Holness defends $1.2b spend on container home foundations

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has defended his administration’s $1.2 billion spend to construct foundations for semi-permanent container houses, arguing that the bases are designed to give storm-hit Jamaicans a launchpad to permanent, resilient homes.

The Government is facing sharp public criticism, including from the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), over the high price tag of the site preparations.

But on Tuesday, while speaking at the signing ceremony of the World Bank’s grant to the National Reconstruction Implementation Support Project in New Kingston, Holness countered, noting that cheap foundations would leave vulnerable residents exposed to the next major hurricane.

The grant from the European Union via the World Bank is US$5 million.

Holness confirmed that the Government issued several contracts in excess of approximately $1.2 billion to build the bases and is aiming to deploy approximately 2,500 units.

“And there is a criticism that the costs of building the bases are extremely high. And I reflected on this. I think the Jamaican people should appreciate that to my Government, there is an alternative, and that is the beauty of democracy. And they have a choice. I can’t tell you what the alternative is, and I’m not going to get into that, but you can decipher for yourself what my proposal is and what I have done,” said Holness.

“Now, if we’re going to build bases for temporary houses, should we just go and put some stumps in the ground and put the temporary houses on it and leave the people in the temporary houses? We could probably do that for about $500,000, and we just leave them there. But would that have built resilience for the next hurricane? Would it have given an opportunity for the persons to upgrade from semi-permanent container homes to build stronger structures if we had just taken the containers and bolted them on four stumps? No,” he added.

He said the cost includes not only foundations but the construction of septic tanks for sewage disposal, water tanks, steps, and other structures to support the units.

PATH TO PERMANENT IMPROVEMENT

He said this was done to facilitate future permanent construction after the semi-permanent containers have reached their useful life.

“You can build on the foundation that you were given. All you would need to do is come up with either your wood structure or walls. In other words, you have an alternative. You can look at what the Government is doing to build resilience and place you on a path to permanent improvement, or the alternative is to go with patchwork, where you are no better off, or probably worse off, when the next storm comes.

“This is what my Government is doing. It takes time, it will cost more, but it’s stronger. It gives you dignity, and it is in your interest. So while the criticisms are being levelled, I urge the public to examine the alternatives before you,” the prime minister said.

His comments come two days after PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell, while speaking at the party’s annual conference in Westmoreland, criticised the Government’s response to Hurricane Melissa in western Jamaica.

Campbell said he and his team have built 40 houses for hurricane victims in Westmoreland Eastern, where he is the parliamentary representative while the Government is yet to construct one.

He said that while 150,000 houses were damaged during the hurricane a year ago, only 50,000 households have benefited from the Government’s ROOF programme.

“So there are 100,000 Jamaicans whose homes were damaged who, up to today, have not gotten anything from this wicked and uncaring Government,” he charged.

He criticised the Government for spending contributed funds on expensive foundations, contrasting its approach with the bases built by his team for approximately $60,000 to $80,000 per home.

At the same time, he claimed that residents in Westmoreland are facing political victimisation because of how they voted in last September’s general election.

“It is robbery in plain sight! The Government has no intention of helping the people of Westmoreland. And I believe a vex dem vex, and dem a carry feelings because last year September, dem get beaten street and lane,” said Campbell, referencing the 2025 general election in which the PNP won all three seats in the parish.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com