Candidates in the western region who triumphed at the national polls on Monday will focus on improving tourism, agriculture and the social agenda under the administration of the incoming Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government.

“I will be doing the same thing I have been doing so far, that is implementing the Greater Falmouth Development Plan. It entails creation out of North Trelawny, a historical cultural tourism product that will be first-class… world-class,” said the Peoples National Party’s (PNP) Dr Patrick Harris who triumphed over the opposition JLP’s Dennis Meadows to take the North Trelawny seat.

Harris also said that the product would be propelled by the coming of cruise shipping and several hotels currently under construction. “The social agenda will also be emphasised…we will create out of our youngsters a softer, gentler society,” he added.

The JLP’s Marisa Dalrymple Philibert, a newcomer to representational politics, who beat the PNP’s Doneth Brown-Reid to take the Southern Trelawny seat, said her first order of business is to get an “excellent supply” of water to the homes of her constituents.

“I felt very badly that I had to campaign and use water as a platform as water is not a luxury….. but this is the main problem here,” said Dalrymple Philibert.

“We have excellent rainfall here and we supply water to a lot of the surrounding areas but the people here don’t have water. We need to put a system in place to harness the water for our use,” she emphasised.

Dalrymple Philibert said she will also be looking at ways to assist the hundreds of farmers in the constituency and plans to establish sporting facilities in a number of communities.

“We will be pushing to complete the development of the multi- million dollar elegant corridor in the Rose Hall area, to expand the agricultural sector for the rural districts and also to continue the education and human resource development of the constituency,” said Edmund Bartlett who defeated the People’s National Party (PNP’s) Donald Colomathi by more than 1,700 votes. Bartlett also said he will also be moving to address the poor road conditions in the Barrett Hall, Lilliput and Somerton communities.

The JLP’s Mayor Noel Donalson, who defeated the PNP’s Derrick Kellier by 21 votes for South St James said that the provision of potable water is his “number one” priority for the area.

” The other issues that are on my front burner is the development of community- based tourism and the refurbishing of the many community centres that are in a dilapidated state,” he told the OBSERVER WEST. “I really want to complete them and turn them into centres of excellence where I am going to have computers installed for all those children who don’t have computers at home,” he explained.

Agriculture, too, Donaldson said, will come in for priority attention, noting that South St James is the “bread basket” of the parish.

Efforts to reach successful JLP candidates for North West St James Horace Chang and West Central St James candidate-elect Clive Millings yesterday were unsuccessful.

But they both told the OBSERVER WEST in recent interviews that they intend to lift the standards of living in the parish, using tourism and the city of Montego Bay as a financial centre as a platform for the growth and development of the parish.

The PNP’s Roger Clarke, who defeated the JLP’S Russel Hammond to take the Central Westmoreland seat said he’d focus on youth unemployment. “… Now we have a new government, I will have to fit my priorities into their priorities as best as I can. But one of the things that I am going to be doing and if it even single-handed is mobilisation at the community level to help communities to help themselves. We have clear-cut ideas that we had for people in agriculture and we had started the bee keeping industry, goat rearing industry and that sort of thing I will have to try to pursue them again within the constraints of what is available,” he said.

Clarke also said he would be pursuing the issue of security of tenure for informal settlements. He said that contingent upon the new government’s agenda, he would continue to pursue the establishment of a housing settlement for some areas of Savanna-La-Mar loan, as well as a loan portfolio for farmers and other issues affecting the agricultural sector.

The PNP’s candidate for Western Westmoreland, Dr Wykeham McNeil said that in addition to community tourism he’d be focussing on the imminent construction of an All Age School in Sheffield, and the development of human resources.

“We have gotten two community centres. I really want to get more training facilities into the communities . I want to see how it is possible to put things in place so we can train young people or better train them and to give them better employment opportunities. This phase one of the things is working with the youth and see what is possible in terms of training and employment,” he said.

The PNP’s candidate for Western Hanover, Ian Hayles said education would be a critical part of his focus.

“The first thing I am doing is setting up town hall meetings which will be twice a week. Because the voters gave me a mandate in terms of telling me what they want so it will be an interactive kind of administration. Putting in computers in all the schools. In terms of education and in terms of the farming community ,” he said.

Hayles said that in addition to employment, he also wanted a National Premier league team to come from the constituency of Western Hanover. Playing an interactive role in sports in the community.

He also pledged to write to the factories co-operation in respect of a few empty factories in the Lucea which he plans to utilise. Kern Spencer who was victorious in the constituency of North East St Elizabeth said he would be moving speedily to assist a number of persons in the constituency who were affected by the passage of Hurricane Dean last month.

He said that he will also aggressively pursue the establishing of a central marketing system in the community of Gilnock.

“Under this system the farmers will be able to get technical assistance and will also be able to take their produce there for sale,” he said.

The newly elected MP, who served as junior minister of commerce science and technology, also plans to reopen the Goshen Cassava factory and to restart the fish farming in several areas.

“The constituency had a vibrant rice production capacity in Elim in the 1970’s and so I want to undertake a feasibility study on the growing of rice in that area to see if we can start it again,” Spencer added.

Training facilities for the hundreds of unemployed youths in the area will also be given serious consideration during his term in office.

In the neighbouring constituency of South West St Elizabeth, the JLP’s Chris Tufton wants to tackle the severe shortage of piped water in the area.

“There are too many communities where water is a problem and we will have to look at all the water facilities and determine how we are going to channel the resources to improve the supply,” he said.

Tufton also plans to upgrade fishing beaches in the constituency and to address the existing poor road conditions.

His colleague, J C Hutchinson in the nearby constituency of North West St Elizabeth will give priority to roads.

“Roads, roads and more roads…. that’s what I will have to do as soon as possible,” he stressed.

The veteran politician who is the incumbent MP for the area, has long complained that he is unable to address the poor road conditions in the constituency, citing what he called the “starvation of funds” by the governing PNP.

Hutchinson also plans to identify markets for agricultural produce and to assist farmers in growing a variety of crops.

Franklyn Witter, the JLP’s representative who was successful in his third attempt at representing the constituency of South East St Elizabeth, will focus on agriculture and the distribution of water in the area.

The rehabilitation of roads and the establishment of training facilities will also be given attention during his first term in office.

The PNP’s Luther Buchanan who defeated the JLP’s Don Foote for Eastern Westmoreland said he’d continue what he’d already started during his first term of office.

“During this new term I am going to continue the improvement to water supply in many communities and to improve the road network. I also plan to revitalise the agricultural sector and to enhance the educational opportunities and facilities in the constituency,” he said.