Born to serve Kingston Eastern and Port Royal

Phillip Paulwell represents the constituency of Kingston Eastern and Port Royal, continuing in the shoes of two giants of the People's National Party (PNP) – Sir Florizel Glasspole and Michael Manley – with one being a former governor general and the other a former prime minister.

Though he was born at the Princess Margaret Hospital, within two days after he was delivered he was back in the constituency where he was conceived. He would remain there well into his 20s, attending Norman Gardens Primary; and though Excelsior is outside the boundary, that is where he received his high school education.

His breakthrough efforts at developing the communications sector have been well documented and Jamaica has come a long way from the long lines at the telephone call boxes and the dreaded ICAS code for home phones to make international calls. With Jamaica's large overseas diaspora, he said change had to come, and it did.

“It takes total devotion, love and commitment to the people to remain in politics for so long. Having been in Opposition, I realised I could earn a lot more as a lawyer, and have indeed earned a lot more. But to me there is no grater satisfaction than to be able to serve,” Paulwell said.

irst elected in 1997, he was on a path to become president of the PNP, but has been derailed by the bumps along the political path which have been known to turn many dreams into nightmares.

He recalled his campaign slogan for that 1997 election being 'I hear you', which was a response to persons in the constituency whose number one concern was a lack of telephone service.

From Digicel to used cars

He set about revolutionising the existing industry and breaking the monopoly of the then Cable and Wireless. Cell phones were introduced and have exploded over the years.

Enter Digicel Communications Group.

They have been in operation in Jamaica for two decades, providing a range of communication services.

“It was a policy decision that not only benefited people from east Kingston, but the entire Jamaica. I cannot tell you what a joy that was,” he told The Gleaner.

He liberalised the motor vehicle industry under his leadership at the Trade Board. That allowed the importation of used cars in good condition, which has allowed thousands of Jamaicans to own motor vehicles.

“I was the one who introduced the used-car policy which allowed lots of people to afford a vehicle to drive. So, there was a time when Windward Road Primary School had only a few cars, which were driven by the most senior people. Now, the car park is full,” he said.

A former minister of science and technology, the Tablets in Schools Programme was introduced through his ministry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all schools in the constituency had free broadband access and were the most technologically advanced institutions to weather the pandemic, with teachers and students having online access.

Even though the Government discontinued the programme, he said the institutions were already outfitted.

The decline of the economy over the years has impacted the role of members of parliament (MP), leaving many feeling like they are “welfare officers”.

“So you have that on one hand, and, on the other hand, the ability to transform people's lives is priceless. When I became an MP, a significant population of our students were leaving primary schools reading below grade level or unable to read at all,” he stated.

He set about creating a programme to assist those children, paying a stipend to teachers and providing a meal for the students.

Paulwell came in on the back end of the housing development known as Manley Meadows, named after the constituency's most famous MP.

“That I was able to see through. We have a few thousand homes, and that has been a huge development which still looks and feels middle-class, lower middle-class, as it was intended to be...,” Paulwell said.

While he has not called time on his career, he said it is not a long way off.

He is grateful to have been a beneficiary of the policies of social justice of the Manley years, as well as the constituency organisation left in place ahead of his arrival. He said he was better able to serve his constituents when in government, than in Opposition.

He did not hesitate in stating that he would encourage his adult children to go into politics, telling The Gleaner, “I believe that the positives of contributing to nation-building are far greater and superior than being a private citizen doing very well, but not being able to contribute to the development of your country.”

“So yes, I would encourage that. And, especially when times get rough, I do get satisfaction from knowing that I contributed and feeling the love of the people. They are here to support you in your greatest time of need,” Paulwell said.

He is being challenged by the Jamaica Labour Party's Courtney Burnett.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com