KINGSTON, Jamaica— Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Western, Ian Hayles, has lamented that more than 230 days after Hurricane Melissa some residents of hard-hit parishes continue to suffer.

Hayles addressed the issue on June 23 during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

He told the Parliament that after 230 days, people were still living under tarpaulin; had little or no employment; were still without light and water; and were facing “unimaginable suffering”.

“Better must be done!” said the Opposition Spokesman on Water. He also lectured his fellow lawmakers about their conduct in Parliament while taking a swipe at the Government which he suggested was sabotaging the Opposition.

“I stand here today in what I still consider an honourable House, Hayles said, adding that, “As I sit here, week in and week out, I cannot help but think that we sometimes do our Jamaican brothers and sisters a great disservice by fueling a narrative that all we do is fight in Parliament”.

“Some even call us the gangs of Gordon House. Yet I know we can send a better message,” said the Opposition Spokesman.

Hayles said it was his “conviction and belief that the People’s National Party (PNP) has always done a better job in serving the poor and vulnerable of our country, in serving the marginalised, in serving those who some may consider to be the have nots”.

He said he was aware that the PNP and the governing Jamaica Labour Party are on two separate tracks. “We have different belief systems, but we should all be focused on the same destination, a better Jamaica for all Jamaicans,” he stated.

Insisting that both sides must work together, Hayles said, “We can agree to disagree, once it does not stop the work of the people. No political party affiliation should punish anyone on this side from getting the resources to do the work of the people”.

Hayles made it clear that he will always hold the government accountable to do the work of the people since the Parliament is “still the only place I can come to beg roof for the roofless after Hurricane Melissa, even when I am told no after no”.

He said it should not be that “because my side is not in power, there is no meaningful help for the roads, no help with water supply, no help for the garbage collection in Western Westmoreland, and the list goes on”.

“Yet still, I come,” said Hayles.