Alando Terrelonge, Member of Parliament for East Central St Catherine, has accused the People’s National Party of being anti-growth and development.

Terrelonge, who was speaking at the East Central Constituency Conference on Sunday, said that the “Pipeline National Party” opposes everything to do with growth and development.

“That is why they took your government to court and got an injunction to stop Portmore from becoming a parish, but Portmore will become the 15th parish because the court has lifted the injunction, so there’s no injunction in place,” Terrelonge said.

He outlined that Portmore’s parish status will soon come to fruition despite opposition from the PNP, while also noting that the Speaker of the House has also given instructions to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) to come back to Parliament. “So, from a legal perspective, the Jamaica Labour Party has won a victory in the courts for you, the people of Portmore. We made you a promise, and we will keep that promise. When Portmore becomes a parish, we will have already invested almost $4.2 billion in the Resilience Park,” he added.

Terrelonge also noted that for 13 years, the “Pipeline National Party” had the Resilience Park as a dust bowl affecting residents, particularly those with asthma, and now that the Resilience Park is coming to fruition, some people are trying to take credit for it, saying it was their idea. 

“That park belongs to you, the people of Portmore, so you can go there on Sundays, Saturdays, and Fridays and enjoy the space with your families,” Terrelonge continued.

He also noted that the government has invested $950 million to expand the roadway in Grange Lane, Portmore.

“Other roadways in Portmore will be expanded, new highways will come in, and in our communities, under the SPARK Road Rehabilitation Programme—Dover Avenue in Gregory Park, Queens Avenue, Power Avenue in New Lands, more roads in Watson Grove, more roads in Cedar Grove, more roads in Southborough, and more roads in Hamilton Gardens, and in all our communities, the work continues,” he said. “For our residents in Caymanas, side A and side B, under the National Housing Trust (NHT) First 100 programme, your communities will see renovation of your pathways, just as we did in Hamilton Gardens and Southborough under the NHT First 100 programme.”

Terrelonge also noted that he deserves the third term as Member of Parliament, having revamped East Central St Catherine since inheriting it for the past nine years.

“The constituency was falling apart and did not know any progress or proper leadership, but the people of East Central St Catharine said, let us choose Jamaica. Let us choose Terrelonge, and your choice in choosing me to represent you led us to the historic one-seat victory in 2016. I want to thank you, the workers of East Central. I want to thank our community members. My East Central family, you have always believed in me, and I have always believed in you. It is your strength that has driven me to where I am today: nine years of sound leadership from you.

“Over the last few years, every single year, we have spent more than $10 million every year, educating at least 3,500 students every single year. Because it is my education that transformed my life. And so I have to give that gift of education to our young people right here in East Central,” he added.