Electoral boundary talks for proposed Portmore parish hit legal and political roadblocks

Government officials held a second consultation meeting on Thursday to review proposed electoral divisions for Portmore, as Jamaica moves toward establishing the community as the country's 15th parish. Stakeholders were invited to discuss how the new boundaries would shape political representation, but the session produced no consensus and left several constitutional questions unresolved.

South St. Catherine Member of Parliament Fitz Jackson told the gathering that Portmore does not yet exist as a parish. He said the meeting was meant to explore how related legislation could align with the constitution, but argued that process has run into a serious obstacle. Jackson said the parliamentary boundaries committee, controlled by the government through its majority, has directed the Electoral Office of Jamaica to make changes to comply with a court order. In his view, the office is now being asked to prescribe constituency boundaries for a parish that has no legal standing.

Before the first consultation, Jackson said he urged the Electoral Office of Jamaica to seek legal guidance on whether it has authority to set constituency boundaries under those circumstances. He raised the same question again at Thursday's meeting and said no clear answer was provided, leaving the issue outstanding.

The Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South Eastern said his involvement in the process would remain limited, contending that residents and their elected representatives were not meaningfully consulted. He described the committee as a "kangaroo committee" and accused planners of pursuing gerrymandering. "Last time I checked, voters chose who their elected representatives were. I never see anywhere where elected representatives choose who their voters are," he said. He also warned that the proposal could divide neighbours across parish lines with little regard for how efforts to reshape East Central St. Catherine would affect people living in the area.

Further stakeholder consultations are expected before the electoral commission finalises its recommendations on Portmore's electoral boundaries. Participants were told another session is planned soon to walk through and visualise how the proposed parish boundaries would be drawn.