‘Not even an ATM’
Chin bemoans state of Manchester South
“Underdeveloped!” That is how Manchester South Member of Parliament Robert Chin has described the constituency he won in last year’s general election.
“There are no major towns, no factories, no financial institutions, no pharmacies, no major employer of labour, Western Union or other remittance services, not even an ATM in the constituency,” Chin said as he made his contribution to the
State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) member, whose win ended the PNP’s 31-year unbroken dominance in the constituency, described the road conditions as “the worst that I’ve seen in my life”.
And the woes do not stop there. According to Chin, the vast majority of the houses do not have running water, several communities are without electricity, street lights are needed in every district and economic activity is restricted mainly to farming.
He listed 32 roads that he said are in need of urgent repairs and 70 districts in which he said water transmission mains are needed. Additionally, he pointed to 70 districts that he said are without electricity supply.
“Other communities in Jamaica complain about scheduled electricity lock- offs,” he said while outlining that areas such as Naseberry Bottom, Village Road, Land Settlement at Spur Tree and Mallata Pen have no electricity to complain about lock-offs.
As part of his vision to develop Manchester South, Chin said that there are plans to make Newport the first major town in the constituency.
“There are already plans to build a civic-type centre in the town square on 12 acres of lands donated by Alpart. The expansion of existing businesses and the establishment of new businesses will contribute to the restoration and development of this town,” said Chin.
“The Newport division remains the only division in the constituency that is without a high school and this will be incorporated in the development plan,” the first-term MP added.