Prime Minister Andrew Holness has issued a call for protestors to cease and desist from blocking the nation’s roads in protest of poor road conditions, as this he believes hinders economic growth.

The prime minister, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) on Thursday, September 14, said: “Indeed, it has almost become the want of our population to protest about the conditions of local roads. It is a means of drawing the attention of the government to the challenge but what has changed there have always been demonstrations almost a part of the Jamaican political culture over roads but let me just say the demonstrations now is not a wise thing to do.”

While noting that citizens have the right to protest, Holness argued that demonstrations contribute to the destruction of the domestic road network, as well as affect economic activities of residents.