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Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Bruce Golding, has sought to put his package of campaign promises firmly into perspective.
At the Area Council One meeting of the JLP, Mr. Golding admitted to party faithfuls that he sometimes loses patience with questions relating to the affordability of some of the programmes his administration plans to carry out if his party wins the General Election.
Only Sunday night, People’s National Party President Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller reiterated her party's claim that the JLP promises were unrealistic.
It is also a sentiment regularly expressed by Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies.
But Sunday Mr. Golding hit back at the Government, declaring that he was not making any wild or unrealistic commitment.
He argued that the Government's failure to find the funds to finance free secondary education and health care speaks volumes about its lack of regard for the poor.
The JLP Leader said the Government has funded Air Jamaica to the tune of two billion dollars annually and spent over nine billion dollars on Cricket World Cup, but finds it difficult to envisage a Government spending $750 million to ensure that each Jamaican receives free health care.
He accused the Portia Simpson Miller administration of trying to play catch up with its decision to abolish health fees for children.
Mr. Golding argued that funds to fill the gap created in the budget by the additional costs to finance his plans can easily be garnered from measures to save billions of tax payers' dollars that are wasted each year.
And Mr. Golding says the JLP will not make the same mistake it made in the last election when it rained heavily.
Many persons had speculated that the results would have been different had it not rained.
According to Mr. Golding, the party was not adequately organised for Election Day in 2002.
To this end he says the party is in the process of establishing a sophisticated Election Day strategy.
At the Area Council One meeting of the JLP, Mr. Golding admitted to party faithfuls that he sometimes loses patience with questions relating to the affordability of some of the programmes his administration plans to carry out if his party wins the General Election.
Only Sunday night, People’s National Party President Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller reiterated her party's claim that the JLP promises were unrealistic.
It is also a sentiment regularly expressed by Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies.
But Sunday Mr. Golding hit back at the Government, declaring that he was not making any wild or unrealistic commitment.
He argued that the Government's failure to find the funds to finance free secondary education and health care speaks volumes about its lack of regard for the poor.
The JLP Leader said the Government has funded Air Jamaica to the tune of two billion dollars annually and spent over nine billion dollars on Cricket World Cup, but finds it difficult to envisage a Government spending $750 million to ensure that each Jamaican receives free health care.
He accused the Portia Simpson Miller administration of trying to play catch up with its decision to abolish health fees for children.
Mr. Golding argued that funds to fill the gap created in the budget by the additional costs to finance his plans can easily be garnered from measures to save billions of tax payers' dollars that are wasted each year.
And Mr. Golding says the JLP will not make the same mistake it made in the last election when it rained heavily.
Many persons had speculated that the results would have been different had it not rained.
According to Mr. Golding, the party was not adequately organised for Election Day in 2002.
To this end he says the party is in the process of establishing a sophisticated Election Day strategy.
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