PORUS, Manchester — Residents of Redberry, demanding that water woes and deplorable road conditions in their community be addressed, have warned that if the authorities don’t give attention to their plight they will block a section of the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000, which runs through the area.

“Is more than eight years now this road stay like this and there is no representative. We just get promise year after year. The MP would come and say, ‘We get $60 million or $70 million to do the road.’ We nuh see no money spend. The councillor would say she have $6 million to do some things. We nuh see nothing happen. We are suffering in terms of political representation,” a Redberry resident said on Monday during a roadblock in the area.

The roadblock resulted in scores of commuters, including children, being stranded or forced to walk for miles.

Another resident who identified herself as Channer said the community has been getting “empty promises” from the elected representatives.

“Bare dust a kill we. Look how mi foot white and how mi slippers dirty! They [politicians] come all the while and is pure promises. They promise to run a pipeline and then fix the road and up until now we don’t hear anything more. We only see them when it is voting time, then after that we nuh see them again,” she said.

“The community is big — you have Watermouth, Redberry, Ramble, Reeveswood, you have St Toolies, Harmons,” she added.

Opposition Senator Peter Bunting, who is the People’s National Party’s representative in Manchester Southern, claimed that the community was being politically victimised.

“What is adding insult to injury is that the elected representatives haven’t given them the respect and the courtesy to come and hear their concerns. There is no water. There is no road. By contrast, they are looking at other communities where not as many people live and yet they have very good roads. Their feeling is that they are being victimised because they are PNP,” he said while touring the area on Monday.

“Well, time come that elected representatives stop using taxpayers to victimise people because they feel they didn’t support them,” added Bunting.

He said residents have warned that if they are not satisfied with the response from the authorities they will block the highway.

“I believe if they don’t get a response, the situation is at risk of even the highway getting blocked — if that is what is going to get the attention of the authorities. We are appealing to the authorities to respond to the situation because if not, residents say they are going to escalate the demonstration and it will become more disruptive; not because they are off the main means that they don’t matter. Not because they are off the main road means they can be ignored,” he said.

“They have rights as citizens, as taxpayers, and those deserve to be addressed,” added Bunting.

Councillor Claudia Morant-Baker (Jamaica Labour Party, Porus Division) sought to allay concerns over the bad road conditions and water woes in Redberry.

“I am not going to be angry at the residents and I am not going to quarrel because I understand this way of communication. We are aware that people need the basic amenities to survive,” she said.

“I am also aware as the sitting councillor for the division that there is a commitment for some monies to be allocated on the road. I am also aware that due process must be done to accommodate the situation that is already there,” she said, while adding that $104 million was promised for allocation to address the road condition.

In regards to the water woes, Morant-Baker pointed to the need to build out the piping before the road is fixed.

“We have been in dialogue with the [National] Water Commission. We know that it doesn’t make any sense we put in [a] beautiful road and there is no potable water — it must be done before,” she said, pointing out that she couldn’t give a timeline.

“I cannot relate to you to tell you that it is going to be done next week or week after next. I know the due process is being done. The water commission is doing their part because there must be a lift pump in the area. I did some investigation to find out that the request has been made for the procurement of the lift pump,” added Morant-Baker.

She said of the tanks which were placed in the community to alleviate the water crisis, some were stolen and one was destroyed by fire.

“There are five tanks that were stolen. One was burnt, because of a fire… I think persons should be appreciative until the due process is done. The area has been without piped water all my life [and] I am [now] 48 years old. The MP [Robert Chin] has been there three years and making a difference,” she said.