KINGSTON, Jamaica — State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Delano Seiveright, took to Parliament to firmly defend the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Act, making the case that Jamaica needs speed, structure and accountability to drive post-hurricane reconstruction and resilience.

The act aims to establish a central authority to manage post-Hurricane Melissa rebuilding efforts.

Seiveright pushed back on criticisms, noting the Bill provides: clear coordination (Clause 4), Cabinet oversight (Clause 17), strong audit and reporting (Clauses 9–11), transparency through a public register (Clause 20), and faster approvals with safeguards (Clauses 21–24).

He warned that many countries struggled after disasters due to poor coordination, oversight paralysis and slow execution, lessons Jamaica must avoid.

“This is not unchecked power. This is organised, accountable urgency.”

NaRRA, he said, is time-bound, transparent and built for delivery.