Kingston can become centre of activities in Caribbean – PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says Kingston has the potential to become the centre of activities in the Caribbean.
He contended that the capital city is capable of being the epicentre of culture, arts and entertainment, commerce, industry, logistics and lifestyle.
The prime minister said that the necessary steps must be taken to reposition and elevate Kingston’s profile, in order for it to achieve this status.
He was speaking at a town hall meeting organised by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) at National Heroes Park in Kingston on October 25, to discuss the Government Circle Project being proposed for the area.
Holness said Kingston is among the Caribbean’s most notable cities along with Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Bridgetown, Barbados; Havana, Cuba; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
He noted, however, that Kingston has the advantage of being the region’s central city, based on its geographical location.
Noting developments being undertaken in Port of Spain, he said it is “time to get Kingston burnished, polished and looking shiny again, because Kingston can be the centre of choice where people come to work and live and raise their families and retire in paradise… there is no question about that”.
“We have to start working on that now; the time is now… [for] us to action our prosperity,” he stressed.
The Government Circle Project, being spearheaded by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), will also entail the construction of a Houses of Parliament building on a section of the 52-acre National Heroes Park, and new offices for 14 government ministries and improved housing on some 300 acres of land around the property.
