Observer Editorial

[Lazie]

JLP manifesto sounds exciting

Wednesday, August 01, 2007


The optimist in us wanted to cheer lustily after listening to Opposition Leader Bruce Golding outlining the high points of his party's manifesto Monday at the Jamaica Conference Centre.
Not only did Mr Golding sound prime ministerial in his presentation, but he dealt with a raft of issues that demand serious attention, if the nation is to uplift itself in the immediate future.
Yet, the pessimist, which is never far off, warns us not to get overexcited by mere words. Mr Golding came prepared to woo, and that he did. The billion-dollar question is, can a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government deliver on his promises?
Between now and election day, August 27, 2007, Mr Golding and his team must set out to convince the Jamaican electorate that these are not just words, but that the ideas he outlined are 'doable' and can be financed.
If we should take the manifesto by itself, the JLP has done an excellent job of identifying the issues that go to the heart of Jamaicans. The manifesto team has demonstrated that the party has within its breast, the brains that can take Jamaica forward.
That is very reassuring to a country that has been virtually forced to elect the same party for an unprecedented four terms, because of the absence of a viable government-in-waiting. Jamaica now has a real choice.
We particularly like the idea of raising the school leaving age from 16 to 18. It shows fresh but practical thinking and offers endless possibilities for improving our education system and rescuing thousands of Jamaican teens.
The prospect of a "mega agency" that would fast track investment beyond what we do now is also an exciting one. This is an imperative in this rapidly 'globalising' world, if we can be allowed the word. Nobody is going to wait on us to catch up when there are so many options available to them.
We hope that this agency will be empowered to handle potential investments in a way that avoids the shame that the Solutrea episode has become. It looks bad on us that an internal quarrel has led to the decision by the principals of the technology company to hand back a cellular licence that could have brought us J$510 million, part of a total US$50-million investment package. This could not be the behaviour of a country that is serious about its development.
If the proposed mega agency is able to prevent this kind of cass-cass, it would have been worth it. In this regard, we also find the idea of developing Kingston as an off-shore financial centre - in the words of one politician - impatient of debate.
The plan to introduce sanctions for breaches of the political code of conduct by politicians is another that will be popular among people tired of the shenanigans. It will, of course, take much courage on the part of Mr Golding to push this one through the legislature. Politicians have been too accustomed to getting away with 'murder'.
One particular idea we don't share with the opposition leader is that of making Portmore the 15th parish. A better idea is one proposed sometime ago of merging some parishes to create stronger economic entities. We suggest that more thought be given to this one. (Affi agree with this! Bruce need fi figet bout this)

[Mosiah]

"The plan to introduce sanctions for breaches of the political code of conduct by politicians is another that will be popular among people tired of the shenanigans."

Two words - Babsy Grange. The JLP had the perfect opportunity to apply sanctions when it was discovered she was aiding gunmen. What did they do about it?

[Muadib]

"The plan to introduce sanctions for breaches of the political code of conduct by politicians is another that will be popular among people tired of the shenanigans."

Two words - Babsy Grange. The JLP had the perfect opportunity to apply sanctions when it was discovered she was aiding gunmen. What did they do about it?

Actually the perfect opportunity will be when the JLP is the Government..

The issue is setting up a system that catches all in the net.. regardless of colors...

The PNP is not going to do it. They are not even talking about doing it.

Perfect opportunity to get this done is upon us.

[Sickko]

EDITORIAL - JLP manifesto: Impressive first step but ...
published: Wednesday | August 1, 2007


