Montego Bay was granted city status on October 9, 1980 by an Act of Parliament. Last Saturday, the city therefore became 30 years old but there were no fireworks, no fanfare, no celebrations of note; indeed, nothing to write home about. As a “bawn-a-Bay” advocate and a proud citizen of the “republic of Montego Bay”, I am very concerned that the western city is fast becoming a rudderless ship.

I am told that the reason there were no celebrations is that there was no money in the kitty of the St James Parish Council. Both Mayor Charles Sinclair, the first citizen of Montego Bay and Custos Ewen “Patrick” Corrodus, the first citizen of the parish, ought to hang their heads in shame for having failed to stand and deliver. Is it that these gentlemen have no clout? Is it that between them both they could not have put a workable committee together and set about raising the necessary funds to at least have had one major event to mark this historic occasion?

This writer gathers that a committee was put in place but that it fizzled, no doubt because of a lack of proactive and credible leadership. One is still waiting to see whether or not the parish council will have the common decency and cojones to apologise to the people of Montego Bay and give a reasonable explanation for this foul-up. The city’s 30th anniversary comes at a time when there is a tremendous lack of civic pride: when downtown Montego Bay remains a rundown, ramshackle, disorderly, stinking environment, when the famous Hip Strip is deteriorating in similar fashion, when the courthouse is a disgrace inside and out, when our city fathers have failed so far to come up with a development plan, when not even the North Gully – a constant eyesore and “nose-sore” – is being cleaned and maintained regularly, why is it surprising that the city has very little to celebrate?

One bit of good news is that murders are down and the St James Police, led by the astute Assistant Commissioner of Police Denver Frater and hardworking Superintendent Merrick Watson along with their dedicated team of officers, should take a bow. A great deal of work is being done in troubled communities such as Norwood, Flanker, Salt Spring and Granville. Clearly, brute force by itself will not work. The use of legitimate force must be accompanied by effective and compassionate community policing, and it is fair to say that Montego Bay is fast becoming a beneficiary of this enlightened and visionary approach. Of course, let us not forget the groundbreaking and sterling work being done in the Rose Heights community – which was once known as the murder capital of St James – by Pastor Knollis King, one of the city’s unsung heroes. Through his intervention, that once volatile area of the second city has remained for the most part stable and peaceful, but he and his many converts need much help from the state as well as the private sector. Unemployment and the lack of skills training are rampant there, and Pastor King’s work may end up in vain.

In the meantime, one of the underlying problems affecting Montego Bay is that the political directorate has not been able to engage the business sector in any meaningful way. I am personally disappointed that heavyweights such as JLP Deputy Leader and Water and Housing Minister Dr Horace Chang, who is MP for North West St James, and Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett who is the MP for East Central St James, have not become more directly involved in the overall development of the city. Yes, they will claim that they are doing things in their respective constituencies but the city lacks leadership, the type of leadership that must be provided or engendered by our senior elected representatives. As for MP Clive Mullings, now that he is no longer burdened with national duties, one would have hoped that he would seek to fill this gaping vacuum, but alas, he too seems to be missing in action.

I know that I will make some enemies by writing this article, but it doesn’t matter. What I care about is my beloved city which I see going in the wrong direction. In this vein, I have some timely questions to put in the public space and on behalf of the citizens, I am demanding some answers.

(1) What has happened to the development plan for the Hip Strip? Some $44 million was paid out for a study and project proposal. Today, there is very little “hip”.

(2) What is the current status of the St James Development Plan and why is the process so painfully slow? Haphazard, unplanned developments are taking place all over while the St James Parish Council remains like a neutered beast.

(3) Is the St James Parish Development Committee working, and why not?

(4) Why has the business community ignored the crisis in football in the parish? There is statistical evidence to prove that when that sport is on a high in the parish, many criminal activities decrease. And even as the city marks its 30th anniversary, Jarrett Park is far from being brought to completion in terms of its total structure. And what of the adjacent Guild Club lands? Why has there been no closure to this vexing matter?

(5) What has become of the Mayor’s master plan to rid the city of street side garages, unsightly posters and billboards?

(6) What future is there for the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex, the Catherine Hall Sports Complex and the Montego Bay Civic Centre, all of which lack proper management and planning?

(7) Why has there neen no holistic response from the parish council with respect to street vending, the Old Shoe Market and the People’s Arcade?

As Bob Marley has sung: “So much things to say right now”, but space will not allow. Suffice it to say that so far the St James Parish Council has failed to serve the people satisfactorily while the business leaders have preferred to remain way in the background. This most certainly is a recipe for underdevelopment and ultimately social instability.

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com