Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie has called on legal funeral home operators to uphold the standards of the industry, while also playing their part to protect the integrity of the business by not assisting those operating outside of the regulations.

He made the call on Tuesday at an annual appreciation function for funeral directors, hosted by Meadowrest Memorial Gardens, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.

McKenzie said that when he was the mayor of Kingston, he met regularly with the stakeholders in the funeral business to talk about their concerns. He said, however, that in recent times, interest in improving the industry appears to have fallen by the wayside.

“I watched in amazement the other night on TV, a man complaining that as an undertaker he is not getting any business, business slow. And when I focused on the news, he’s operating out of his house, complaining bitterly that he’s being forced out of business and they (are) fighting against his business,” McKenzie said.

“And this only goes to show that there are serious offences being committed by many persons in the business. For one, operating in areas that are not zoned to be used for that kind of commercial activities… when I listened to this man in his own words say that, ‘Look, I don’t have a refrigerator. I know where I can get one to borrow’… this is not what the business is all about,” the minister continued.

He noted that if there is any respect to be had by those responsible for taking care of the dead, then some higher levels of professionalism, understanding, as well as decency need to be brought to the business.

“When I listened to him, I want to call the mayor of Portmore to tell him to get a clip of that news item and go and serve the necessary notice on him to cease his operations, because it is an illegal operation. And it is not only in residential communities you find it, you find it in areas that are not zoned for that kind of commercial business,” McKenzie told attendees.

He recounted an instance where he said he saw a man washing a body out of the back of a motor vehicle. The minister also spoke of another instance where he discovered “to his disgust and surprise”, that the man was storing bodies in a “big, deep freeze”.

McKenzie said that such situations are “no laughing matter”, and that they reflect badly on those who have sacrificed and gone through the proper training to live up to the expectations of the client and the country, but are short-changed.

“Some of you support them because you hold bodies for them, you allow them to use your facilities; but if you are comfortable with what is happening in the business then that is why you have been quiet. I have not heard any calls, of late, to bring an end to this activity which is crippling the industry and crippling your business. And because so many people cannot afford to bury their loved ones, they turn to these so-called undertakers or funeral homes,” the local government minister stated.

He said the professionals in the industry must take responsibility for training and to ensure that the nobility of the profession is upheld as the negative instances reflect poorly on all stakeholders, even those who are doing what they should.

McKenzie told attendees that as they reflect upon the appreciation of their service, they need to also reflect on things that will help to better the industry on a whole, such as advocating for a state-of-the-art facility for conducting autopsies, to ensure a quicker and more professional turnaround time.