PNP, JLP agree that use of force not best in tackling illegal garages

PNP’s Venesha Phillips

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Both the People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) agreed that using force to get rid of illegal garages, which are still too prevalent in the country, is not the best method.

“We recognise that the practice of going in and beating them off the street, it hasn’t worked,” said the JLP’s Milton Brown during the Local Government Debates on Wednesday. “We have tried it over (a) long time, to try and force them off the street.

“I think our business will be to convince them that that’s not the place to do business, on the street,” he said.

The PNP’s Venesha Phillips welcomed Brown’s response to CVM TV’s Irvin Forbes’ question on the prevalence of illegal garages.

“There are several implications for these garages, but one of the things we are mindful of, and we are happy that my colleague on the other side was able to point out that the brash approach does not necessarily always work, sometimes the massager approach is better,” she said.

However, the JLP went a step further and offered a solution beyond trying to convince operators of illegal garages to stop working on streets.

Brown said the JLP is prepared to set up designated areas where people can operate garages.

“I think we have to get to the people, to get them convinced that illegal garages are bad for the country,” Brown said Wednesday.

“The Jamaica Labour Party would be prepared to work to ensure that these garages are moved to designated areas, rather than being on the streets,” he stated.

Brown said he is aware that the illegal garages are operated by small business as a means of survival, but insisted that they cannot be on streets.

“So we intend to have areas where these persons would operate garages, probably in small blocks, rather than being on the streets…” Brown said, adding that being on the streets is unhealthy as well as unsafe, and “we need to get rid of it”.

Meanwhile, Phillips said the PNP uses notices “at first instance because we also understand the challenging economic times by which we live”.

“We do not, by any means, make excuses for those persons who have illegal garages as their means of survival,” she continued.

“What we do is because we believe in the engagement process, the People’s National Party has always been the party of consultation, but that will not allow us to compromise on enforcement and so we continue to ensure that we gently reach out to these persons, ensuring that they understand that we are aware …and we understand their plight,” Phillips said.

She added: “We want them to make a living but we also want them to take into consideration the persons that are around them, the communities that are around them.”

Brown, who replaced Kerencia Morrison on the JLP’s team for Wednesday’s debate, was joined by Richard Creary and Delroy Williams, while Phillips’ other team members were Scean Barnswell and Eugene Kelly.

The debate was held at the Creative Production and Training Centre and was televised live.