‘I have won their hearts’

Declaring that he has been “tried, tested and proven”, St Catherine South Eastern Member of Parliament Robert ‘Big Rob’ Miller says he has won the hearts of the people of the constituency through his unrelenting work and interactions with residents.

He is expressing confidence as a major showdown looms at the polls between himself, a teacher and marketing specialist, and medical practitioner Dr Alfred Dawes.

Asked why constituents should give him the nod a second time around, Miller first said he is from the constituency.

“I have played with them. I have laughed with them. I have cried with them and I am accessible to them,” he said of his relationship with his constituents, adding that he is very accessible.

“I am a Seventh-day Adventist but I worship with them at at least three churches on a Sunday. There are a lot of churches in the constituency and I am there for them,” he said in a Sunday Gleaner interview last week.

“They know that I am a performer because they have never seen development like this ever before,” he said.

Indicating that garrison politics was not practised in St Catherine South East, the incumbent said the constituency is not painted in green because he does not discriminate against anyone based on their political persuasion.

“The constituency is for everyone – PNP (People’s National Party), JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) and no P. I have attended to their needs and I am there for them whenever they call and I strongly believe I have won their hearts.”

One of his proudest achievements, he said, is the Resilience Park at the Portmore toll entrance. Initially an unused plot, Miller lobbied the prime minister to transfer the land from the municipal corporation to the Urban Development Corporation. Groundbreaking took place in February 2024 and while completion is slated for September.

“The reality is I believe it is going to be done from what I am seeing by July, this year, because all the buildings are up. They are actually painting the buildings now and they are bringing in the landscapers as well,” he said.

The MP said he is also taking steps to establish a transportation centre to address the “chaos” that currently exists in the vicinity of the Portmore Mall.

He is also eyeing the development of Port Henderson Road as an area for tourists to visit and enjoy seafood.

Asked whether the label of ‘Back Road’ with its attendant activities could serve as a deterrent to some who would otherwise visit the area, Miller said: “The reality is that you have to cater to everyone. I might not endorse what is happening there personally but at the same time … once you reposition the area then you would get great things coming from there.”

Rebranding the Forum

fishing village

The MP said he has also engaged private sector interests to assist in rebranding the Forum fishing village.

Turning to road projects, the MP said he has managed to resurface some of the community roads in the constituency.

He said the majority of the roads in the constituency are parochial roads governed by the Portmore Municipality.

Miller said a government subvention, amounting to $10 million which was allocated last December to MPs to spend in their constituencies, was used by him for road patching. According to Miller, the sum was used to resurface roads in Garveymeade which were in a deplorable condition for decades.

Miller said two years ago, each MP received $40 million to do road repairs, among other works, in their constituencies. The incumbent said his allocation was spent on Portmore Gardens, Robinson Close, Pen Way and Myrtle Way.

The MP said there was no running water in Myrtle Way, a community close to Caymanas Park. The MP said he worked with the National Water Commission to get running water in that community. He said efforts by him also resulted in residents benefitting from Wi-Fi.

He also highlighted the removal of zinc fences in a number of communities with support from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, which has responsibility for housing.

The communities where zinc fences were removed are Mandela in the Westchester Division; Myrtle Way and Passage Fort Drive in the Independence City Division; Port Henderson Road, more popularly known as Back Road, in the Edgewater Division. He said the project went a long way in changing the façade of the areas.

“Within the Myrtle Way space and Pen Way we rewired some 120 houses and placed them on the grid with support from JSIF and the Ministry of Local Government.”

Since he became MP, Miller said he has also resurfaced the roadway where the Bridgeport business complex is situated. It houses a police station, post office and a dental clinic. Resurfacing of the roadway at the Waterford business complex has also been done. The facility houses a police station, library, post office and health centre.

Miller said he has been lobbying the authorities to remove the health centre from its current location at Waterford because it has outgrown its capacity to function effectively at its present site. He said many of the patients have to stand outside at times and whenever it rains it poses a problem for them.

The incumbent said he has also done work across several communities including Waterford, Edgewater, Portsmouth, Independence City and Bridgeport to repair sewerage systems that had collapsed.

He said the Government’s legacy programme will carry out repairs to the roads in Cumberland and Westchester. “The reality is it is the worst area in the constituency so I am just asking for patience from the citizens.”

He accused the Municipality of “playing politics and dragging their feet where that is concerned because the reality is although it is a central government programme it is implemented through the Municipal Corporation.”

Attempts to reach Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas for comment were unsuccessful.

Miller said the procurement for the Westchester and Cumberland works is far advanced and he is hoping that in short order the repairs would be done to ease the burden of the residents.

edmond.camopbell@gleanerjm.com