Jackson: PNP to present structured approach to parish reform after Portmore lawsuit
Published:Wednesday | April 30, 2025 | 12:12 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Fitz Jackson, opposition spokesman on Portmore affairs, has once again criticised the Government’s decision to pass legislation to pave the way to declare Portmore as Jamaica’s 15th parish, calling it a “corruptly conceived parish hoax”.
Speaking during the Sectoral Debate in Parliament on Tuesday, Jackson referenced public comments made by St Catherine South Western Member of Parliament Everald Warmington that the boundary shift would benefit the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.
“Consequently, any reasonable and logical person will conclude that the intent was corrupt,” Jackson declared. “Anything corruptly conceived will only breed corrupt outcomes. Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development, and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division, and a host of other desirable outcomes.”
He accused the Government of acting in bad faith and said the people of Portmore were being burdened with a tainted legacy.
“Madam Speaker, this is the stain that is being foisted on the people of Portmore ... . This corruptly conceived parish hoax will most certainly result in a miscarriage,” Jackson argued.
The People’s National Party member of parliament also raised constitutional concerns, pointing to recent court orders that have blocked the enactment of the law until the Government complies with specific constitutional requirements.
“For those who would take the time to familiarise themselves with the now public submissions before the court, they will be aware that the basis of the court order that is now preventing Portmore from being declared a parish is but one of the cited breaches of the Constitution by the Counties and Parish Amendment Act of 2025,” Jackson said, labelling the legislation “the gerrymandering of political boundaries act of 2025”.
DEMOCRATIC APPROACH
The matter is expected to be argued in court in the next two months.
Jackson indicated that once the matter is settled legally, the Opposition will present a structured, democratic approach to parish reform.
“Such a pathway, consultatively pursued, will, for the first time, seek to establish clear criteria to be fulfilled by a parish and how any subsequent changes will be made. No Nicodemus thing,” he said.
He stressed that the issue affects not just Portmore and St Catherine, but all Jamaicans, who deserve a voice in any proposed alteration to the island’s near-two-centuries-old 14-parish structure.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of Jamaica recently told a parliamentary committee that it could not provide a timeline for finalising the new constituency boundaries in Portmore or the reconfigured boundaries in St Catherine. The designated boundary of the proposed Portmore parish currently overlaps with two constituencies – St Catherine South and East Central – which forms the basis for one of the constitutional breaches outlined in the court submissions.