I have been a resident of Bull Bay for over 50 years, and grew up here.

The recent statement by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew East Rural Juliet Holness implies that anyone who is not a member of the JLP is less than and lives in squalor and crime-infested neighbourhoods.

It is unfortunate that the person elected to represent all the citizens of the constituency is of the opinion that the Opposition members have been responsible for the ills of the community, in particular squatting. From her statement it would appear that the governing party is blessed with divinity and all others are not.

I am aware of other facts of life that paint both political parties with the same tar and feathers for their actions or inactions over the years, anaemic growth and the high crime rate are chief among them. To me, both parties have brought with them an arrogance and ignorance that has led to the country’s abysmally low voter turnout during elections.

MP Holness ought to be reminded that the margin of victory and percentage of voters who participated or abstained from taking part in the democratic farce that purported to represent the people of this country reflected poorly on both political parties. In St Andrew East Rural in particular, the JLP obtained 9,459 votes, while the People’s National Party (PNP) garnered 7,104, creating a winning margin of 25 per cent. The number of votes from the constituency amounted to a mere 16,563. Meanwhile, the eligible number of voters in the constituency is 40,406 people, making the percentage who voted 41 per cent. The JLP received 23.4 per cent of the votes and the PNP 17.58 per cent. Based on these numbers neither party is in a position to be casting aspersions or blame on the other for the sorry state of affairs in the constituency, and the country for that matter.

All told, from where I sit both political parties represent the absentee plantation owners of the colonial era, having little or nothing to offer but empty promises and hopelessness. It is time for Jamaicans to move on. These parties have not indicated with any form of sincerity or through their achievements that they are able to motivate their constituents (all of us) to coalesce around a common vision towards the improvement of our community. Their only focus is on building their parties.

In this regard I would sincerely urge members of both political parties to consider that their accusations and posturing about reality for the rest of us, with their disparaging remarks, create and maintain the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness for those who work very hard to survive here. My Government, made up of the people of Jamaica, does not belong to any of them to do as they please, and is not some college varsity squad competing for meaningless party objectives, which are irrelevant to the rest of us. We are living, breathing, emotional beings who deserve empathy, understanding, and competence from those we elect to conduct our affairs.

As far as squatting is concerned, this history is rooted in the slavery economics that got most of us Africans here in the first place. And, as far as I am aware, no politician has any legal right to give land to anyone. My understanding is that kings or queens gave land they never bought or brought into existence to those they favoured, so which law is it that enabled a political party to do so. It would be instructive to find out who gave anyone the right to occupy land without buying it. The MP should let us know if this is an issue that the public is not aware of. In the event that land can be given out by politicians, then it is my right to capture any piece I see fit to occupy. If the MP knows otherwise that a politician has given away land, then it is her responsibility to provide this information to the authorities for prosecution.

I have often called for the development of a national spatial plan to identify land suitable for various activities. One was announced to be started by a foreign entity some time ago, but, to date, there has been no further mention of its progress. A spatial plan can provide guidelines necessary for the healthy development of all communities. What seems to be taking place is the wholesale selling of Crown land to preferred individuals, which has left those of us who do not, and may never, have the millions of useless Jamaican dollars to lease or purchase land in the unfortunate situation of capturing land to live on, whether or not a politician has anything to do with it is irrelevant. The fact remains that planned spaces for communities is not being provided by the Government, and it does not seem to be a priority for these politicians, whose only concern is winning elections so that they can rule over the country like former colonial masters.

To conclude, these politicians do not live on our communities and, therefore, cannot comment on the conditions in which we live, how we got here, or where we intend to go. As far as I am concerned they could all be living on Mars. Maybe they should all go there, or to the Pedro Cays, if that suits them better.

Hugh Dunbar is an architect. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or hmdenergy@gmail.com.