While we attend to big ticket items, such as making sure that our macroeconomic realities and fiscal strengths are in order, local governments seem to pay little attention to the dilapidated state of our towns, especially in rural and semi-rural areas of the country.

Overcrowded spaces, vehicular distress, especially with taxis and other means of public transport coupled with a frustrated pedestrian population, seem to be the order of the day in every major town. Public markets leave a lot to be desired, with poor or absent sanitary facilities being available for the public’s use. Dilapidated stalls and vendor overcrowding rule the day, and one can understand how rodent infestation can pose a serious problem in some of these markets.

Even in the once-proud town of Mandeville, which was once dubbed the cleanest town in Jamaica under the mayorship of the late Cecil Charlton, there has been a serious deterioration of the social and physical infrastructure, enough to make one weep. To begin with, the the traffic situation in the town in abysmal. There is so much overcrowding, with taxis parked all over the major roads, that it does not make sense to look for a parking space inside the town if you are going to do business there. Wisdom would dictate that you park your vehicle at a, hopefully, secure spot and walk to the place of business; otherwise, you could be driving about for quite a bit before you find a parking spot. When you do and you take your foot in hand, you have to be careful that you do not step into a pot hole and sprain your ankle or drift into the road to be hit by an oncoming motor vehicle as you are jostled by the large volume of pedestrians traversing the space. There are no dedicated sidewalks, and even where there may be, they show signs of disrepair.

Mandeville has always been a busy town and continues to be so. But one wonders how much business can really get done when it is so frustrating to navigate the streets. It is also obvious that, for a long time, some buildings have not been painted. Massive black drums can be seen on many buildings, which is understandable, given Mandeville’s long history of water woes. But on some buildings you can see that water has streamed down the sides, leaving black, mouldy marks, which have not been covered with paint.

Having lived in Mandeville for many years, it pains my heart to say this, but since no one wants to do so, I must. There is only one word that, in my mind, sums up what the town has become: “dirty”. And I am not necessarily blaming the politicians or the municipal authorities for the dirt and grime that one sees; although, they share a great deal of the blame for the dilapidated state of the town, which has crept up over the years. It is clear that even routine maintenance of the public space is not attended to. Even the public park is in a state of deterioration. There seems to be no pride in the upkeep of buildings and so blame has to be laid at the feet of the proprietors of these buildings. And it does not matter whether they are occupied by the owners or leased.

The municipal authorities are to be blamed for the traffic congestion in the town. Their engineers must be held accountable for not coming up with solutions over the years. I know that attempts have been made to address the situation and some improvements have taken place, but by and large, a meaningful solution has proven elusive. No investor has been enterprising enough to build a decent size parking garage or garages for the town, neither has the government, whether local or central, done so.

Why haven’t the municipal authorities looked into this as a possible solution? It would ease congestion in the town, bring greater safety to pedestrians, and importantly, enhance the revenue of the authority. If one or two of these parking garages existed, then pedestrian space would be freed up as less vehicular traffic would need to pass through the town centre.

A coat of paint, even yearly, would give a lift to the town and perhaps even lift the morale of people who have to use it. What obtains in Mandeville certainly obtains in other towns in Jamaica. Montego Bay comes readily to mind. As the tourist capital, the ramshackle nature of its town centre leaves a lot to be desired. Like Mandeville and other towns, it could benefit from routine patching of roads and painting of buildings, and business places should be fined for allowing waste water to flow freely from their establishments onto the street.

One points no fingers, but it is clear where the responsibility lies. For a country with such high affinity for God, it is time that we take more seriously the saying that cleanliness is next to godliness. There is a lot about a clean space that encourages worker productivity. I find I do not work as well at my desk when there is a clutter of papers and other debris all over it. When these are cleaned away, I find a greater motivation to work. The same has to be true of welcoming green spaces, clean roads, and clean buildings.

The late Prime Minister Edward Seaga deserves credit for his passion for green, open, and clean public spaces. He introduced the Metropolitan Parks and Markets (MPM) to instil a sense of pride in creating a clean country. That vision seems to have been long abandoned and replaced by dirt and grime.

MPM seems to have morphed into National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), a largely garbage-collecting entity, which it does not even do too well, though Audley Gordon, the executive director, is putting up a valiant fight.

We must return to the vision of a clean country with proper parks where our children can roam freely and our elderly can sit and ease their weary bones. We must insist on clean towns. I cannot believe that this is beyond us.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.