Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Tuesday used the opening of the US$50-million MJS Industrial & Technology Park in Spanish Town, St Catherine, to appeal to youngsters involved in criminality to shun that life and make use of the employment opportunities at the facility.

Holness, who was guest speaker at the opening ceremony, also indicated that there are State agencies where those youngsters can acquire the requisite skills needed by companies that have already occupied the industrial and technology park seated on the property that once housed the Ariguanabo textile factory.

“These same criminals can be rehabilitated and can come to work right here. They can come to work in the call centre, they can become data scientists, they can become the people who are manning all the machinery and the equipment in the bakery. Why not?” he said.

“The truth is that we need their labour, and therefore, our policy is clear, and I am now speaking to our young men and women of Spanish Town: HEART Trust training is free, go and get a skill. Make that decision. Put down the gun and the violence and say ‘I am going to HEART’. We have made it so easy. If you are just leaving school, we have a programme called the Care programme,” Holness said.

“If you didn’t get enough Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects, we will support you. Go and get training. We will give you stipend and lunch money to get you into these programmes. Choose the right path and there will be a job for you. You’re not going to get the big pay right away, but work with the programme. Every year it gets better,” he said.

At the same time, he issued his oft-repeated warning: “Go the wrong path and deal with a judge or meet your maker.”

Holness again insisted that the Government was adamant in its quest to continue reducing crime.

“I cannot be clearer about our strategy. Jamaica will attain peace as we had peace up to the 1960s when our murder rate was the equivalent to that of the United States. We will get back to that within this decade unless there are those who cringe at the idea of being deliberate, instrumental, direct, and targeted at criminals involved in scamming and extortion and being the footmen of gangs,” Holness said.

According to the prime minister, one thing that will become increasingly tangible to average Jamaicans is the reality of peace and security. He pointed out that many years after the Ariguanabo factory closed down, no one had a vision for the remaining 15-acre space after much of the land was used to build Angels housing scheme. That, he said, was due to the perception created that the area was not safe and that it would be unprofitable for private investment.

“So you see the weight that crime and violence places on our economic development and that it suppresses us? Do you see why we can’t be ambivalent in once and for all dealing with the gangs that are in the business of violence. They are not our friends. They mean us no good. They have held down Spanish Town for decades. I say to you today, if we achieve peace in Spanish Town there would be a rushing sound of investors into this place because you have a population that is largely well-trained,” said Holness, who was born and raised in Spanish Town.

“You already have basic infrastructure in place and you have some of the most creative people in and around this area. Government’s strategy, which runs parallel to our economic strategy, is our strategy for peace. The less than 1,000 criminals who make Jamaica be perceived as unsafe can be easily addressed and they have been largely addressed,” he said, adding that the Government will not not relent in ensuring that the fewer than 1,000 people who are seeking to prevent Jamaicans from achieving their dreams and aspirations fail in their mission.

The industrial and technology park already provides more than 2,500 jobs of the at least 5,000 projected. Among the companies in the park are Transparent BPO, IntouchCX, Sagility, Honey Bun and the Jamaica Fire Brigade.

Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott described the development as a rebirth of the old capital.

The main forces behind the project are Michael Subratie and The Musson Group, whose Executive Chairman PB Scott bought into the idea after being relentlessly pressed by Subratie.

Subratie said the vision came into form when he realised how overcrowded Kingston was and that droves of people were travelling from Spanish Town, Old Harbour, and Portmore in St Catherine to get to work in the capital city.

“Why not build where the people already are? This location, which is close to the North-South Highway, near to GC Foster College and nestled in a rich community, was the perfect fit. We got to work. Our team was nothing short of extraordinary. We began reimagining what this place could be. Slowly, this vision took shape. We reached out to Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro), the Special Economic Zone Authority, Minister Aubyn Hill and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and, of course, Paul B Scott. He is not just my brother-in-law, but also one of my best friends, and a true business visionary,” Subratie said.

He said when he first pitched the idea to Scott “he looked at me as if I lost it. He goes, ‘No one is going to invest there, the stigma is way too big’. I looked him dead in the eye and said ‘I will’. Just like that we were off to the races, no turning back. That was how much I believed in this vision. I was all-in and once PB saw that passion, Musson jumped on board and the momentum took off,” Subratie explained.

“Jampro connected us with investors. The first was Transparent BPO, then Scott Newman along with Lance Hale, who is with us today, despite what he heard about Spanish Town, he visited, climbed through the ruins just like we did, and like Minister Hill did, and saw the potential. Scott Newman said ‘yes’ and with that we were off. Today, Transparent BPO is here. Sagility is here and making waves,” he said.