Election manifestos are, perforce, statements of intent, which are useful in providing voters with the deliverables for which they can hold political parties accountable once they accede to government.
But because they are promises, undertakings for the future, it is easy for the outlay to be impressive, especially for Opposition parties which have no recent record against which to be judged. We are not surprised, therefore, that the manifesto issued on Monday by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), laying out its platform for the August 27 general election, is particularly impressive. Mr. Bruce Golding and his team have had a long time not only to refine their ideas, but to reflect on the areas of weakness and poor performance of an administration that has been in place for 18 years.
It is precisely because of the time it has had in Opposition to reflect on its policies and programmes why we believe, and expect, that the delivery of the manifesto is only thefirst phase of the JLP's offering to the [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]electorate[/COLOR][/COLOR]. For the manifesto pledges would have had their bases in much discussion and analyses and, we suspect, econometric modelling.
We expect, therefore, that JLP spokesmen will now lift the level of the debate from declarations of intent to programmes for delivery. In other words, they will talk in terms of costs, [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]financing[/COLOR][/COLOR] and project timelines. Second, the party, to help people who want to assess the efficacy of policies, should issue the background documents and analyses on which they are predicated.
Take for instance the promise of "unrestricted, universal access to health care". That sounds like a tall and very expensive order, which has cowed many rich economies.
The party has proposed to [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]finance[/COLOR][/COLOR] Jamaica's version of the plan, including free hospital charges, from the regular budgetary allocations, expected flows from health tourism and allocations from the National Health Fund (NHF), even while maintaining the NHF's subsidisation of medicine for chronic diseases. Perhaps this is possible. But it would help people who want to understand more if they were apprised of the scenarios and numbers with which the JLP policymakers worked.
Similar questions arise with regard, for example, to funding the educational transforma-tion programme which a JLP government would accelerate, as well as with the plan to launch a Diaspora bond.
Inherent in many of the plans outlined by the JLP is the presumption that a government led by that party will unleash a flow of [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]investment[/COLOR][/COLOR], leading to economic growth far beyond the anaemic levels of the past 18 years under the People's National Party. Part of that, it suggests, will be inspired by disciplined macro-economic management, fostered by initiatives such as the creation of an independent central bank, a tight rein on debt and a slimmed down fiscal deficit. They all make sense, except for the absence of hard numbers.
The next step in the discourse must be the input/output numbers: the investment expected over a specificperiod to generate growth.
Perhaps the most important proposal by the JLP is its plan to launch a social partnership agreement to ensure consensus on economic policy. This suggests the JLP will have a new approach to this worthwhile issue on which it has been tentative in the past.
The JLP has placed its offering on the table, providing the basis of serious debate. Others must follow. The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.

[Assasin]

Think you say the JLP nuh have nobody inna it to replace the PNP government. I wonder if a the dunce them put this togather?

[Lazie]

Think you say the JLP nuh have nobody inna it to replace the PNP government. I wonder if a the dunce them put this togather?

Man and man affi a throw up smoke bombs fi cause distractions. Tink dem easy?

[Sickko]

Sass I have told you already that these discussions are above your level of thinking, you obviously have no clue what goes on in these political parties, so better you cool.

Do you honestly think that it is the politicians we see on platforms or even most of who we see in Parliamnt who actually shape policies?

[Lazie]

Sass I have told you already that these discussions are above your level of thinking, you obviously have no clue what goes on in these political parties, so better you cool.

Do you honestly think that it is the politicians we see on platforms or even most of who we see in Parliamnt who actually shape policies?

Sickko ... yuh naah duh yuhself justice bredren!

[Sickko]

Enlighten me please.
I have told you but you dont listen, I am closer to the ground here than you are and I have a greater sense of what is going on in the parties than you are but then again you think you have all the answers.

Go on living in your fools paradise...

[Muadib]

Sass I have told you already that these discussions are above your level of thinking, you obviously have no clue what goes on in these political parties, so better you cool.

Do you honestly think that it is the politicians we see on platforms or even most of who we see in Parliamnt who actually shape policies?

No the ones we see on Platforms are the ones that 'Run Wid it'

Or tell us tuh 'Fhagget it'

Or ask us 'How many troops do you have ?'

Or tell us to 'Shut yuh damn mout'

[Muadib]

Enlighten me please.
I have told you but you dont listen, I am closer to the ground here than you are and I have a greater sense of what is going on in the parties than you are but then again you think you have all the answers.

Go on living in your fools paradise...

Tell us again about the man with the sole Johnny Walker license who live in Cherry Gardens...

Providing Jamaica Johnny Walker from out of a 40 foot Container..


LOL !! WHOOEEEEE !!

[Assasin]

Sickko what is above my head?

Every politican have their adviser. I don't come and talk about myself everyday but I am aware of what goes on in Jamaican politics and I have known, have seen and met many of those politicians who were there in the 1980s and late 1970s so them can't change that much in my book.

unlike you I just choose to give to Peter what is his, and based on my little education and the studies I have done in politics, if that count for anything I can make my assumptions and not have to be told everything by people who live in Jamaica and not try to compare what is happening in the rest of the caribbean and the world.

My question to you is how many countries in the caribbean is growing by less than 3% in the last 2 years and you will see your execellent PNP is doing a very poor job. After you tell me mi a look down pon people because I say most Jamaicans do not vote based on the country's economics situation, you come back two days later and talk bout the people nuh listen to policies at party meetings. Sigh...