Opposition Leader Mark Golding has expressed that the people of Portmore, St Catherine should be allowed to decide by way of a referendum, if the municipality should become Jamaica’s 15th parish.

Golding, who is also the President of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), made the call on Sunday as he addressed the party’s 83rd annual conference in Kingston.

He accused the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) of wanting to “split off Portmore as a separate parish from St Catherine because it would suit their political ends.

“But will this benefit the people of Portmore?”Golding asked as he highlighted that unlike other parishes, Portmore is lacking in certain amenities, namely parish courts, a cemetery, a market and a hospital.

“Yet the Government is rushing to make Portmore a parish without any of those things in place,” Golding asserted.

“Why does the Jamaica Labour Party want to make Portmore the only parish without those facilities?” he asked.

According to Golding, the position of the PNP is that “The people of Portmore must be consulted fulsomely on any such move. Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to go that route must be theirs via a referendum. Let the people decide, don’t leave it to the politicians.”

Golding argued that presently, Portmore residents have the benefit of the community being Jamaica’s only municipality. This, he said, gives the residents the legal right to directly elect their own mayor… a right that does not extend to any other parish.

“Why would you want to deprive them of that right?” he said.

Despite his call, the Opposition leader’s preferred route to parish status for Portmore could be a mute point, as in September of this year, the Joint Select Committee of Parliament reviewing the proposal for the municipality to become Jamaica’s 15th parish approved the plan. The move now awaits final approval from Parliament, where the JLP has a huge 49-14-seat margin.

https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/golding-calls-referendum-decide-parish-status-portmore