George Henry, Gleaner Writer

North West Clarendon will be a tough battle-ground for incumbent People's National Party (PNP) candidate Richard Azan and challenger, the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Michael Stern.

Both men, who have worked in the constituency as business operators, are looking to tap into the 21,001 eligible voters on the electoral list.

But the winner will have no honeymoon. Whichever candidate gets the nod will havea long to-do list in North West Clarendon.

There are 129 polling divisions in the constituency, all except the Ritchies division having 32. That division has one more polling division than the Spaldings, Thompson Town and Frankfield divisions.

The poor road conditions draw shouts of protest despite some roads' being repaired over the past four and a half years.

There is also the matter of inadequate water supply, insufficient marketing opportunities for farmers, a high jobless rate and a shortage of health facilities.

One resident suggested that lands in the constituency be cleared for the establishment of factories, providing school-leaving youth with job opportunities.

He, like many, indicated that many youths in the area are sitting idle.

Small job pie

Left: PNP candidate Richard Azan. Right: The JLP's Michael Stern.

"Many youths have sought to acquire employment inside and outside of the constituency, but to no avail. The job pie is so small that sometimes when a business place advertises they need help, it's like a hundred persons turn up to be interviewed for just one vacancy," said Joseph Campbell.

"So we need factories which will employ scores of people. The new MP will have to ensure this is addressed," he added.

He pointed out that an ackee factory in the community of Tweedside, which once employed over 50 persons, has been closed for more than four years. If that factory is reopened, Campbell asserted, youths would put mind and muscle to work.

Campbell is also imploring the MP to lobby for the establishment of a trade training centre in North West Clarendon.

The road network in the constituency, though being gradually improved, still poses challenges to residents, especially farming communities which need access roads to markets.

Constituents want the Bryan's Piece, Liecesterfield, Orange Hill, Nine Turns, Woodside, Ritchies,Tweedside, Thompson Town, Smithville, Big Gate and Gordon Hill roads to be repaired - and quickly. The Gordon Hill Road, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Ivan, is considered the worst of the lot.

Interior roads

"Government make highway and we appreciate it, but I want the interior roads such as what we have here at Gordon Hill to be repaired, so that we can get our produce out to the few existing markets," said a 70-year-old farmer.

One senior citizen, who said she has been living in the constituency all her life, pointed out that when the late Edwin Allen was the MP in the 1960s and '70s, 57 communities had at least one standpipe. Today most, if not all, have been removed.

This has forced residents to get water from untreated sources where they have to be competing with animals for the commodity.

Areas such as Bryan's Piece, Nine Turns, Liecesterfield, Quarry, Orange Hill, Long Look, Blackwoods, among others, had water supply during Allen's time. For many of those residents, their luck has all but dried up.

Residents are already sending the signal that the new representative to Parliament will have to address this problem, as only sections of the constituency will benefit from the new Spaldings/ Christiana water supply which is due to be commissioned soon.

They want the MP to improve the catchment infrastructure. Corn Hill presents a model as water is now gravity-fed to residents. But citizens living in Maurice Piece and Copperwood argue that their communities have been without water since 2002.

Farmers want markets to be set up in all four divisions in that constituency to assist them in the marketing of their crops.

The agriculturers are also calling on the new MP to jump on the bandwagon to push greenhouse technology as a platform to diversify the industry, a more profitabl to traditional farming techniques.

But the farmers' wish list doesn't end there. They also want Ministry of Agriculture extension officers to visit farming areas to transfer knowledge of new trends and developments in the sector.