‘Too much dictatorship’
PNP loyalist chides Government for Portmore parish push
Published:Sunday | June 29, 2025 | 12:08 AM
At the age of 81 Merlene Beal is not as energetic as she used to be many years ago but this has not prevented her from playing a small role in backing Dr Alfred Dawes’ bid to become the next member of parliament for St Catherine South Eastern.
A resident of Passage Fort in Portmore for 50 years, Miss Beal is an unapologetic loyalist of the People’s National Party (PNP) and her involvment in community service since she purchased her house in 1975 has not waned.
Her late father, Benjamin Beale, worked with the National Workers’ Union and was a well-known member of the PNP after it was founded in 1938.
“I started doing political work from I was 10, down in Hayes, Clarendon, which was a dominant JLP area,” she told The Sunday Gleaner last week.
She started attending political rallies as a child because she found the cut and thrust of politics fascinating.
Creating mischief
When Miss Beal was 12, she pushed the envelope at a political rally by creating mischief to distract Labourites who were listening to a speech from a JLP councillor. That got her into trouble and she barely escaped a beating from her dad.
“The lady who was a councillor was having a public meeting and I decided that she was not going to have this meeting comfortably, so I started parading like I am modelling. So I just walk up and down the street,” said Miss Beal, noting that this diverted attention from the speaker.
“I didn’t want a good meeting for her because she is a JLP lady,” Miss Beal said, noting that the JLP councillor later complained to her dad, but another relative appealed to him not to punish her “because she was walking on government road”.
In her early years, the young PNP enthusiast first met founder of the PNP, Norman Manley, when she was 12 and interacted with him again at 14 when she visited the Denbigh Agricultural Show. At the event, the then premier questioned her about how she was doing at school.
Miss Beal said she has been in dialogue with Dawes to find out his plans for the constituency and is satisfied so far with the ideas he has shared, especially in healthcare and other important demands from the community at large.
“His achievement so far, I am impressed with that because he is still a young man. I think he will make for a good member of parliament,” she said.
The 81-year-old resident expressed displeasure with the manner in which the Government has proceeded with plans to make Portmore the 15th parish.
“I don’t like dictatorship and when you are coming to take people like everybody don’t have no sense – [like] we are all idiots.
“I am hoping that people will see that too much dictatorship is going on in the present government and that they would try this party with a new leader and see if we could make a difference,” she said.
Asked to give an example of what she termed dictatorship, Miss Beal indicated that the administration has bulldozed its way towards making Portmore a parish.
“We haven’t had enough town hall meetings and so on to find out if the people want Portmore to become a parish,” she said.
The PNP loyalist said she does not have an issue with Portmore becoming a parish, but noted that the government was putting the cart before the horse.
She said there is a need first to establish critical amenities such as a good courthouse, a proper clinic, a decent market, a hospital, more than one fire station for the entire Portmore, including Greater Portmore and Hellshire.
“I am saying a few of those things should at least be in place. To me, you are a dictator, wanting to just push down our throat that Portmore must become the 15th parish.”
The senior citizen said she has voted in every general election since attaining voting age.
In 1989, when Carl Rattray ran in St Catherine South East, Beal, who was abroad, returned to Jamaica to ensure that the PNP standard-bearer finished in the winner’s column. Rattray won and went to Gordon House.
“I am drawn to people because they are educated not because they are doctor, Indian or chief, just education broadly.”