KINGSTON, Jamaica—Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew West Rural, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, is imploring both the National Works Agency (NWA) and parish councils (municipal corporations), to ensure that construction is undertaken in a way that does not put lives at risk.

She made the call as she opened the 2026/27 State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on September 22.

“We must build, but we must build responsibly. I call on the parish councils and the National Works Agency to do their jobs effectively. When people are allowed to tear down embankments and build concrete houses, it is wrong. When sand, gravel and stones are dumped on main roads to facilitate construction, it is wrong,” said Cuthbert-Flynn.

“When people build illegally on embankments, they can create serious problems with land slippage. We have seen the consequences,” she added while telling the House of an incident a few years ago where a baby lost her life after a house slid down a ravine because of improper construction and the absence of the necessary approvals.

“That should never happen again. People are digging into hillsides and cutting into embankments to build homes, creating serious risks for roadways and surrounding communities. I understand that land is scarce. I understand that families want somewhere to live and the desire to own a home. But, we must never build a home at the expense of a human life,” she insisted.

The three-term MP worried that there are houses across her constituency where heavy rainfall and saturation of the earth could put families at risk. “We cannot wait for another tragedy before we act. The parish councils must enforce the rules. The National Works Agency must protect our road infrastructure. Citizens must obey the law. And government must help people find safer solutions. Discipline is not punishment. Discipline is protection,” she said.

-Lynford Simpson