‘No road, no vote’
ST CATHERINE, Jamaica— The residents of Greendale in Spanish Town, St Catherine took their frustrations to the street Monday morning as they mounted roadblocks to protest the bad road conditions in their community.
Community members gathered sometime after 6am holding placards and blocking the main road using drum, wood and debris, along with a car, while demanding that the relevant authorities provide better roads.
One resident, who only identified herself as Keisha, stated that the road has been in a state of disrepair for many years.
“From me a 12-years-old me live here and me a 47 now and the road dem not good. Everybody came out this morning to call on the authorities to fix the road,” she said.
Keisha told Observer Online that the recent rains worsened the road condition, which is frequently used by taxis.
“The other day the rain fall and the road get even worse. During the rain time my sister had to carry her seven-year-old baby go school and had to bring him on her back. When it rain there is a lot of water, where people cannot walk, and people vehicle damage. When them drive you will hear the driver say them tire damage and so,” Keisha explained.
She added that the residents are willing to withhold their votes when election rolls around should the issue persists, as they have been promised before that the road would be fixed.
“People come already and promise to fix it but them don’t do it so now is no road, no vote. Me mean it that if them don’t fix the road then no vote. A nuff a we in the household and when we a go vote, we a vote so if them miss that amount of vote them know say something is serious,” Keisha said.
She said that they were informed that Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott was busy during the time of the protest but will visit the area on Wednesday.
Keisha stated that they are currently waiting on authorisation from the community president to continue the protests.
She said the roadblocks have since been cleared.