Opposition Leader Mark Golding is demanding that the Government cease all efforts to make the municipality of Portmore in St Catherine the 15th parish of Jamaica.

In a letter to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Golding stressed that the conversion of the municipality to a parish would have no material benefit to the people or communities of Portmore.

“It [has] long been clear to us that the objective of the conversion of Portmore from a city municipality to a parish is driven by a narrow, partisan, and self-serving desire to separate the people of Portmore from the rest of St Catherine in order to secure political control of the Spanish Town Municipal Corporation,” the Opposition Leader wrote.

He added that these suspicions were confirmed by Cabinet member Everald Warmington, who, in a public statement in November, said that the boundaries of Portmore would be changed to ensure that key areas within two Portmore constituencies, which have predominantly voted for the People’s National Party, will no longer be in those constituencies.

Golding noted that proposals to alter the structure of the Portmore Municipality require extensive prior consultations with the residents and organisations of the city, which the Opposition previously stated was not being adequately done.

He proposed that after all efforts to transition the city to a parish have ceased, the Government should commence broad-based consultation with the leaders of Portmore at all levels, along with residents, to arrive at a consensus about any modifications to the city’s structure before.

“I encourage you to be mindful that Jamaica’s success to date in maintaining democratic systems of government to date and prospects for economic growth and national development are, in large, dependent on our relatively stable political system and practices and the institutional arrangements which support this,” Golding wrote.

He concluded, “Any manipulative tinkering of political boundaries, as articulated by Minister Warmington, with the apparent support of your Cabinet, will only serve to derail the country’s past gains and future prospects.”

Last year, the House of Representatives approved the motion for Portmore to become a parish. The House vote followed two weeks of debate on a report from the (JSC) of the Parliament that considered parish status for Portmore.

Since then, there has been controversy surrounding the decision to make the city a parish.

According to Andrew Wheatley, the member of parliament for South Central St Catherine, it is likely that Portmore will become Jamaica’s 15th parish by the next local government elections, which are due February 2024.