Building a Better Jamaica

PORT ANTONIO (JIS):
Friday, February 19, 2010

Courtesy of Jamaica Information Service

The process of community development was extensively discussed at the Portland leg of the one-day Vision 2030 Symposium, held at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), in Portland, on February 16.

Attended by representatives from a number of communities and community organisations in the parish, the session facilitated discussions on how the organisations can best contribute to parish and community development, as well as inform citizens about how the services can be accessed.

Speaking at the symposium, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, said the series of symposia are being held to implement the recommendations made by the National Advisory Council on Local Government Reform.

Courtesy of Jamaica Information Service

He pointed out that one of the recommendations is that each parish formulates a 20-year sustainable development plan, the rationale being that no person who has left his or her parish for 20 years should return and not find it at a greater level of development than what existed at the time of departure.

The State Minister said that the deliberations at the different symposia would serve to indicate to future generations that positive planning for the future of the country was conducted by today's generation of Jamaicans.

Declaring that Jamaica's greatest resources are its people, Mr. Montague said that the Government believes that the citizens of the country must play a critical role in the creation of the 20-year, adding that it is of utmost importance that Jamaicans co-operate and concentrate on the things that unite them and focus less on the factors that divide them.

The State Minister exhorted the people of Portland to let unity become their strength and work for the sustainable development of the parish.

Also addressing the function was Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Projects and Member of Parliament for Western Portland, Hon. Daryl Vaz, who described the function as an opportunity for the people of Portland to influence the development process in Portland.

He also informed the residents about the various developmental initiatives being carried out to foster the social and economic upliftment of Portland.

Sponsored by the Department of Local Government, the purpose of the symposia is to forge a vision for the development of each community and parish, visualising what each community and parish will achieve over the next 20 years and ensuring that the vision is the collective product of all relevant stake holder groups in the parishes.

Among the organisations represented were the Portland Parish Council, the Social Development Commission, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, the Registrar General's Department, the Portland Chamber of Commerce, the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the National Water Commission, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, the National Health Fund and the HEART Trust/NTA.