I wish to take this distinct opportunity to emphatically commend former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, former People’s National Party St James Central Member Of Parliament, political commentator and Montego Bay businessman, Lloyd B Smith, for his distinguished, long-standing and impressive service over many years.

He has worked tirelessly over the period for the overall development of St James and advocating the paramount need for a Greater Montego Bay Redevelopment Plan to be implemented. It is prime time that a properly funded and modern redevelopment plan be implemented for the city.

The indefatigable Lloyd B Smith has, over the decades, been publishing his community newspaper

The Western Mirror, and has been a journalist and publisher of over 40 years in good standing. He has honed his craft exceedingly well, thus being among western Jamaica’s top journalists. He is well respected as a commentator and occasional radio talk show host of impeccable integrity, and his valuable, enormous and noted track record in journalism is to be hailed, saluted and emulated by young upcoming journalists throughout Jamaica.

As a newspaper columnist he is well-known to be a fearless, forthright and an intellectually ebullient writer of vast thinking on a plethora of social and governmental issues. He has written extensively on the need for full-fledged constitutional reform and its associated benefits. He is one individual who is totally opposed to the corrupt hand-out type of politics or any form of vote-buying, as these have contributed immensely to the underdevelopment of Jamaica in many respects. This form of politics needs to be comprehensively extricated from Jamaican politics now once and for all.

The People’s National Party made a significant political mistake by not allowing Smith to once again represent the St James Central constituency for the party in the last general election, and would have won the election against the Jamaica Labour Party’s Heroy Clarke were Smith the standard-bearer. During his tenure as Member of Parliament he successfully achieved many worthy constituency accomplishments which positively impacted the lives of constituents, while assisting them to start credible income-generating projects, some of which have expanded into successful businesses in the constituency.

As a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Lloyd B Smith did a commendable job and prudently used his authority to the benefit of having disciplined parliamentary sessions. He performed his function with fairness, decorum and sagacity and deserves kudos for his outstanding service to Parliament in both his capacity as a deputy House Speaker and as a hard-working, dedicated and loyal Member of Parliament.

He has been a serving justice of the peace for over 20 years and a member of the Lay Magistrates’ Association of St James and among the most successful Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s past presidents. He currently has an ongoing football competition being played yearly in Montego Bay, among other community-building initiatives.

Lloyd B Smith deserves an Order of Jamaica for his noted, distinguished and impressive service to journalism, politics, and people empowerment on a national scale in Jamaica spanning over 40 years, and for sterling public service to especially western Jamaica.

Robert Dalley, Esq, hails from St James. Send comments to the Observer orrobertdalley@outlook.com.