Dear Editor,

The allocation of funds to Members of Parliament (MPs) for the repair of roads and the request from Prime Minister Andrew Holness for a list of roads in need of repair directly from the MPs are undermining the importance of local government and governance by the elected parish municipalities.

To add insult to injury, the claim by Opposition member Mikael Phillips that MPs would be unable to provide such a list by March 31, 2024 points to the forgotten role of councillors across the varied divisions within the parishes that comprise the governing municipalities.

Since the last local government election, citizens across Jamaica have been complaining about the poor conditions of roads. Secondly, as we lead up to this local government election, both political parties have candidates in the divisions campaigning for votes and ought to have familiarised themselves with the needs of their respective divisions.

Along with this, the basic division of parishes begins with the Social Development Commission (SDC). The SDC is the Government of Jamaica’s main community mobilising and organising agency, working with Jamaica’s 783 communities. The SDC’s overarching strategic objective is to advance the economic development of communities through integrated community development strategies. The SDC is positioned in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development and sends its reports/minutes to the minister and copies to Members of Parliament.

Another level is the parish divisions led by elected councillors who comprise the parish municipalities under the leadership of a mayor hence the requested list can be made available before the next local government election.

On the issue of road repairs, the use of asphalt generally guarantees a road life of 18 years. Since the introduction of the National Works Agency (NWA) and the involvement of some genetically connected contractors, millions of dollars have been wasted fixing roads that last until the next heavy rains.

The people in Manchester have witnessed this, in that roads that were repaired in 2021 were resurfaced late 2023. Those funds could have been spent in education and health if the quality of our roads was not compromised in the first place.

If the local municipalities are important for governance, then let us stop undermining their role and demand of them the required information that they should have had in the first place.

Dudley McLean II

Manchester

dm15094@gmail.com