Don’t let dons spoil your community — PM Holness
PRIME MINISTER Andrew Holness has issued a warning to the new homeowners at the Castlewood Housing Scheme in Granville, Trelawny, imploring them not to allow criminal dons to devalue the investment they have made in their dream homes and the community.
“We know there are dons in Jamaica, but we don’t support them, we don’t encourage them, we don’t big them up,” Holness told the new homeowners during Wednesday’s handover ceremony, where keys to 47 of 58 new two-bedroom houses were handed to their new owners alongside 25 service lots.
“They [dons] have been the bane of of destruction and communities like these must ensure that nobody comes around you, ‘bout them a don and we must just speak it frankly in this regard,” said Holness.
The prime minister has also warned that housing schemes and community designated as residential must not be used as commercial space.
‘KEEP AREA RESIDENTIAL’
“Too often, I have seen communities with lovely homes, like this, but all of a sudden, you have a bar, you have garage, you have beauty salon, you have supermarkets, you have block making, and I have seen cases where people even come and set up funeral parlour,” said Holness. “I see people driving big tractors and park up–you know what I am talking about – and you afraid to even say anything about it. Even though it is such a great inconvenience to you because the notion is man affi live.”
Holness said the Castlewood Housing Scheme, which was developed by the National Housing Trust, is not zoned as a commercial area and is, therefore, not a place for shop and bar and the other things that will negatively affect orderly living in the community.
“Some people will not agree with it, but you know what, it is time that someone stands up and challenges, these negative social norms that have held us back for a long time,” continued Holness.
“So you don’t have to live to?” asked Holness “You never pay the same money to enjoy your property in comfort? When everybody remains quiet, the chaka chaka behaviour continues and once that is allowed, how do you stop somebody from setting up a gambling house? How do you stop criminals from coming and taking over and before you know it, the community that you invest in is no longer the community in which you want to live.”