Mark Titus, Freelance Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay, St. James, is probably the busiest in western Jamaica. Vendors and buyers from that region flock to it every weekend.
Vendors are charged according to the quantity of their goods, plus a fee of $20 for each visit to the sanitary convenience, which is in a reasonably good condition.
Yet, despite the large number of users, the market is not in a wholesome state. Squatting, inadequate security, and the refusal by some vendors to pay their fees are some of the problems the St. James Parish Council, operators of the facility, faces on a daily basis.
Evidence of squatting
When The Sunday Gleaner recently visited the market, evidence of squatting was everywhere. Offering to show us around, Dahlia, a vendor, took us to where more than 30 wooden structures, most of them closed, lined the wall on the inside of the premises.
"They gone out to work; they come back about five o'clock," an elderly vendor said. "You have to come early in the morning to see them."
A few lines of recently done laundry were in the area, where the coal vendors are located. "She get up and wash her clothes before she go to work," a passer-by informed us with a chuckle.
In the streets surrounding the market, dogs rummaged through huge piles of garbage, and vendors sold their produce beside puddles of murky water where mosquitoes bred.
The market was built in 1968 and was rehabilitated in 1998 when the parish council took over the management of the facility from Western Parks and Markets, during which a commitment was made to rid the facility of the dwelling houses.
Pauline Lecky, market manager, tells The Sunday Gleaner there are plans in place to remove the squatters. "There are some persons who were born and raised here; this has been their home," she says. "These shops were built to do business, but they were converted to dwelling houses. While we have our concerns, we cannot just throw these people out on the street. This is a long-term issue, so we will have to get the services of a social worker," she adds.
However, Dahlia and the other vendors say the solution was straightforward. "Get rid of the persons that have built their homes on the premises, that has nothing to do with the day-to-day operations of the market, and the police post that was here sometime ago need to return," said Dahlia, a popular wholesaler who has been operating in the market for the past 10 years.
In the past, a police post was at the market, but owing to a shortage of personnel, policing was reduced to occasional patrols. The parish council is now responsible for the security of the market.
Despite having to manoeuvre through delivery trucks, taxis and street vendors to get to the market, Lecky contends that the problem of traffic congestion is a thing of the past.
"Congestion inside the market is a bigger problem; the handcart operators have disregarded our instructions and continue to drive through the market even on the busiest day," she says.
The manager further says the council struggles to meet its monthly budget, but refuses to give details. Efforts by The Sunday Gleaner to ascertain whether there are future plans for rehabilitation also proved unsuccessful.
Falmouth (Bend Down) MarketWhen The Sunday Gleaner arrived at the Falmouth market, it was bustling with activity. This was not surprising, as rain or shine, the market, popularly known as 'Bend Down' is always filled with sellers and buyers, from all around the country.
Since its inception in 1834, it has moved from its initial location to what is now known as the Albert George Market, which is situated in the town centre. But, that site soon proved to be inadequate and the market was again relocated to its present location.
A drain piled with garbage greets us as we enter the premises. "A so the whole a dem stay, Gleaner," said a Rastafarian vendor, "Dem clean it more time, but the vendors dem throw rubbish back in it, then complain."
The stalls inside the main vending area were empty, and the smell of stale excrement was strong. Large holes were in the roof, while puddles of water were all over the floor. The male section of the sanitary convenience was clean. However, the female section was in a very poor state.
Stories of robbery, extortion, intimidation by residents of the squatter community of Dump, located near the market, were told quietly to The Sunday Gleaner.
"Is justthe other day they robbed a old lady of her day's sale, and there are persons here who have to be paying money apart from the market fee. I need not say more," A vendor from west Kingston said.
Another vendor claimed that $25 million was sent to rehabilitate the market, but the parish council was not spending it.
Errol Malcolm, the revenue service manager and Alfred Graham, secretary manager, admitted that a proposal had been submitted to central government for the rehabilitation of the market, but would not elaborate on the details of the proposal or the outcome.
However, investigation carried out by The Sunday Gleaner revealed that in 2005, The Trelawny Parish Council was awarded $25 million from the Poverty Reduction Programme of the European Union, through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, to rehabilitate the facility. However, they were later informed that they would have to wait as the cash would be spent on a more urgent project.
According to the source, the proposal stated that an initial investment of $30 million would yield a profit of $9.7 million in the first 12 months, making it possible to recover the total invested amount in three years.
Some of the weaknesses mentioned in the proposal were inadequate facilities to host present vendors and to meet growth demand, and security and control being compromised by the lack of a perimeter fence and inadequate financial resources to efficiently operate the market.
The concerns of increased security risk and greater competition from prospective tourism interests were outweighed by the vision of transforming it into the model market in the region.
According to Malcolm, the council was seeking to create a better environment for the customers. "The absence of the wall does create a security risk," he said, "The police are doing a lot, but they are already stretched, but I will admit that the presence of the police would be more effective in deterring criminal activity at the market than the security officers that are now there."
Malcolm stated that the public health department made occasional visits and the management of the market was ensuring that a minimum standard was maintained.
"The vendors are contributing to the condition of the drain, but the problem is also bigger than that."
The Sunday Gleaner has also learned that the council was recently granted $5 million to build a perimeter wall. "Yes, we have already received $2.5 million of the amount," the secretary manager said, "but with recent developments, we are not sure what will happen, and that is all I am prepared to say on the matter."
Those recent developments, The Sunday Gleaner understands, is the possible relocation of the market as a part of what the Member of Parliament for North Trelawny, Dr. Patrick Harris, calls the changing face of Falmouth.
Asked whether the issue of the market is being used as a political football, the MP said: "Not at all. The complete development of the town is the bigger picture."
