But St Catherine Parish Council defends its management of the facility

BY PENDA HONEYGHAN

Sunday Observer writer

‘Carry mi ackee go a Linstead Market not a quatee wud sell. Everybody come feel up, feel up not a quattie wud sell’ …is an excerpt from the folk song titled ‘Linstead Market’ which rose to popularity during the 1970s.

The well-known song tells the story of a mother, who is also a vendor, who goes to the market to sell her ackee but was not successful.

Fast-forward 40 years later and the vendors at the St Catherine-based market are facing the same problems, claiming that the glory days of the facility are long gone.

“Linstead Market is nothing like it used to be. I took care are of 14 children from selling produce at the market and we were able to live, but now only good customers help us out. Dem move we here and them move we there and the truth is no one is going to walk out the market to look for us. The situation is bad,” said Carmelita Hartley.

The vendor who has been peddling her wares in the Linstead Market for over 60 years has linked the decline in her revenues to harsh economic times.

Other vendors have shared similar sentiments. “Things before was better. [Today] we [are] spending more money for less profit, you have to make up your mind fi be a ‘struggler’ and you have to just fight,” said Lunette Fuller, daughter of Hartley.

Fuller, who is also a vendor, made the statement a few metres close to where her mother was selling.

“Sometimes a come and I can’t even pay a market ticket, two spaces at $200 a stall and then a have to pay another fee … about $800 for the load dem Thursday day. Then we have to pay $50 to use the bathroom, and if you no have it, you know weh that mean ’cause she naa go allow you in deh,” Fuller said.

Statistics from the St Catherine Parish Council show that between 2012 and 2015 there has been a significant decline in the number of registered vendors selling in the market. Over the period the number fell from over 300 in 2012 to 86 in July of this year.

Vendors said apart from harsh economic times they are forced to contend with other issues such as theft, water woes and illegal vending daily.

“And the thief them, oh God man, sometimes all two, three time inna one month for some people, sometime even more,” Fuller lamented.

She said that the last time thieves broke into her storage area; she went to report it at the Linstead Police Station but was told that she would have to catch the thieves and lock them up herself. She said that even though the situation is disheartening she cannot give up because her children are depending on her.

The vendors also spoke about the state of the market facility.

“We are living in the 21st century. I think as a market where food is selling there should be water, and this has been happening before the drought. There is one single pipe that supplies the entire market. They take us out the market with what they say was an intention to fix up the market but the only change that we have seen is a little paint on the building. They also changed the roof but sanitation should have taken priority,” lamented Jacqueline Witter.

“I thought that the new roof would also be extended to the front part of the market area,” interjected Gary Grant, veteran market vendor.

“I find it unfair that vendors have to purchasing their own tarpaulins and making roof-like structures when we are paying the same fees as everyone else. What changes is something as fundamental as that is not done? he questioned.

The sentiments of both parties was echoed by Fuller who said that she was equally disappointed that they could barely identify remnants of the plan for the market that the parish council boasted about.

But market officials said that plans to refurbish the market were ongoing. Chairman of the St Catherine Parish Council and Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott said that phase one of the project is complete. He explained that a bathroom facility was constructed, the canteen renovated and the market furnished with three additional water tanks to supply the vendors with water. But some vendors said they can barely see these changes while other say they had seen none. Officials have since refuted the claims made by the vendors.

They said that they have tried to reach out to vendors as best as possible but continue to face a number of hurdles such as vendors refusing to pay market fees. The officials claim that the issue of the water crisis presented by a number of vendors was not one that the parish council should bear the brunt of.

Market supervisor Aldron Campbell said that the council has been struggling to make ends meet because the fees being paid by vendors is often not enough to cover the expenses associated with the maintenance of the market.

“People often ask to pay another day. Because they haven’t made sales, others try to evade paying all payments. As it relates to the water, we [the parish council] try to ensure at all times that there is adequate supply of water for the vendors. What happened is that vendors and other people come here on the weekends and they bring their clothes to wash. Others wash cars and other things with water provided to supply the market,” he explained.

However, Campbell said that in short order the vendors should see a change in the water supply. He said that the parish council and the National Water Commission (NWC) were in discussion about the future supply of water to the market. This was confirmed by Scott in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Friday. He said that under the amnesty programme offered by NWC, the council has begged pardon for its debts. He said that he received positive feedback and running water should return to the pipes as soon as the issue is ironed out.

“The superintendent is now devising a plan on how to make it difficult for thieves to steal the water provided to the market. Water will be made available to other sections of the market as soon as the system to prevent against theft are in place,” Scott said

“The utility fees at these public establishments are very high — generally because of theft. As part of the second phase of the project we will be erecting fences for reasons of security for vendors, their property, as well as ours and to limit theft of water by the squatter community on the north eastern side of the market,” Scott stated.

But the parish council is not the only government organisation that the vendors lashed out against. O’Neil Fisher, a vegetable vendor who has been at the market for over 20 years said that until fundamental issues such as poor road conditions, and an inability to access water by farmers is addressed, the vendors will continue to live ‘hand to mouth’.

“Nuff time we have to borrow, because things expensive we don’t sell things as fast. Right now selling is just like we keeping the market going, not even we self, just the market. Dem fi make it easier fi farmers because if the road bad and them can’t get no water the price dem ago high,” Fisher said.

Phillip Stone, a customer at the market, shared similar sentiments. Stone, who has been buying at the Linstead Market for over 40 years, said that the parish council needs to make meaningful changes.

“The parish council needs to stop playing games, the ordinary man in the street can think better than the politicians. Dem put the market people dem up deh so inna dust, almost kill dem off and no changes. The market still look so. No man, dem have to help out the vendors. We can’t live without food so show me a place more important, than the market,” Stone said.

(Market)

BCC_2415

Linstead vendor, Carmelita Hartley helps her customers to choose vegetable from her stall.

BCC_2399. Lunette Fuller talking about the variety of peas, beans and ground provisions she provides to customers.

BCC_2452…. Gary Grant dressing his stall.

2486… Jacqueline Witter prepare callaloo for packaging.

2508… Oneil Fisher bags string beans bagging string beans just before he weighs them.

2490… The Linstead market in St Catherine.