Dear Editor,

There was a letter to the editor in yesterday’s Jamaica Observer attacking Robert Nesta Morgan and saying he should stay away from Clarendon North Central.

I believe the writer neither knows Robert Nesta Morgan nor lives in the constituency.

The writer would know that Robert Morgan has been contributing to his community even before he became a politician. How can you ask a person who has spent their entire life in a community to stay away?

It was I who interviewed him for the sixth-form programme at Clarendon College in 1999. I am very proud of that decision as he has made significant contributions to the school, both as a student and a past student. Particularly with the launch of the Pansie Porteous Grant which, for the last three years, has enabled several poor students to be able to afford their books and other fees. This is important in lifting people out of poverty and some of these students have gone on to achieve much.

Robert was the first to advocate for the placing of computers in basic schools here and, through the Digicel Foundation in 2013, got a donation of computers to the Woodhall Basic School where he attended.

The black tank at the Woodhall School in Shingles Hut was donated by him many years ago, even before he entered politics. He has, for the last 10 years, been an important sponsor of the Woodhall football team, helping them progress through various competitions. Even before politics, he was helping to send many students to school and mentoring dozens of others.

Robert’s father was born in Rock River and he has hundreds of family members there. His stepmother is from Mocho and he also has hundreds of family members there. His late grandmother, mother, brothers and sisters are all from Woodhall, and his extended family there is too numerous to count.

Every time I pass Cocoa Piece I look up the hill where he was born and I am happy that, as a community, we were able to mentor and guide him over the years so he could come back and make a contribution to his community. I wish more young people would do that.

He is our son of the soil and we are very proud of him. I remember him as being very studious, and even when he had little he was always willing to share. He is an inspiration to many young people here and, while I don’t know if he is going to be the candidate, I know his support here is significant not because of money or social media, but because of the work he has done in building the community.

Hassett Stone, JP

Retired vice-principal, Clarendon College

Clarendon North Central

Hassettstone@yahoo.com