Who is Jamaica being built for?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Development must never come at the cost of excluding the people it is meant to serve. No amount of groundbreaking ceremonies, ribbon-cuttings, or gleaming new developments can resolve the growing frustration felt by many Jamaicans who are uncertain about their place in the country’s future.

That frustration should not be dismissed as being resistance to change. It may reflect a deeper concern: that Jamaica is visibly progressing while too many citizens remain unsure whether that progress includes them.

I increasingly hear ordinary Jamaicans ask, as they pass another crane, high-rise apartment complex, or construction site: “Who can afford that?” or, more quietly, “Where do I fit?”

Jamaica’s ability to attract investment and undertake ambitious developments is a positive sign. Projects such as The Pinnacle in Montego Bay reflect that ambition. Yet, the true pinnacle of development is not measured solely by how high we build, but by whether people are empowered and equipped to participate meaningfully in the country being built around them.

A skyline can modernise while citizens grow more anxious about housing, wages, opportunity, and ownership. Housing perhaps best illustrates this contradiction. Many Jamaicans are not opposed to new developments; they simply struggle to identify the homes being built for them. They can see progress unfolding, yet feel economically excluded from it.

Inclusive development must therefore be central to our national vision. If ordinary Jamaicans repeatedly look at the most visible symbols of progress and ask, “Where do I fit?”, that question deserves serious attention.

Investment matters. Construction matters. Modernisation matters. But development also depends on people. After the cranes disappear and the ribbons are cut, one question will remain: Who is Jamaica really being built for?

Dayna Stewart