MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, – The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government has sparked a constitutional showdown after ramming through controversial legislation to establish Portmore as the country’s 15th parish, a move that opposition leaders vow to challenge in court.
The bill, passed Tuesday evening by the House of Representatives using the government’s majority, would strip Portmore residents of their unique right to directly elect their mayor – the only such arrangement in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Opposition Leader Mark Golding denounced the legislation as a “deplorable travesty,” arguing that the JLP was “abusing its parliamentary majority” to strip away democratic rights without public consent. He warned the bill would “destroy the expressed will of the people,” particularly targeting the established system of direct mayoral elections.
Opposition Spokesman Fitz Jackson, who represents St Catherine Southern, warned the legislation could set a dangerous precedent. “Today for Portmore; tomorrow for Westmoreland, Hanover, or any other parish in this country – that’s where we’re going, and we can’t allow that to happen,” he declared.
Jackson said the bill seeks to upend the results of the 2024 local government election, adding that “should the government remain in its state of power drunkeness (and) proceed to enact this, we will meet the government in court.”
When it became clear that the government would be using its majority to pass the bill the opposition members walked out of the chamber, but not before Mr Jackson promised that, should the opposition People’s National Party win the next election, it will repeal the act.
“This is a clear case of political gerrymandering,” declared Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas, who revealed plans to pursue legal action to block what he called a “backward step” that undermines democratic principles.
Golding’s accusations of electoral manipulation gained weight from specific boundary changes embedded in the legislation. The Opposition Leader pointed out that traditionally PNP-strong areas – Lime Tree Grove, Lakes Pen, Quarry Hill, and Grange Lane – would be cut from Portmore, creating what he termed “no man’s land” between existing constituencies. These communities, previously split between Jackson’s constituency and JLP representative Alando Terrelonge’s St Catherine East Central, would require new constituency boundaries to be drawn.
“The JLP is clearly positioning to install a mayor of its own,” Golding charged, linking the boundary changes to what he described as a broader strategy to consolidate political control. The move would effectively nullify the mandate of 14,000 voters who participated in the last local government elections to choose their mayor directly.
The legislation appears to contradict Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s earlier commitment to broader consultation. At a 2024 ground-breaking ceremony for the Portmore Resilience Park, Holness had promised to delay establishing the new parish until residents were “comfortable with the decision.” According to Mayor Thomas, no further community engagement followed that pronouncement before the bill reached Parliament.
“Other than Portmore, there is no municipality in the English-speaking Caribbean where citizens have the opportunity to vote directly for their mayor,” Thomas emphasized, aligning with Golding’s concerns about democratic regression. He pointed to recent leadership struggles in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation as evidence of the superiority of direct elections.
The People’s National Party’s response has crystallized around both legal and political challenges. When it became clear the government would push through the bill, opposition members walked out of the chamber in protest, but not before laying out their battle plan. Golding pledged to “do everything in our power” to overturn the law, while his party prepared for a constitutional challenge in court.
“We will meet the Government in the courts,” Jackson declared, echoing Golding’s commitment to fight the legislation. “We will allow the people of Portmore to determine their destiny, their form of government because the will of the people must always prevail.” The Opposition Leader’s warning about democratic erosion found support in previous public statements by JLP officials about controlling the St Catherine Parish Council, which Thomas cited as evidence of premeditated political maneuvering.
The timing of the legislation has raised additional concerns, coming as Jamaica debates its constitutional future. In 2022, Holness affirmed his commitment to republicanism and establishing a non-executive president as head of state, with a Constitutional Reform Committee established in March 2023. Critics, led by Golding, argue that removing direct electoral rights in Portmore contradicts this broader push for democratic reform.
While Holness maintains the creation of a new political administration for Portmore isn’t aimed at gaining political advantage, the bill – if approved by the Senate – would mark the first creation of a new Jamaican parish since 1867. But rather than celebrating this historic milestone, the legislation has exposed deep fissures in Jamaica’s democratic framework, setting the stage for a constitutional battle that could reshape local governance across the island.
“This is a clear case of political gerrymandering,” declared Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas, who revealed plans to pursue legal action to block what he called a “backward step” that undermines democratic principles. WiredJA
