EDITORIAL: Old Harbour must avoid the pitfalls of other towns

After all this locale, like many places in Jamaica, was once a thriving community for the Tainos before the arrival of Columbus and his fellow colonizers Juan de Esquivel (Port Esquivel) and Pedro Alonso Nino (Pedro Cays) would come later to Jamaica and settle in today's modern day Old Harbour and Black River respectively.

Since then Old Harbour has been growing steadily, with its population growth outpacing that of infrastructural development. Indeed, this is the scenario for most of our major towns and cities, which is the very reason why so many of our parish capitals are blighted by traffic snarls, flooding due to outdated drainage system that has long outlived its capacity and pedestrians overcrowding our streets.

Sandwiched by the larger towns of May Pen to the west and Spanish Town in the east - the latter once the capital of our country - and Kingston City further east, the people of Old Harbour are well aware of what lies ahead in the near future if the development of our town isn’t done in a more pragmatic and holistic way.

Any development of our town without due consideration to protecting the environment, it's capacity and the ability of its inhabitants to traverse the space in a hassle-free manner is bound to create similar conundrums that presently exist in places like Spanish Town, Half Way Tree and May Pen.
According to data from the Statistical Institute (STATIN) just under 300 people are being added to the Old Harbour demography on a yearly basis over the last decade with projections pointing to an increase with more housing developments earmarked to come on stream in the short and medium term.

It is therefore imperative as a people that we make our collective voices become part of the discourse regarding how we would like to see the 'town that never sleeps' develop. Each and every one of us as well-thinking nationalists, who have a real passion and vision for Old Harbour, must align ourselves to a civic group and determine what's best for us. Let's us not become blinded by partisan politics, which sadly often obfuscate our judgment, common logic or intellectual capacity to reason rationally, because the death and destruction that will likely follow the demise of generations to come bears no allegiance to any political party.

There are many issues facing Old Harbour such as the inadequate police and fire stations, the health centre, the market and many others that we must add our voices to the discourse.

Finally, the monster of crime continues to be a scourge on this beautiful island and an unsolvable puzzle for all of us. The St Catherine South Police Division which has jurisdiction for the sub-division of Old Harbour is one of the divisions to see an increase in murders despite being under a public state of emergency. Up December 24 Old Harbour has accounted for 35 murders so far this year, 10 more than the corresponding period last year.

We have a crisis on our hands, as the ripple effect is being felt by all with the business community impacted the most. Hence, as a people, let us make a personal pledge to play a more active role in shaping and steering Old Harbour's development along the right path so as to avoid the pitfalls of other towns.

Merry Christmas and may you enjoy a peaceful, productive and prosperous 2020!

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