KINGSTON, Jamaica — Political commentators are calling for politicians to reject the urge to immortalise themselves and their colleagues by sticking their names on buildings and monuments funded with taxpayers’ money.

For years, Jamaica has adopted the common practice of naming public infrastructure after politicians.

Some notable infrastructure named after politicians include the Norman Manley International Airport, the Michael Manley National Housing Trust building, and the Bustamante and Edward Seaga highways.

The latest on the long list is the new shelter for homeless people in downtown Kingston, named the Desmond McKenzie Transitional Centre for the Homeless after the sitting Member of Parliament and Local Government Minister.

A resolution for the homeless shelter at 163-167 King Street to bear McKenzie’s name was approved at a Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation council meeting in May, citing what it said is the “lasting impact McKenzie has had on people islandwide, while performing duties as mayor of Kingston and St Andrew”.

READ: New state-of-the-art homeless shelter to be named after Desmond McKenzie

Speaking with OBSERVER ONLINE, Political Commentator Kenyatta Powell criticised the move and called for politicians to resist the urge to engage in the practice he believes is “unethical”.

“That urge to immortalise themselves by sticking their names on public property demonstrates a kind of inflated ego that certainly rubs me the wrong way. One would hope that politicians would show a little bit more thought and be a little bit more circumspect than to just run headlong to put their names on to public infrastructure,” Powell shared.

“It’s certainly quite distasteful when you’re talking about an actual sitting politician in representational politics who presumably is going to fight two or three more elections and somebody who is regularly poking fun at his political opponents and in the heat of political battle. Certainly, it’s inadvisable to stick a person like that name on public infrastructure that is there to serve everybody. It is there to serve PNP, JLP, no P. It’s there to serve everybody, so I call into question the thought process and the good sense of the people who took that decision,” he continued.

While Powell was uncertain if this was the first time a public infrastructure was being named after a sitting Member of Parliament, he expressed hopes it would not be repeated.

“We shouldn’t repeat it. I think under the best of circumstances where the politician in question has long retired or even passed away, that would be the best of circumstances if you’re gonna try to immortalise that person to honour that person by putting their name on public infrastructure.

“Even then, that’s still ‘iffy’ because politicians are people and they often have complex legacies and when you put somebody’s name on public infrastructure, that is to immortalise the person and to lionise the person and that kind of honouring and immortalising might not tell the full story of who that person was and the fullness of their impact on politics and on the country,” he explained.

Failing to find a political benefit, Powell chalked the practice up to “ego”.

“I can’t see how it helps in future elections…I think this is all just an ego trip. I don’t know that putting Desmond McKenzie on this homeless shelter means that the JLP gets more votes (or) that Desmond McKenzie gets more votes… It’s ego,” he said.

The commentator suggested other categories of respectable Jamaicans who could be used as an alternative to naming public infrastructure after politicians.

“Jamaica isn’t short of famous, important people who are non-politicians, who are not involved in the cut and such of partisan politics. We have a lot of distinguished sons and daughters of the soil that we could if we wanted to, to honour them by putting their names on public infrastructure,” Powell shared.

“But guess what? You don’t have to put anybody’s name on it. You could put the name of the parish on it, call it the Central Kingston Homeless and Drop In Centre, name it after the geographical area that it’s in. There is absolutely no need to put the name of a human being whether that human being is dead or alive or retired…

“But I mean if you have to put a name on it, look for somebody who is non-partisan, who is generally respected across the board, maybe somebody who has been involved in the same kind of sector that the infrastructure is related to, put that person’s name on the building,” he continued.

Political commentator Dr Paul Ashley went beyond calling for the cessation of the exercise. He demanded the removal of the previously appointed names.

“The position is, it is not being financed and maintained by the Member of Parliament nor the politician. It is being maintained and financed by the taxpayers of this country. Indeed, some of the politicians that it is named after, never even have driven on the road. I can’t see the relevance of naming infrastructure after political figures,” Dr Ashley said, adding “I am in for not only the cessation but the removal of the names from my days and all of that.”

“It is not only politicians who have contributed to development in Jamaica so I can’t see why everywhere you turn a politician have a road named after him. He is being paid for the work he has done and some of them who have the roads named after them, never really business bout infrastructure. In fact, some of them have objected to the building of the very road and yet still it’s named after them,” he continued.

Pointing to other notable individuals who have helped to build the country, Dr Ashley said, “We should look on honouring the variety of Jamaicans who have contributed to the development of Jamaica. I have no objections to having Collie Smith Drive, because Collie Smith is a noted cricketer. I will have no objections to naming something after (Elaine) Thompson-Herah, she brings fame to Jamaica. Some of these politicians are not known outside Jamaica, they not even known outside the constituency that the infrastructure is in.”

“Dr Lecky — breeding cow; we have famous poets, internationally known; we have cricketers who have brought international fame, glory and attention to Jamaica. Some of these politicians have been wutliss. We have well known doctors; we have people in agriculture, everything but everywhere you turn, you’d feel seh is only politicians matter in Jamaica.”

Dr Ashley added: “Because we’re an ex-colonial society, if you notice every town have a King Street and we tend to name important streets after the colonisers, now we replace them by the politicians. What have the politicians contributed towards the road buildings? Nothing. Some of the roads have disgraceful potholes so it’s not even a fitting memory of the individuals. And politicians are paid to do the work and some of them got money by, let us say, extra legal means, so some of them were corrupt yet still we are naming roads, schools, hospitals, housing schemes, ridiculous! And then after you name it after the past politicians, what happen to the present politicians who a look a name too? What we going to do?”

He further pointed to different cultures where infrastructures are given generic names, not associated with politicians.

“Let us have Highway H1, H2, H3. If you’re in the states (US), you’re on the I-95, and you come off at Bypass 4 or whatever and look how much politicians the United States have. We must stop this foolishness man. I’m not into naming infrastructure after politicians and some of the roads are in a disgraceful state and some of the schools need funding — what about the maintenance of all those buildings you name after politicians? I’m not into that.”

“You soon here people grabbing for who gonna get named part of the highway to go cross Morant Bay. No sah, we Jamaican taxpayers, we pay for it, we pay for the maintenance and when it done, dem put a toll pon it so nuh bother name nothing after them. After all, you name the money after them, you name the school after them, you name the highway after them, you soon have hell now fi fight fi name Jamaica after them,” he continued.

“Politicians are paid public servants who are here for a time, some of them have nothing to be proud of. Maybe if we want to be cynical we name some jailhouses after them. Maybe it will be more appropriate to name some prisons after them with how corruption going,” Dr Ashley said.

Meanwhile political commentator, Michael Burke said public infrastructure should be named strictly through an impartial committee, such as the one that organises National Honours and Awards.

“It should be an impartial committee of historians and other people who check about what people have done. Those are the people who should name, not politicians and certainly people should not be naming things after themselves,” he explained.

“Let the next generation determine the work and worth of Desmond McKenzie and decide that. It should not be decided by politicians,” Burke added.