MONTEGO Bay is in a mess, both literally and figuratively. This is so because the so-called city fathers, movers and shakers have very little pity for the city. It is like a sponge that must be squeezed and squeezed for all it is worth while very little is being done by way of replacement. Indeed, like a tired, overused quean, MoBay struts along, dilapidated, dishevelled, ramshackle, and unattractive. And stink.

    Yes, stink! Downtown reeks with the smell of uncollected garbage, human faeces and urine, unwashed streets and unclogged drains. There was a time when the streets were washed weekly. The St James

Parish Council and the Fire Department would collaborate to wash the streets and flush the drains. This necessary action occurs most infrequently, if at all. As a result, one has to hold one’s breath while walking or driving in the heart of the tourist capital. Interestingly, the roadway that has the most consistently foul smell is Union Street on which is located the St James Parish Council Municipal Building, named after a former mayor, Cecil Donaldson.

    There is a crass lack of civic pride and there is no sense of community. The older “original” Montegonians for the most part feel that their beloved city has been taken over by outsiders and plundering pirates who are interested only in the “cling-clang” of their cash registers. So they have given up, leaving a vacuum to be filled by selfish opportunists, some of whom are elected representatives of the people.

    After all, it is no secret that several councillors are contractors benefiting from lucrative arrangements with state agencies.

    The pity is that while these public officials feather their respective nests, very little is being done for the city and its environs. Just look at the high murder rate, not to mention property crimes of all types, many of which are not reported as citizens feel it is a waste of time calling the police for help. Indeed, in some cases, seeking help from the police may well prove to be even more traumatic as there are sinister linkages with the long arm of the law and the underworld.

    Recently, there was a major announcement that residents living alongside the North Gully would be used to keep it clean. The bitter irony in all of this is that the very same persons who litter and clog up that waterway are now to be paid to clean up their own mess! Surely, those who are organising this brazen piece of porkbarrel exercise should ensure that concomitant with the cleaning-up are a public education programme as well as law-enforcement procedures. Why are members of the municipal police not enforcing the anti-litter law? There are public spaces in the city reeking with human waste, chief among which is the Civic Centre which is also fast deteriorating structurally. The areas outside this historic landmark are constantly used as a public toilet and whorehouse, yet city officials have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear. No pity!

    My heart bleeds for the Sam Sharpe monument which has been subjected to repeated vandalism and disrespect. When I think of the personal sacrifice National Hero Daddy Sharpe made so that we can enjoy the freedoms and the many rights which we now take for granted and often abuse, tears come to my eyes. I recall that during the 2007 general election campaign, the then Opposition Jamaica Labour Party vowed that it would ensure that our national monuments and places of interest would be kept pristine and well protected. Yet, all we see are millions of dollars being spent on “feel-good” projects which have no lasting value. Yes, the “bling-bling” mentality is allpervasive.

    By the way, why is no attention being paid to the mouth of the North Gully where a large amount of detritus and debris have accumulated over these many months? This most unsightly and malodorous spectacle can be viewed from the courthouse building and the Baywest Shopping Centre. Most certainly not a sight for sore eyes! When it rains, much of what has backed up there enters the sea, causing more deleterious pollution and degradation of the marine park. Add this vexing situation to the perennially filthy state of the Charles Gordon Market and one has to wonder why we continue to call Montego Bay the tourist capital of Jamaica.

    Of course, a big part of Montego Bay’s ongoing problems is that members of parliament and councillors are not operating in unison. There is no shared vision and for the most part the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. It is an “open secret” that despite the fact that St James has three JLP members of parliament in the persons of Deputy Leader Dr Horace Chang, North West St James MP and Minister of Water and Housing; Ed Bartlett, East Central St. James MP and Minister of Tourism; and Clive Mullings, West Central St James MP and a former minister of government, they do not see eye to eye in many instances and each one is doing his own thing. Many Labourites have been quietly bemoaning this harsh reality, one which JLP Leader Bruce Golding seems incapable of dealing with. This scenario has shattered the dreams of many Montegonians who were of the view that with such a strong level of JLP in power, much representation would have been happening in the western city. But, alas, apart from the occasional crumbs which fall from the table at Jamaica House, Montego Bay for the most part remains neglected and grossly underrepresented.

    Against this background, the city’s overall development is being stymied by a fragmented leadership structure which has engendered a conspiracy of cliques, with each group believing that it alone has the locus standi. What is needed, therefore, is a great coming together which is long in coming. Until all stakeholders buy into a shared vision and seek to develop trust and a sincerity of purpose, then the “M” in “Montego” will stand only for murder and mayhem. The city’s pride must be rekindled so that it can once again be seen as a friendly place.