fishes and threaten the livelihood of the people”.

Said Thwaites: “The fishermen are not against the dredging of the Harbour, but they are mighty mad (about the approach to the matter)”, the MP told the Observer.

Following Thwaites’ initiative, the legislature ruled that dredging should be postponed pending the airing of the matter by a parliamentary committee, which would seek to get the interest of the affected fishermen “comprehensively addressed’ and ensure the regeneration of Kingston Harbour”, Thwaites said in a letter to the editor of the Observer.

Robert Pickersgill, who was on November 1 reassigned the portfolio of transport and works, following a cabinet reshuffle, with responsibility for ports, during the House debate advised the House that the Port Authority had plans to commence the dredging project, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Pickersgill could not be reached yesterday. And, Horace Dalley, the new environment minister is scheduled to tour the dredging project tomorrow, following concerns raised by environmentalists.

On December 23 last year the Sunday Observer reported that the dredging of the harbour had commenced and that it was part of the preparatory work for phase one of Highway 2000, which required 100 acres of reclaimed land, using the silt collected from the dredging. A new six-lane bridge will be built on these lands and, along with the highway, will be located to the right of the existing road and bridge, thus providing space for expansion of the port.

Thwaites has also taken umbrage to the National Registration Bill, tabled recently in the House, which he said omitted the ‘most important category of registration’ — the father.

“Surely any effort at national registration should include the obligation of every man to own the children be begets and thus assure every child the human right to two named parents,” the Central Kingston MP said.