Madam Speaker…
I am feeling a great energy as I stand to address this House today. It is an energy driven by the desire to do more in service for my fellow citizens. It is also an energy unleashed by the decision by the Government, following two years of careful management of COVID-19, to withdraw the pandemic restrictions. I have returned to the highways and byways, consulting with people around the country, and I have never felt a greater sense of revival and sense of mission as I do now. I give praise to the Most Honourable Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, who continues to provide exceptional leadership to the Cabinet, the Government and to the country. His transformation as a political leader has not yet reached its peak Madam Speaker, and Jamaica is blessed to have him in the Captain’s chair as we make the transition from the worst days of COVID-19, to economic and social recovery. I am greatly honoured to be part of his Administration, and extremely proud of my colleagues in the Cabinet.
I thank the Permanent Secretary, the leadership team and staff of my Ministry, the staff in the Agencies, the Mayors, Councillors, and all the staff in the Local Authorities, who have given exceptional service especially since COVID-19 hit Jamaica. I also say thanks to my personal staff and my protective personnel, who are ever faithful in all circumstances.
Madam Speaker, to my wife, my children and my extended family: I would not be here without your unconditional love. When all is said and done, you are the wind beneath my wings, the rock of love to which I cling.
Those of us who serve in the political vineyard know that we never work alone. I remain humbled by the tremendous faith that my political family of Western Kingston place in me. My roots are planted there Madam Speaker, and I am tremendously proud to state that this is my 48th year as an elected representative in Western Kingston: 37 as a Councillor, and now, 11 years as Member of Parliament. No praises can be too high for my Councillors, my Constituency Executive and all the members of the team, and my Constituents.
Madam Speaker, since March 2020, the system of local government made an effective contribution to the management of public health protocols, and to laying the foundation for economic and social recovery at the community level. Now in
2022, as the country emerges from the worst effects and adjusts to living with COVID-19, this Ministry is called on to lead the charge to achieve, at long last, the development of rural Jamaica. I feel very empowered by this mission, about the work that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development must do to bring about this transformation in the lives of our people.