HAUGHTON GROVE, Hanover — Twenty-five-year-old Haughton Grove resident Vachelle Barrett didn’t vote in the last general election, and harbours no thoughts of voting anytime soon.

In fact, she told the Jamaica Observer last week that she will not be exercising her franchise in the upcoming parliamentary elections, widely expected to be held this year.

She argued that there is “basically no difference” between the two major political parties as it relates to the development of the Hanover Eastern constituency.

“I wasn’t really interested in politics, but when I was about 19 years old, at that time I believe the People’s National Party was in power, I said to myself [that] I would watch how they perform. And now that the Jamaica Labour Party is in power, I am able to make a comparison, and I don’t see any difference between them — both of them are the same, so I won’t be voting,” said Barrett.

She stressed that programmes to enhance the development of the youth are lacking in the constituency, adding that poor road infrastructure and the lack of potable water also need to be addressed.

“The area badly needs youth development, water and better roads,” she insisted.

“The youths don’t have anything to occupy their minds, their time, no skills training centres, the roads in communities such as Copse, Haughton Grove, Milestown are terrible, and a number of communities suffer from a lack of piped water,” added Barrett.

She pointed out that a building in her Haughton Grove community, where skills training was being offered, has been abandoned since the roof was badly damaged by Hurricane Gilbert almost 32 years ago.

“Up to now, no one has ever seen it fit to repair that roof, so there is no training taking place there. The youths in my area want some training, they want some form of certification, but everyone has turned a blind eye on the matter,” she argued.

According to Barrett, the centre offered a wide variety of courses, including dressmaking, tailoring and culinary arts.

Great Valley resident Austin Golding, who has been living in the constituency for more than 20 years, said his community has been without potable water for decades.

“I have been living here for many, many years, and there is no piped water. We have to buy water, build or buy tanks, and depend on the rainfall,” said Golding, who says he is a farmer.

Donnette Coke, a resident of the nearby community of Cold Spring, also bemoaned the absence of potable water in his community.

“The community has never had piped water. Pipes don’t even run in the community. We have to depend on the spring and rainfall to get water,” said the 56-year-old.

He, too, cited the need for skills-training centres for the youth, and the need for assistance to farmers.

“Nothing nah gwaan around here. You have to be good to survive,” he stressed.

Tamara Hazle, another Cold Spring resident, also lamented the lack of potable water, pointing out that residents have been promised piped water by politicians from both sides of the political divide, for many decades.

“Them come from both sides and promised us better roads and water, but up to now none has delivered water. It was just recently them fix a section of the road. So right now, our greatest cry is [for] water,” said Hazle, as she sat on a culvert surrounded by loads of dirty clothes, utilising water which flowed from a spring at a section of the road to do her laundry.

Hundreds of Hanover Eastern residents rely heavily on the tourism sector for employment.

The parliamentary seat, which borders constituencies such as St James West Central, Hanover Western, St James Southern, and Westmoreland Central, is home to the Grand Palladium Hotel, the Tryall Club, and Round Hill Hotel.

But, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of workers who were employed at the properties have been out of work.

“Right now we are struggling because of COVID-19, nothing nah gwaan for us,” said a hotel worker.

She also expressed the view that more opportunities should be created for the scores of farmers who cultivate a variety of crops.

“The farmers need help, they need better roads, water, and they need a secure market for their produce,” she stressed.