Strong communities. World-class schools. A better Jamaica.
My vision for South East St. Andrew and for Jamaica is for the development of peaceful communities where all residents have gainful employment, adequate infrastructure, proper housing and access high quality educational and sporting opportunities.
As Member of Parliament for SE St Andrew, I will focus on early childhood education, sport and culture, and the revitalization of communities in order to improve quality of life.
Early Childhood Education
I believe that education is our most effective weapon against inequality, and the surest way for our nation and people to climb out of poverty. Growing up, my family always emphasised the importance of education; in fact, both my parents started their working lives as teachers.
I received a world-class education right here in Jamaica, beginning at the Hope Valley Experimental Primary School, on to Campion College, then at the University of the West Indies. I believe that every single Jamaican deserves the same quality education I’ve benefited from.
As MP, I will focus on early childhood education. Starting with our youngest children is the proven way to achieve significantly better results right through our education system.
One area I have worked at over the past nine years is helping Early Childhood Education Centres improve standards, in terms of the facilities, in improving the quality of teachers, and in providing the best possible teaching methods. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, particularly at the Nannyville and Bob Allen schools, and it is my goal to continue the work so that all schools in SE St Andrew become model institutions.
Sports and Culture
Participating in sports my whole life has helped me to grow and develop as a person, as well as to learn valuable life skills such as teamwork, discipline and fair play. I am wholly convinced that if more of our young people were involved in sports or the arts, we would have a much more enriched society.
As MP, I will work with communities to organise more competitions to help unearth and develop talent, especially among persons who may not be involved in the formal school system, to provide the opportunity to express themselves through sports or the arts.
S.E. St Andrew is quite blessed to have a number of Jamaica’s premier sporting and cultural institutions – the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts, the National Stadium Complex, and The Little Theatre, among others – and I’d like to create and continue linkages between these institutions and the communities.
Revitalization of Residential Communities and Improving Quality of Life
The S.E. St Andrew constituency is characterized by a mix of urban/commercial and residential communities. Over the years, creeping commercialization into residential areas has put tremendous pressure on our available housing stock, and has in turn created myriad quality of life issues for residents.
This constituency also has the largest number of gated communities – apartments and townhouses built on land that formerly held one residence – and each gated community that is developed adds pressure to the existing infrastructure in terms of demands for water, sewage, trash collection and traffic. The pressure of high-density housing developments, creeping commercialization, night noise and other concerns are issues that need to be addressed.
While there are no quick fixes – the deterioration of our residential neighborhoods in Kingston didn’t happen overnight and requires a long-term strategic solution – I’d like to start the conversation about how to protect and utilize our residential and community spaces more effectively.
Peace and prosperity for Mountain View
For years, crime and violence have plagued some communities within the constituency, and although over the years tensions have eased significantly, the lack of opportunities for gainful employment among residents always presents a situation that threatens the peace and stability.
Where others see blight, I see opportunity, and I would like to tackle some of the problems with the Mountain View Avenue corridor, which borders the National Stadium Complex and is a vital link to Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport. With the right investment both in terms of capital as well as from the surrounding communities, I believe that Mountain View can - and should - be transformed into the zone that catalyzes Kingston's tourism renewal: a bustling strip where vendors of all types, from five-star restaurants to pan-chicken chefs can entertain customers in safety and comfort.
For years, crime and violence have plagued some communities within the constituency, and although over the years tensions have eased significantly, the lack of opportunities for gainful employment among residents always presents a situation that threatens the peace and stability.
Where others see blight, I see opportunity, and I would like to tackle some of the problems with the Mountain View Avenue corridor, which borders the National Stadium Complex and is a vital link to Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport. With the right investment both in terms of capital as well as from the surrounding communities, I believe that Mountain View can - and should - be transformed into the zone that catalyzes Kingston's tourism renewal: a bustling strip where vendors of all types, from five-star restaurants to pan-chicken chefs can entertain customers in safety and comfort.
