The man behind Portmore Week/Expo

Egeton Newman, Freelance Writer

George Lee

SIXTY-YEAR-OLD GEORGE Lee said he is committed to the development of his country and community, and despite frustration and victimisation, he remains a passionate believer in nation-building.

Mr. Lee has been one of the driving forces behind the celebration of "Portmore Week," which began six years ago by the Portmore Joint Citizens Association.

"I am always a positive person, always thinking about what it is that I can do to develop my community," Mr. Lee said. "My philosophy has been a major instrument in the growth of Portmore Week and I work with members of the Portmore Week Limited to make it happen."

President of the Portmore Joint Citizens Association, Glenroy Lattery, and co-ordinator of Port-more Week, Clive McLean, agree that Mr. Lee has been an integral part of the planning in that he has put forward a number of working ideas.

Mr. Lee, who worked as a journalist during the early years of his career, was born in Portland. He started his working life at The Gleaner Company and then went to the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). But after the 1964 JBC strike he left for the United States where he worked as a city supervisor and got involved with several civic organisations connected with Jamaica in one way or another.

Mr. Lee, now Coun-cillor for the Greater Portmore North Division, said he has chosen representational politics be-cause he thought the process as it was now structured could help him to achieve the vision he has for Portmore. "The day I see that that pro-cess cannot work, that is the day I leave politics," he said.

He had resigned as president of the Joint Portmore Citizens Association to run in the Local Government Elections of 1997.

"I have a vision for Portmore," said Mr. Lee, noting that "Portmore can be a good place, but to do it we have to have municipality, (because) the present governance which resides in Spanish Town does not have the resources and capacity to develop Portmore."

Portmore Week/Expo is designed to showcase the community and the opportunities for investment. "That is why we are taking four ambassadors and commissioners into the community during the week to see what Portmore is like," he said.

Mr. Lee, who is also chairman of the municipality task force for Portmore, expressed disappointment with the pace at which the process was moving, noting that a planning authority could not be put in place because of a legal problem.

Portmore Week/Expo 2000 will feature more than 80 exhibitors. The exposition is expected to be opened by Minister of Industry, Commerce and Technology, Phillip Paulwell on Friday, June 5.

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