Delroy Chuck
OUR CITIES, and towns, have become decrepit, dilapidated and downright disgraceful. Kingston, St. Ann's Bay, May Pen, Morant Bay, and elsewhere, are examples of neglect, civilised abandonment and, I daresay, lack of shame. Garbage is everywhere, buildings are dirty and falling apart, the streets are strewn with potholes and filthy water, and nature's gifts of beautiful landscapes and attractive features are lost in the prevailing, man-made, chaos and confusion.
Jamaica can do better. We have inherited one of nature's island paradises, but have damaged instead of improved and enhanced the ambience of the rolling mountains, the sleepy plains and blessed seashores. Just look what we have done with Kingston Harbour for more than a decade. We have turned it into one massive cesspool, in which we dump filth and millions of gallons of untreated sewage every day. The tourist resorts of Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and others have become eyesores, with squatter communities and shacks emerging everywhere. Mandeville and Spanish Town, which were once attractive stops for motorists travelling across the country, have become congested, unpleasant and unsightly. Surely, Jamaica must do better.
To begin with, Jamaicans must feel a deep sense of embarrassment for their capital city, Kingston, which is a filthy mess. Kingston needs to be cleaned, restored, rebuilt and renewed. Certainly, for the past 20 or more years, nothing useful and worthwhile has been built in downtown Kingston or in the surrounding commercial districts. The boardrooms and centres of commerce have moved uptown where residential communities compete with commercial activity. The revival of Kingston must begin now, and it needs big, innovative thinking that will not only rehabilitate downtown, but also transform it into a major financial, commercial and tourism mecca. And, it can be done.
HUMAN VISION
Imagine Georgetown in the Cayman Islands that attracts four to six tourism liners per day. Georgetown has nothing in comparison with Kingston, save and except for human vision, planning and development. A small, sleepy, fishing outpost has become the financial centre of the Caribbean, which, before our socialist experiment of the 70s, depended on us for virtually everything. Even Barbados that envied Jamaica's development in the 60s is now way ahead of us in virtually everything.
Jamaica needs to reinvent itself, and the experience of others can show the way. Sydney, Australia and Cape Town, South Africa are two rebuilt cities on the waterfront that have become major tourism hotspots. Pudong New Area in Shanghai, China was barren, undeveloped land 20 years ago. In the early 90s, the state agencies determined to make Shanghai into the premier Asian commercial and business centre. They invited architects and developers from Europe, Australia, U.S.A. and Asia to design the Pudong New Area. From these designs, they chose the best, and started building around 1992. Today, Pudong, Shanghai compares favourably with Manhattan, New York or any other metropolitan city. Its development is simply remarkable and continues, as the major high-rise buildings of 100 or more stories are still under construction. Visiting China and observing what it has done over the past 25 or so years has renewed my hope that Jamaica, too, can do it.
Jamaica needs to redesign its cities and towns. And, even while we maintain and improve Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and others, we must start with Kingston to make it once again the Caribbean's financial, business and tourism centre. We could easily start by removing the General Penitentiary and clear, design and develop the land within a quarter mile of it into an attractive commercial and residential area, with duty-free shopping and other tourism attractions. In truth, the whole of the Kingston Harbour needs redesigning, redevelopment and renewal that could inspire investment and a complete overhaul of downtown Kingston and lower St. Andrew.
Perhaps it is about time we stimulate our imagination and let our creativity visualise Jamaica as it could be - prosperous, progressive and peaceful. Yet, are there enough dreamers, planners and implementers to overcome the doubters and mindsets that see Jamaica's destiny as shaped and controlled primarily by global forces, instead of our own plans, decisions and actions?
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at delchuck@hotmail.com.
