KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament (MP) for Manchester Southern, Peter Bunting has argued that as it relates to constituencies, a one-size-fits-all approach to development is flawed.

He has made the case for special consideration to be given to rural constituencies like his when resources are being allocated for roads and other infrastructure. The Opposition MP addressed the issue on November 3 during his contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives.

“Our low population density and absence of major commercial centres create structural disadvantages that cannot be addressed through conventional, one-size-fits-all approaches to development,” Bunting told Parliament.

He pointed out that young Jamaicans naturally leave rural communities in search of education, employment and opportunity.  “They move to Mandeville, Kingston, Montego Bay or overseas. We should never discourage ambition. But we must ask what happens when leaving your home community becomes the only realistic path to advancement,” he said.

Answering his own question, Bunting said, “That community loses more than residents. It loses potential entrepreneurs, skilled workers, customers and future leaders. Older residents remain, but businesses struggle, and opportunities diminish”.

“That is the vicious cycle of rural decline: opportunity leaves with the people, and people leave because opportunity is disappearing,” Bunting added.

In the area of education, Bunting pointed to the Ministry of Education’s QEC 43 profile which reports 25 public schools, three of which are high schools, with 3,735 students and 344 teachers. He said there are 886 students enrolled in the three high schools (an average of around 300 students each), while the 22 primary and infant schools have a total enrolment of 2,849. Some have fewer than 50 pupils, and seven operate multigrade arrangements.

“These reported figures imply an average pupil–teacher ratio of approximately 11 to 1. At first glance, these numbers might suggest school consolidation. But the considerable distances some children already travel limit that option,” said Bunting. He also revealed that New Forest High School still has not been gazetted, though it has been established for over a decade.

“Despite the efforts of our teachers and school leaders, educational outcomes, particularly in mathematics, remain a concern,” said Bunting. He made the case for  the exploration of digital learning and AI-powered mathematics so tutors can supplement classroom teaching.

Bunting also spoke to the issue of financial exclusion affecting his constituency. “Consider this extraordinary fact: there is not a single ATM in Manchester Southern. Not one. Nor is there a single bank branch,” he told Parliament. As a result, more than 52,000 residents must leave the constituency to access conventional banking services.

“Consider the pensioner paying transportation costs simply to withdraw cash, or the shopkeeper losing valuable working hours to make a deposit. We speak frequently about financial inclusion, but financial services remain geographically inaccessible to many rural Jamaicans,” Bunting continued.

Remarking that the Bank of Jamaica’s JAM-DEX initiative has not delivered the transformation in access that was anticipated, the Opposition lawmaker said the regulator should now place greater emphasis on facilitating private-sector digital financial services.

He also said he was encouraged when Barita Investments recently piloted the enrolment of BPay account holders at his constituency office. “I am hopeful that this and similar innovations can transform access to financial services,” he said while acknowledging that, “Every district may not justify a bank branch or an ATM, but every community deserves convenient, affordable access to financial services”.

His appeal to the Government is for a “fairer, more transparent approach to public investment that recognises the particular challenges of rural constituencies”.

“We also need coordinated infrastructure development. Reliable water supports households and agriculture; better roads connect communities to markets; and broadband enables education, commerce and remote employment. Stronger local commercial centres can bring essential services, investment and jobs closer to surrounding communities,” said Bunting.

He pointed out that Manchester Southern has over 52,200 residents spread across 348 square kilometres – an area 15 times the size of the entire parish of Kingston. He said there is a single polling division (PD33) with an area larger than Kingston.

Manchester Southern also has four divisions – Alligator Pond, Grove Town, Newport and Porus. It encompasses farming districts, fishing communities, mining areas and widely dispersed towns and villages. Bunting said that commercially, the constituency effectively straddles three parishes. Many Porus Division residents look to May Pen as their most accessible commercial centre, while residents of Alligator Pond generally look to Junction in St Elizabeth. “From New Forest, the town of Junction is a 10-minute drive, while Mandeville is approximately 45 minutes away,” he noted.

Bunting also pointed out that there are 612 kilometres of roads in the constituency, including 76 kilometres of main arterial roads. He noted this was almost 12 kilometres of road for every thousand residents. “These roads connect farmers to markets, children to schools and families to healthcare. “Against that reality, the recent J$10 million road-patching allocation is a mere drop in the bucket. Every dollar is welcome, but equal allocations do not necessarily produce equitable outcomes. Infrastructure funding must recognise the actual cost of serving geographically dispersed communities,” said Bunting.

-Lynford Simpson