Holness touts infrastructure, jobs and aircraft industry for Clarendon
Published:Tuesday | May 27, 2025 | 12:13 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says his Government intends to focus on what he calls the “local economy”, now that the nationally economy has been “fixed”.
Holness, who is the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, was speaking at a party meeting in Clarendon South Eastern on Sunday, days after the Planning Institute of Jamaica reported an estimated 0.8 per cent growth of the economy during the January to March 2025 quarter.
“We a go fix yuh local economy so that you can live, work, do your business, raise your family, and experience your own prosperity right here in your community,” said Holness, who was addressing supporters in the constituency.
The prime minister explained how his administration intends to bring economic prosperity closer to people.
“From the dividends – meaning from the proceeds that we get from the big economy, the national economy – we will divide that up fairly across the country as we did for St Thomas,” Holness said, pointing to the infrastructural development in the eastern parish.
He said the construction of the highway connecting St Thomas to Kingston in a faster and more efficient way has pushed businesses into the parish that will create employment and drive tourism.
He said the administration will do the same for Clarendon, which, he said, has a larger economy than St Thomas, pointing to its agricultural, mining, and fishing outputs.
Holness said the parish has the makings of a strong economy and now requires greater infrastructural development, including road and water connections.
Further, he said the Government will develop the Vernamfield Aerodrome in the parish, once it establishes an international airport in Negril.
“Vernamfield will create new employment opportunities for young people in this constituency, and all the constituencies in Clarendon,” Holness said.
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE
He said the Government is targeting a lucrative industry in aircraft maintenance and operation.
“That is where all the airlines carry in their planes to get maintained and repaired. Right now, you have such operations in Honduras. You have them in Latin American countries, but because Jamaica is so centrally located, we can have that kind of operation here,” he said, noting that the country has the technical expertise to do it.
“So that is going to be a new industry that we are going to develop for your parish, and specifically to help the people here,” he said, mentioning that the highway has opened up Clarendon’s housing market.
Holness said once the aforementioned plans are in place, the parish’s local economy will thrive.
He asserted that the current Government has a track record with the development of St Thomas and the national economy and will create a similar local economy in Clarendon.
He urged supporters to leave the meeting with the hope that things are changing and will continue to change for better under his administration.
Pointing to 2 Peter 1:10, the prime minister urged Labourites to “make your calling and election sure”.
“Don’t take anything for granted. Crowds don’t win election. Polls don’t win election. Newspaper columns don’t win elections. What wins election is the vote in the box, and elections are all about a choice.
“Some people will make a choice irrationally. Them wake up on the wrong side one morning, kiss them teeth and make a wrong vote, and then them suffer for the rest of the time. Some people will make a choice based on a promise. A man come and tell you say, ‘I have a horse for you and that horse can fly’. And you believe, you don’t look at the track record to see if there are any horses that have flown before. And then there are some people who just don’t know and anything you tell them, them do,” the prime minister said.
He said those voters are to be educated to “keep the ship steady”.
He said the pending parliamentary election is about voters doing the right things that will benefit the country.
Holness also urged People’s National Party supporters to choose his Government, claiming they, too, will benefit from the sound management of the country.
“We don’t look at people by virtue of their colour and exclude them. No, we are the national party of Jamaica. The Jamaica Labour Party is the national party. The Jamaica Labour Party forms the natural majority of people who think reasonably and rationally about the country,” said Holness.