Dear Editor,

Kindly allow me space in the Observer to make an appeal to the Labour Day Secretariat in the Office of the Prime Minister on behalf of the citizens of Kingston and St Andrew, in fact all Jamaicans, to make Labour Day 2016 ‘Clean-up day for the May Pen Cemetery’.

The Government and the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) must come together, along with other agencies of the State, including the Jamaica Defence Force, Urban Development Corporation, National Solid Waste Management Authority, Correctional Services, National Works Agency, and all the churches to plan and co-ordinate the day’s activity.

The churches have a very important role to play in this exercise as most denominations have been accorded designated plots in which their members are buried.

A country may be judged by the way it treats its dead. Jamaica faces severe financial challenges, but I am positive that the Diaspora and international funding and aid agencies will be willing to contribute cash and kind to restore the cemetery and give it its rightful place of pride.

Of note, the cemetery still had virgin lands at the time of our site visit, and I am informed that the US Embassy assisted in the renovation of the chapel.

I am currently the chairman of the Government of Jamaica Funeral Home Morgue Contractors group, and I shall be approaching the members to contribute of their time, cash, kind and expertise to aid in the restoration effort.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jamaica needs to take a look at the Calvary Cemetery as well, with a view to finding a new location, as the current location has outgrown its usefulness.

Cemetery property the world over is valuable property and pre-sold vaults generate a huge chunk of income to the operators.

The Service Corporation Industry, with headquarters in Texas, is the largest funeral home service provider in the USA, operating funeral homes, cemeteries and crematorium with market capitalisation of US$4.4 billion. The Government of Jamaica could invite them to Jamaica to take a look at the May Pen Cemetery lands, with a view to assisting with the restoration or investing much-needed funds. The KSAC could float a bond to raise the necessary funds to develop the property and make it secure.

Joseph M Cornwall Snr, JP

Managing Director/CEO

House of Tranquility Funeral Home Ltd