Dear Editor,

I call on the Bonified residents of Clarendon whose ancestors were brought here as slaves to distance themselves from candidates on either side of the political fence who come from outside the parish. The days of accommodating/facilitating such practice should be discontinued.

The records are here to show that in recent years the parish has been neglected by elected representatives who have come from outside. We are without a Ministry of Labour and Social Security Parish Office that is accessible to our needy brothers and sisters. Pearnel Charles Sr, while occupying the same portfolio for which his junior — Pearnel Charles Jr — is now the minister, had acquired two-plus acres of prime land situated at the corner of Manchester Avenue and Church Street, May Pen. To date, no building has been designed or built.

The National Housing Trust had acquired the property that was once known as Moon Glow Restaurant, Grocery and Bar and to date there is no sign of completion of the proposed parish and regional offices. This would not be tolerated anywhere else.

The northern and southern tips of this parish have river and sea courses, not to mention Milk River Bath. When investors came here to resurrect and advance Vernamfield to its full potential as well as to reconfigurate Milk River Bath, these projects were trampled on and stifled by some of our so-called leaders, who, in my opinion, were not thinking about the people of this country.

We possess enough natural resources that if properly managed and channelled could result in the parish becoming one of the tourism meccas of this country.

Due to short-sightedness, they tried to kill the sugar industry. They neglected education and the health care system has caved in. Hence, this once-progressive and beautiful parish has now become a place overrun by savagery .

Most of these decision-makers claim to have experienced hardship and adverse conditions during their early years. Therefore, one could not be blamed for thinking that such experiences would have caused them to be committed to transforming the lives of their fellow Jamaican brothers and sisters for the better; instead, they have put programmes in place that are inaccessible to the masses of this country. One such is access to land.

I could go on and on, but I call on the elected servants to kneel down in prayer and ask the God of Heaven to forgive them for the ills they have caused on themselves and their brothers and sisters.

All is not lost, but both sides should make a serious appeal in earnest to the Creator of all things through the mysteries of His Son our Saviour and Redeemer Christ Jesus and do not allow self to overtake them. Be humble, submissive, and childlike; do not be like Abraham. The Creator has promised that he will never allow any of His people to experience more than they can bear, and that promise has been kept.

Henry C Morant

hcmorant41@gmail.com