JAMAICANS shouldn’t be surprised to hear that Montego Bay is among the fastest-growing cities in the Caribbean.

After all, we can all see with our own eyes the rapid growth in the western city and all of that area stretching east through Trelawny to Ocho Rios and beyond; and westwards through Hanover to Negril.

Montego Bay is the gateway and flagship of Jamaica’s tourism which, along with remittances, has kept the national economy afloat through the bad times.

We are told that gross earnings from the tourism sector in 2014 stood at US$ 2.1 billion — a 5.8 per cent increase over the previous year. Jamaicans can argue all they like about how much of that sum is actually a net gain, but what is not in question is that tourism, inclusive of Montego Bay, constitutes a cornerstone of the economy.

Why then, have Jamaicans allowed this pearl, Montego Bay, to become a centre of violent criminality, surrounded by squatter settlements and shanty towns?

It is impossible not to blame the politicians. They are the ones who down the years have consistently turned a blind eye — even while being in the best position to see — as informal communities and irregular activities of every sort have taken root.

There is no need to spend too much time wondering why. Our politicians and governments have acted blind because to have done otherwise would have been to lose votes.

It’s a weakness of the democracy practised in Jamaica that votes will take precedence over the long-term good almost every time.

That said, the wider population, including civic and community leaders, cannot escape blame. They can’t simply wash their hands and blame it on the politicians and the ‘system’. The truth is that they stood by and allowed their city to deteriorate.

So what’s to happen now? We notice the calls by community leaders for a bypass road and an orderly “dormitory community” to satisfy housing needs and sustain the rapid growth of commerce and industry in Montego Bay and beyond.

That sounds good. But let’s be clear, such developments do not go well if they happen in isolation. There should be an integration of thought and action among communities, so-called civil society, private developers, local authorities, central government, and police with the long view in mind.

All too often we have seen in this country, the nice orderly well-planned community, but just around the corner the rapidly swelling squatter settlement. For the greater good of all Jamaicans, the further expansion of Montego Bay has to take place in a planned, organised, orderly, and integrated fashion.

Further, organisation and good order, including basic amenities, must be brought to the existing informal communities in and around the tourism capital by whatever means necessary.

Without order, illegality including the much-talked-about lotto scamming, will continue to thrive.