KINGSTON, Jamaica — Embattled Parliament back-bencher, George Wright, yesterday pleaded for the construction of more housing for his constituents, as well as the divestment of land for farming and investments such as BPOs.

Wright, who was making his maiden address in the House of Representatives, after pulling off a major upset in Westmoreland Central in the September 3,2020, General Election, also praised the 50-year-old Sav-La-Mar Hospital for being “so gracious” in taking care of him and his “significant other”, Tannisha Singh, during their recent bout with COVID-19.

He received a loud welcome from recent colleagues on the Government benches, as he sought leave to speak from a more prominent seat rather than his remote placement at the back of the Opposition benches, and was offered a much more visible position by Deputy Speaker, Juliet Holness.

He said that as a survivor of COVID-19 he saw it as his duty to reinforce and encourage the citizens of the country, to adhere to the prescribed protocols from the Ministry of Health and Wellness and help return the parish to normal.

“We all watched the Sav-La-Mar General Hospital being on the nightly news on television, at the heights of the pandemic,” he noted.

He said that hospital’s response to their needs led him to call for plans to add an additional wing to the hospital, which will increase its capacity and provide improved life saving service, such as ultra sound and radiological services.

“I must inform this Honourable House that my request was approved and the ground breaking has taken place and construction begins,” he said to loud from government MPs. 

He noted that he and his team has been supporting the government’s efforts to increase the number of people taking the vaccination, by distributing over 5,000 masks and sanitizers and organising residents to reach the vaccination sites.

He thanked the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service for their support for residents by providing over 100 people with CARE benefits. He said that, additionally, he was able to provide an additional 500 packages for constituents who needed help.

Turning to the capacity of the residents to survive the pandemic, Wright noted that the people of the constituency have limited job opportunities within the parish, and since March 2020, there has been a drastic increase in their loss of income.

“It is important to note that a lot of residents in my constituency are employed within the tourism industry, where the greatest impact from COVID-19 was felt,” he argued.

“The vast majority of my constituents have to travel to work outside of the parish. It is against that background that I suggest to the Honourable Prime Minister and the Government to put the many parcels of Government-owned idle lands to use,” he suggested.

 He said that those lands could be used to create BPO sector, or any similar business comparable to those which are already operating at the Montego Bay Freeport.

Wright pointed out that, for years, the people Westmoreland Central had voted “one way”, for the People’s National Party (PNP), but the result had been “poor representation, a faltering health scheme, social and economic issues that are crippling the constituency”.

He said that he had also inherited poor infrastructure development, a decaying education system and most importantly, an inadequate housing solution, even though on one occasion the constituency was represented by former PNP Minister of Housing, Dr Karl Blythe.

He said, however, that the level of neglect has come to an end, “and the beginning of the end started in September, 2020, when the people of Westmoreland Central placed their trust in the Andrew Michael Holness [administration]”.

Wright has resigned from the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in June, after a controversial video showing him attacking his common-law-wife, Singh, with an object went viral, just about six months after beating the odds to win the PNP stronghold in September last year .

The video triggered calls for his resignation coming from some Jamaicans; but that could not force him out of the Parliament. He eventually apologized and resigned from the JLP, and has continued as a back-bencher, since.

 Balford Henry