From protest to prosperity: St Thomas continuing the journey

THE EDITOR, Madam:

IN AUGUST 2015, The Gleaner published my article titled ‘St Thomas star of the east’. This was the year when St Thomas celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Morant Bay Uprising led by our National Hero Paul Bogle.

This transformational event resulted in 1865 considered as the watershed year for the development of a new system of governance for Jamaica.

Consequently, as the then chairman of the St Thomas Homecoming Movement, I used the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the uprising to set out my vision for the development of the parish. The elements of this vision were set out under the banner ‘ From Protest To Prosperity – From the Morant Bay Uprising in 1865 to the future Economic and Social Development of St Thomas’.

The southern highway was a key element of the vision. On behalf of the natives and residents of St Thomas, I am happy that the leg from Harbour View to Yallahs is now completed.

However, there is a lot more to be done as St Thomas continues its j ourney fr om protest to prosperity. Here is my 2024 wish list:

1. Completion of the highway from Yallahs to Morant Bay to Port Antonio, and the roads and bridges serving different rural communities.

2. New capital investments and government and privatesector funding for the development of a health and wellness tourism centre i n eastern St Thomas, combining a modern, state-of-the-art upgraded Princess Margaret Hospital, I saac Barrant Health Centre, Bath Fountain and Botanical Garden, and an international spa.

3. Securing capital investment for a new hotel in close proximity to Golden Grove and the scenic beach property.

4. Competition of the new municipal centre at Springfield.

5. A business process outsourcing operation in the new municipal centre.

6. Monetising of the cultural tourism value of Stony Gut, Reggae Falls at Hillside, and the Blue and John Crow Mountains in western St Thomas.

7. Expansion of the number of agro parks and agro business initiatives in eastern and western St Thomas.

8. A special STEM and TVET programme i n all the high schools in the parish.

9. Start of new housing development ventures with a mix of high, middle- and lowincome housing solutions.

10. Revival of the annual Breadfruit Festival at Bath.

Let 2024 be the high point of the renaissance period for St Thomas, ‘Star of the East’.

PROF NEVILLE YING Former Chairman St Thomas Homecoming Movement