Holness Rejects Online Claims as Boundbrook Urban Centre Work Advances in Portland

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has reaffirmed his Government's commitment to large-scale development, arguing that major infrastructure works are already reshaping communities even as misleading claims spread online.

While touring the Boundbrook Urban Centre in Port Antonio, Holness asked Jamaicans to judge his administration by finished projects rather than false narratives circulating on the internet. He said the focus remains on delivering visible results and keeping the public informed as key works move ahead.

Holness recalled breaking ground on the site about two years ago, when the land was still swampy. He said, “Approximately 2 years ago, I stood on a swampy land having a groundbreaking ceremony for this development. A project like Boundbrook which is going to change the nature of Port Antonio for the positive that doesn't get feature. No news report carries that. So, it is our job to be in your face every day to counter the falsehood that nothing is happening and all kinds of bad things are happening and the sky is about to fall.”

The prime minister said the Boundbrook Urban Centre is part of a wider push to modernise Jamaica's ageing town centres. “The strategy of the government today is to address our aging and creaking infrastructure. There is really no town in Jamaica that is adequately carrying the user capacity that is called upon to do. There is scarcely a town in Jamaica where you have adequate sidewalks, scarcely a town where you can find proper parking. I see the problem. I am not complaining about the problem because it is my job to fix it. But to fix the problem, I must have the attention, focus and understanding of the people.”

Holness also responded to speculation about future development in Portland, saying misinformation had stirred unnecessary concern. “There is no development that my administration will marshal in Jamaica, that will dispossess the people of the area in which the development will take place. So, for those who are ready to make memes and social media posts about Navy Island, absolutely nothing like that. I have to stop it before it starts.”