Dear Editor,

I, along with all well-thinking Jamaicans, feel deeply disappointed by Member of Parliament Juliet Holness’s reaction and divisive response to the plight of the over 700,000 Jamaicans, including women and children, who live in informal settlements; are plagued by mounds of garbage in their communities due to the failure of the municipal authorities; and feel threatened, unsafe, and at risk leaving their homes each day.

A well-known commentator suggested she had thrown a stone in a hog pen. His analogy was an unfortunate choice of words but captures eerily the conditions that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Administration has presided over with nonchalance.

If Jamaica has become a pigsty or hog pen we look squarely in the Government’s direction for a reasoned and mature response by taking accountability and action; instead, we are met with diversion and blame-throwing.

Dismissing people’s genuine hardship as they are forced to contend with the stench of rotting garbage, the scourge of crime, and inequitable access to housing and land affirms the belief that the JLP Government is uncaring and sympathetic only to the needs of the rich.

Did the unforced error by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to demolish homes in Clifton, earning him the new name Demolition Man, trigger Juliet Holness’s visceral attack on the majority of Jamaicans?

I strongly suggest she apologises to the Jamaican public for her insensitive, misleading, and unwarranted remarks.

Juliet Holness, before you cross the aisle to ascribe blame, I encourage you to do the responsible thing — encourage accountability from your colleagues who, as ministers, have a duty to solve these problems.

The time has come for her to call on Minister Desmond McKenzie to account for the failure in garbage collection and request from him clear timelines and outcomes that will solve the problem.

The time has come for her to call on Prime Minister Holness to develop a caring housing and land policy so Jamaicans have an unencumbered, equitable, and affordable path to home ownership.

The time has come for Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke to help ease the financial chokehold and give the people a break by rolling back the gas tax as was done in St Vincent and the Grenadines or cap gas prices as was done in Barbados.

The time has come to advocate for a real crime reduction and prevention plan which includes reinstating the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) so we can stop the growth of gangs and train and deploy an army of social workers to help strengthen families and communities.

Juliet Holness, your decision to launch a verbal attack on less privileged Jamaicans was disrespectful and divisive.

“Fix up your argument,” Juliet Holness, and hold your colleagues accountable to the duty they have to fix up our country.

People’s National Party Women’s Movement