PM appeals to road protesters to hold strain
Published:Tuesday | October 25, 2022 | 12:08 AM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that the increasing incidents of demonstrations against poor road conditions have not escaped his attention but urges Jamaicans to be patient as the budgetary resources are not in place to carry out widespread repairs at this time.
He was speaking at a contract-signing ceremony for Phase Three of road rehabilitation works from Fairfield to Point in St James where protestors on Monday demonstrated along the corridor against the bad road conditions.
The signing took place at Jamaica House in St Andrew.
The prime minister said that the Government has allocated $4.5 billion in the budget for road repairs, maintenance, and rehabilitation this fiscal year.
Repairs to the Fairfield to Point roads in St James will cost the Government $167 million.
“I want every Jamaican citizen to understand that I understand your frustration with your bad roads, Jamaica’s bad roads,” he said.
“... I understand when you are moved to the point of a demonstration where you feel that there is no other way to get the attention of the Government, the attention of your representative.”
In a plea to the country, the prime minister stressed that the administration was not ignoring the cries of the people who vented their anger about the deteriorating roadways.
“It is not that we don’t know. It is not that we are unaware and we do not see. We simply do not have the budget to fix all the roads all at once,” he said.
The head of government said that steps are being made to improve the country’s fiscal capacity by growing the economy and increasing revenue collection so that more resources are available to fix the roads.
St James East Central Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett appealed to the residents to cease their protests. He said that the contract to repair the roads has been signed and pledged that work would get under way soon.
He urged residents to clear the roadways to allow free passage to schoolchildren, nurses, and other commuters.
Junior Minott of J&L Equipment and Construction Limited, the contractor for the project, said that equipment would be on the ground to start the project in two to three weeks.