Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
Inaction Ann?
Ann-Marie Vaz.
Letters
April 13, 2022

Inaction Ann?

Dear Editor,

After a long day at work I usually take a virtual stroll across my social media pages. The evening of Monday, April 4, 2022 was no exception.

I strolled inquisitively across Twitter and, to use the beautiful Jamaican vernacular, “Mi buck up pon a tweet.” That tweet was made by Member of Parliament (MP) for Portland Eastern Ann-Marie Vaz in which she reminisced with pride on having won the seat three years ago. What caught my attention, though, is the last sentence: “I will continue to work relentlessly for our prosperity.”

I paused at the word prosperity.

Nonetheless, I watched as many of those who had never returned to Portland Eastern post-April 2019 retweeted and quoted from the tweet, adding baseless accolades.

Let me quickly admit that, in 2019, I, like many Portlanders, were hoodwinked by glorious promises. I had returned to Jamaica and thought that “my Portland” should have been more developed.

Three years after winning, the reality has set in; many of the platform promises were just that, promises. The promise that Portland would be clean and green was the biggest farce.

The lack of garbage collection across the constituency is gut-wrenching, and it has become the norm for garbage pile-up to extend for four to six weeks, during which we are left at the mercy of rodents.

Certainly, I’d much prefer to take a stroll across social media than on Harbour Street or West Street. The stench on those two main thoroughfares is stifling. I have to literally hold my breath when traversing those two streets.

The constituents of Eastern Portland continue to hold their collective breaths in relation to the promise of water. Does the MP understand the plight of the constituents of Norwich Heights who still have to congregate at the standpipe at first and last to fill their buckets and drums? Water lock-offs in Port Antonio used to be twice per week prior to 2019. Fast-forward to 2022, water lock-offs have increased to four times per week.

I remember hearing much talk about roads. Has the MP driven through the town of Port Antonio lately? Has the MP driven on the Dolphin Bay road recently? Has she driven through Breastworks or Boundbrook Avenue or Norwich Heights? The entire road network across Port Antonio has become worse than what she inherited in 2019.

So, while the twitterati actively heaps empty praises on the MP for ‘action’, the people of Eastern Portland are in no way better than when we started with her in 2019.

John Scarborough

scarborough876@gmail.com

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

The invisible watermark — AI-written text can now be identified, and what that means for your business
Business, Latest News
The invisible watermark — AI-written text can now be identified, and what that means for your business
Every week this column shows what AI can do for a finance team. This week, a change announced just days ago: Claude now embeds an invisible watermark in the text it generates, which means AI-assisted work is becoming identifiable — and the businesses with nothing to adjust are the ones that never pretended otherwise.
Peta-Gaye Hardy, Founder, PGH Consulting, LLC 
August 14, 2026
On Tuesday, 11 August, Anthropic confirmed a change this column has been expecting for a while: text generated by its newest Claude models now carries...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Ex-Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism scandal found dead
International News, Latest News
Ex-Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism scandal found dead
August 14, 2026
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Black academic Jason Arday, who resigned from the University of Cambridge last week amid a high-profile plagiarism stor...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
48-hour curfew imposed in sections of St James
Latest News, News
48-hour curfew imposed in sections of St James
August 14, 2026
ST JAMES, Jamaica  —   A 48-hour curfew has been imposed in sections of Pound Road, Springmount, in St James. The curfew began at 6:00 pm on Thursday,...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Fi We Children condemns violence at Zimi Seh Beach that left two teens injured
Latest News, News
Fi We Children condemns violence at Zimi Seh Beach that left two teens injured
August 14, 2026
Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF) has condemned the altercation at the Zimi Seh Beach party in St Ann that left two teenage boys, ages 15 and 17, injur...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Haitian PM reiterates elections will take place this year
Latest News, Regional
Haitian PM reiterates elections will take place this year
August 14, 2026
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) —  Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé says the “the elections will take place this year, no matter what” as the ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Cardi B to perform in Jamaica at BZR WKND on October 18
Entertainment, Latest News
Cardi B to perform in Jamaica at BZR WKND on October 18
KEVIN JACKSON, Observer writer 
August 14, 2026
Multi-platinum selling rapper Cardi B is set to headline a concert in Jamaica on Sunday, October 18 at the National Stadium. The event, billed Cardi B...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
PNPYO calls for urgent response to teacher ‘migration crisis’
Latest News, News
PNPYO calls for urgent response to teacher ‘migration crisis’
August 14, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party Youth Organisation (PNPYO) is calling on the Government to implement a comprehensive national teacher-...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Colombia quake survivor faces life without triplet sisters
International News, Latest News
Colombia quake survivor faces life without triplet sisters
August 14, 2026
CALI, Colombia (AFP) — Colombian earthquake survivor Ana Maria Saavedra is out of physical danger, but for her the hardest part lies ahead: starting a...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct