“This road is your road now; take care of it. Keep it clean. If you see the drain wah clean out, nuh mek the water tek weh the road because unnu expect MP or councillor fi come pay unnu fi clean unnu own drain.”

If on reading this statement one is led to believe that it is coming from a Government Member of Parliament (MP), one could not be faulted. So rare is it for such an utterance to come from the mouth of an Opposition MP that we were immediately struck by it.

And, by Opposition we do not mean that it is the People’s National Party (PNP), even though in this case it is the voice of the PNP’s Mr Mikael Phillips, MP for Manchester North Western.

We speak of opposition in general, because it applies to the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) when they are in Opposition.

Mr Phillips has demonstrated the kind of maturity this nation continues to yearn for and we heartily commend him.

“Clean the drain unnu self, man, because when the pothole come wi haffi find money to fix it again,” he told residents of Wilderness in his constituency at last week’s opening of a long-abandoned farm road in the district called Back Street near Mile Gully.

Mr Phillips added: “I remember when this road was in the condition that if it rained, whatever vehicle came down couldn’t go back up on the street. [I] remember when it was hell for the farmers to take out produce to go out on the street.”

Of course, the cynic will say that MP Phillips was being self-serving because the opening of the farm road will be one item on a usually long to-do list that he can tick off as an achievement when he next hits the campaign trail. But we have seen where other MPs in a similar situation in the past have organised fiery demonstrations to protest against the conditions, ironically worsening the state of the road by damaging structures and leaving debris behind.

The country thirsts for a change from the politics of old that has held back our development because men put their own interest and that of their party above the nation’s. Bipartisan endeavours make for more hopeful citizenry.

It was good to see the show of unity by Mr Phillips and Minister of Agriculture Pearnel Charles Jr, who officially opened the Back Street farm road, and a second at Grasspiece, both just under one kilometre, at an estimated total value of $17 million. More than 100 farmers will now have better access to move their produce to market.

The Manchester North Western MP’s words seemed to have resonated — as they should — with the long-suffering people who are beneficiaries of the farm roads, some of whom expressed their gratitude for the rehabilitation.

For example, Mr Gary Fleming, a farmer and resident of Back Street who plants Irish potato, sweet potato, and yam, said before the road was fixed it was a challenge “getting even a donkey to carry out produce”.

“Mi nah buck mi toe again; it is a joy. We had to use donkeys, hustle and jostle. More time the donkey turn over, so this is well-needed and welcomed,” he said.

Mr Silburn Steadman, a farmer and resident of Grasspiece Road, shared similar sentiments. “The whole district is grateful for it. We live down here, but it helps others to come in, buy crops, and everything,” he said.

We hope that the spirit of Back Street and Grasspiece will become the norm across the country.