You Can’t Fix Decades of Neglect in Nine Years

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It’s time for Jamaicans to get honest about where many of our problems began and who should truly be held accountable. Too often, we hear the dangerous refrain that “both parties are the same,” as if history and track records don’t matter. But take a look at some of the most neglected communities across the island underdeveloped and crying out for help and ask yourself: Who represented them for decades? More often than not, it was the People’s National Party (PNP).

A striking example played out just last week when the Prime Minister visited the St. Catherine North Western constituency, currently represented by Hugh Graham of the PNP. A woman, proudly clad in the party's signature orange, told the Prime Minister she had been living in Sterling Castle for 14 years without water. Her frustration is understandable but misdirected.

What she may have not known is that before Graham, the seat was held for 31 years by another PNP MP, Robert Pickersgill, who also served as minister of water and environment. Yet during his long tenure, the area’s water crisis remained untouched. When the current Prime Minister in office for just nine years,offered to engage, she refused to even shake his hand, as though he alone was to blame for decades of neglect.

That moment exposed, a troubling misunderstanding of political accountability. There’s a growing and dangerous trend where people expect the JLP,especially first-time MPs,to fix decades of rot, as if they could simply wave a magic wand. It doesn’t work like that.


This administration is doing the heavy lifting. The JLP is cleaning up,after years of PNP mismanagement. Many constituencies were held by the same PNP MPs for generations, yet lacked even the basics:paved roads, running water, streetlights, or functioning community centres. Where was the representation then? Where was the “love for the people” during all those years in office?

Today, that’s changing. Across the country, infrastructure projects are underway  from major water upgrades, to the rehabilitation of community roads under the SPARK programme. These efforts are bringing real improvements, especially in areas long ignored.

Yet, because not everything has been fixed in nine years, some are quick to blame the JLP. That’s not just unfair it’s dishonest

No party is perfect, but this JLP administration is governing with purpose. It’s focused on expanding healthcare, modernizing infrastructure, creating jobs, boosting security, and reversing years of neglect.

It’s time Jamaicans stop romanticizing the past and start demanding accountability. If someone held your seat for over 30 years and left you without water and other basic amenities, they failed you plain and simple! If a new administration is finally tackling those issues, even gradually, they deserve credit  not condemnation.

We must think critically, examine the facts, and stop expecting miracles from those working to fix decades of inherited messes. The truth is clear, this government is doing the work. 

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