Roads, water, representation

WESTERN BUREAU:

With the 2025 general election set for September 3, the race for the seat in the Hanover Eastern constituency is now on in earnest.

The two main contenders are Dave Hume Brown of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), a former police officer turned businessman whose term as member of parliament just ended, and Andrea Purkiss of the People’s National Party (PNP), a tourism executive entering representational politics for the first time.

Brown, like his party, is see7king a third consecutive term in office while Purkiss is hoping to make history as the first woman elected to represent Hanover Eastern in Parliament.

In 2016 and 2020, Brown defeated the PNP’s Wynter McIntosh and Wavell Hinds, respectively. However, the political terrain has shifted since then. The number of registered voters in the constituency has increased from just over 23,000 in 2016 to more than 25,000 in 2025, with a noticeable change in voter demographics, particularly among younger age groups.

Brown, however, is not perturbed.

Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner, he highlighted several accomplishments during his term as MP, including the Cascade to Jericho water-supply system, which he says now provides potable water to more than 1,500 households across multiple rural districts such as Rejoin, Cascade, Jericho, and Pondside.

“The extension of the water lines continues,” he added.

ROAD PROJECTS

He also cited the long-delayed Hopewell-Haddington-Cacoon road project, which he had promised to deliver on before the 2020 election but was only completed after being re-elected.

“I think that road project is a very good achievement even though there are several other roads that need fixing as we speak. There are also other things that I could have listed, but those are the major things that stand out in my mind readily,” he stated.

Brown also mentioned that the SPARK Programme had begun rehabilitation work on one of 10 targeted roads and expressed hope that all would be completed before the election.

Regarding the collapsed century-old Woodsville Bridge, which collapsed during adverse weather in April 2023, Brown stated that the replacement project was now in the procurement stage. In the meantime, residents of Woodsville and its surrounding districts of Flower Hill and Hillsbrook have built and maintained a temporary wooden bridge using fallen trees to cross the Cabarita River.

“In all fairness, the fixing of that bridge is something I would have liked to see done, but it is not a quick fix when it comes to a bridge,” the former member of parliament said.

FAMILIAR WITH CHALLENGES

The PNP’s Purkiss, who has been actively campaigning for over a year, says she is a lifelong resident of Hanover Eastern and is deeply familiar with its challenges.

“[If] elected, I will have to do everything, meaning repairing all the roads, and get potable water to the people within the constituency,” she stated, adding that those are the two most burning issues she had come across while campaigning.

She also questioned the effectiveness and transparency of the SPARK Programme given the widespread poor road conditions.

Turning to the Woodsville Bridge issue, Purkiss expressed concern over the lack of progress despite funds reportedly being allocated for the project. She noted that the bridge’s collapse has cut off communities like Flower Hill and Hillsbrook and devastated nearby Mayfield Falls, a tourism attraction that has ceased operations, impacting livelihoods.

“The communities in that area have been disconnected because not everyone is brave enough to drive on the makeshift structure that the community has constructed from fallen trees in the area,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

“It’s a sad situation. The residents from that area are still suffering. It has affected a tourist attraction that is in the area, the economic well-being and access to good healthcare for the residents, [and] also access for emergency vehicles,” she lamented.

Purkiss praised residents for building and maintaining the wooden bridge by changing out the wood every few months. She committed to giving them “honest, transparent, and efficient representation”.

She urged voters: “Trust me that I will do the right things for [you].”

VOTERS SPLIT

As the campaign heats up, voter sentiment is split.

Leroy*, a retired resident from Hopewell, was critical of Brown: “The only thing he can claim him do is that him fix the road in the district that him come from. After nine years, him should a shame a himself.”

A JLP-leaning taxi operator known as Mackie defended Brown, saying: “Me a Labourite from long time. People just need to wait till the road-repair programme dem tek effect, and everything will be okay.”

He praised Brown for what he describes as his accessibility and willingness to listen to the people in the constituency.

In Sandy Bay, a woman, who gave her name as ‘Jean’, expressed a desire for broader change.

“Me think we should a give the woman a chance,” she said as she walked through the aisles of a mini-mart picking up groceries.

Adding that she had seen a decline in her economic situation, she was adamant that the whole Government needed changing, not just Brown.

A well-known JLP activist in the area acknowledged that Brown faces a tougher race this time. He said that while he expects the incumbent to win, the margin will be very small.

“He (Brown) has taken a crucial aspect of the electioneering for granted, that is the cadre of young people within the constituency,” the activist told The Sunday Gleaner, adding that there is a disconnect between his candidacy and people within the 18 to 30 age group.

Meanwhile, a PNP activist predicted a landslide for Purkiss: “Him can’t point to nothing substantial that him do fi di people, so di people deh go tell him thanks and vote him out.”

*Name changed on request.

editorial@gleanerjm.com