Dear Editor,

The parish of Trelawny has outgrown the capacity of its political representatives. My reason for coming to such a dramatic conclusion is that this great parish is sitting on an investment potential of over $40 billion, and it requires that the political representatives have the intellectual and technical capacity and vision to bring such investment potential to fruition.

So far, in my humble opinion, none of the elected politicians in the parish, both at the parliamentary and local government levels, has exhibited the vision or articulated a position to move the parish forward.

I am even more disturbed when I look at the list of candidates vying to replace the present ones, as they, too, lack the capacity and vision to make a difference.

Trelawny is peculiar in its history, flora, fauna, water topography, resources, agriculture, soil, climate, and its people. The most iconic sports personality in the world, Usain Bolt, is a native of the parish, as well as the most decorated Jamaican female athlete, Veronica Campbell Brown. With its population of 83,000 (estimated), Trelawny has earned more Olympic and World Championship medals per capita than any other parish, state, or province in the world. The Cockpit Country, located in the parish, is the only wet limestone forest remaining in the western world. With nutraceutical potential, the forest boasts indigenous plant species. The topography of the parish makes it the only parish in the Caribbean that can boast a coastal plain and plains above 5,000 ft above sea level in the plains of Troy and Freeman’s hall, both in south Trelawny.

The next set of political representatives must have the capacity to match the growth potential of such a great parish. It is up to the political parties to look at the parish as the most likely to contribute positively to economic growth.

The councillor should have at least a bachelor’s degree in either management or planning. And with political reform as part of the equation, it would be very appropriate to directly elect the position of mayor for the parish, allowing a larger pool of candidates. This person must have at least a master’s degree in finance or management to run this $40 billion “industry” of:

1) tourism (eco, health, sports, cruise shipping, heritage) $20b

2) agriculture/agro industries…$4b

3) hydroelectric/water…$2b

4) commerce and transportation…$4b

5) real estate and housing… $8b

6) social and physical infrastructure…$1b

7) cottage industries and small business… $1b

With such huge potential and such weak political representation, my heart bleeds for my beloved parish of Trelawny.

Fernandez “Bingy” Smith

fgeesmith@yahoo.com