Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging that dignity guide Jamaica’s hurricane-recovery strategy, stressing that assistance to affected residents must protect their pride.
Speaking at the opening of the rebuilt Little London Police Station in Westmoreland, Holness announced the Government’s plan to replace mass handouts with a system of coupons and cards. The shift, he said, is designed to make aid more efficient, fair, and respectful. “Everybody is giving out a package. … I am concerned about the dignity of our people,” he said.
Holness expressed concern about images of people rushing for care packages and called on both relief groups and residents to maintain self-respect throughout the recovery process. The new system, he explained, will allow individuals to choose what they need. “Giving persons coupons or cards [will enable them to] buy the stuff that they need.”
The prime minister also warned that the way aid is distributed carries social and political consequences. “I don’t like my country to be shown as people running to get food, fighting over a package and those kinds of things,” he said, emphasizing that support should be delivered “quietly” and respectfully.
Beyond relief distribution, Holness highlighted the importance of using resources strategically to aid recovery. He pointed to small businesses, noting that some shops will be loaned generators until electricity is restored. “That is how you save money,” he said, outlining the planning he believes will strengthen long-term resilience.
Holness further addressed the challenge of misinformation during disasters, calling it a major distraction from recovery efforts. “It is not just managing the disaster. It is managing the false information, and we have to go to war with that,” he said.
Closing his remarks, the prime minister reiterated that dignity, resilience, and pride will remain central to the Government’s approach as Jamaica rebuilds in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
