I am sharing Professor Carolyn Cooper’s newspaper column this week, which is posted on her blog. She has been following this issue diligently, besides others related to development, cultural heritage and other topics. She gave the “Powers That Be” (PTBs) a nudge over the Christmas holidays regarding the status of the Rockfort Mineral Bath, which was supposed to be open by the end of 2023. It has been closed since before COVID. Now, the PTBs have told the enquirer, rather vaguely, that the refurbishment of the baths should be complete “in the next few months,” and have suggested that the delay is due to staff changes at the adjoining Caribbean Cement. Well, not quite. You can read more in the blog post I have shared above.
This is just the kind of evasive, we-don’t-really-care response to citizens’ enquiries that residents of the Seymour Lands/Vale Royal area have repeatedly received from the mightiest of all “powers that be,” the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). This office is responsible for the maintenance of Vale Royal – a building, over 300 years old, which is now deteriorating at an alarming pace. In fact, the OPM has literally blocked the residents’ polite approaches, suggestions, and proposals for the use of this beautiful property. The OPM should remove the page about it from their website, which bears a lovely photograph of a well-kept, pristine building. Not so long ago, PTBs used to host lovely parties for visiting dignitaries, and seasonal treats for children. It is silent and dark, now. Occasionally, the grass is cut. Residents have to simply watch its slow collapse, day after day.
I have concluded long ago that the Jamaican Government does not care one jot about preserving what’s left of our cultural heritage, in whatever shape or form. For example, we allowed half of the historic buildings in Falmouth fall down, then built fake historic buildings instead for the cruise ship tourists.
I am also starting to wonder, like other Jamaicans, whether there is more to it than simply not bothering to respond to citizens’ genuine concerns (what my father would have called “fobbing people off” – it’s not a rude expression, by the way!) What Professor Cooper described as the “conspiracy theorists” among us might be wondering whether there are plans for selling off and developing these places, perhaps as tourist attractions, and charging top dollar for them. Surely not! I half-expect Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett to appear on the horizon, with his beaming smile.
Who knows what the plans are. As so often happens, we the people are left in the dark. Let’s wait and see what fate awaits these precious cultural heritage spots (along with a number of other places that represent our ecological and cultural birthright).
The PTBs will make their decision, and we will have to accept it. After all, we should never assume that these places are for the enjoyment and wellbeing of the Jamaican people in general.
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