Hope Bay, Portland – They arrived in groups. Some came by themselves. Others made friends with those who were early on the scene. By 8:30 am they had bonded; forming a human chain across the Hope Bay main road. This group of Jamaica Labour Party supporters apparently had the approval of the Port Antonio mayor, Rupert Kelly, and JLP caretaker for West Portland Kenneth Rowe, who hovered nearby offering moral support.

As this group of protesters dug their heels in to register their dissatisfaction over rising utility rates and other costs, another group was in Castle setting fire to the rubble they had used to block the roads.

Firefighters put the fire out and the police cleared the charred rubble.

Meanwhile, demonstrators in Buff Bay used their bodies and debris to block the westerly side of the bridge leading into the town. The police eventually cleared that blockage. The police were also kept busy clearing tree stumps from sections of the road in Orange Bay.

Commuters brave road blocks in Port Antonio

The small group of placard-bearing protesters who gathered in Port Antonio opposite the market did not deter commuters from going about their business yesterday. In fact, the commuters filed pass the blockage and went in search of transportation, much to the delight of taxis and mini bus operators, who capitalised on the situation. Some motorists, who got frustrated after waiting for two hours, turned around and went back in the direction they were coming from. At one stage, after an appeal by the police, the protesters started letting through three vehicles at a time in both directions. One protester, Jackie Palmer, took a broom and swept the road, reminiscent of the 1970 PNP political campaigns.

The protesters carried placards that read “PJ sell out Jamaica”; “PNP sell out the country and left poor people to suffer. We can’t take this no longer”; “P J give us back JPSco and things will be better for the poor”; and “Police need better working condition.”

Kenneth Rowe, JLP West Portland caretaker, described the protest as “people power”. Said Rowe: “They just can’t take it any longer, They have many issues; back to school, some students could not get their examination results as they did not pay all of last year’s fees. The government made an election promise that all school fees will be free 2005, it is now 2005 and the government has backtracked on their promise. Enough is enough, we just cannot take any more of this PNP government we want better.

“We will be here until the government says to us we have heard your voice and we are going to look into the situation.

We want to release the burden on the people, but enough is enough and the people are fed up. There must be some annoyance in progress, the government has no conscience,” he added.

For his part, Councillor Rupert Kelly, Mayor of Port Antonio, said “the people of Portland, the people of Jamaica are showing their disgust and have shown the government that we cannot continue this way. We are here to say to the government enough is enough and we can’t take it any more”.