PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Alliance Movement (JAM) Ras Astor Black is determined not to be left out of the election race.

In contrast to statements made a few months ago to field candidates for all sixty constituencies, Mr. Black now says the party will only be contesting the four seats in St. James. The list of candidates include Mr. Black and three other candidates, the names of whom will be made known by Nomination Day, next Monday September 30.

"We have already picked up our nomination forms," Mr. Black told The Gleaner this week. He has also put forward a manifesto, which he said is based on a model of e-Government, to involve linking citizens associations via internet to the local government operations of the parish.

"We will be working with the citizens associations, we want all of them to be linked through the internet to the Parish Council so that they will be able to keep up with every problem in their communities and monitor them to see that things work more efficiently," he said. Mr. Black, who received 44 votes when he contested the Northeast St. Ann seat in the March 2001 bi-election, is relying on the electorate's craving for a change of governance. If he gets an opportunity to put his ideas into action in St. James, he said, the rest of the country will be ready to follow that model of governance by the time the next elections come around. However, if the JAM does not win a seat in this election, Mr. Black said the party will still push its ideas forward.

"We are putting forward the idea of managing St. James and we hope the people will accept it. We know the people want to see a style of government that they've never seen before, and we hope that St. James will take up the challenge," he added.

The JAM's manifesto is centred around ten points, with the theme 'Crime free for economic development'. The manifesto includes plans for residents of St. James to benefit from the revenue collected from the main economic areas in the parish; land owned by local and central government to be allotted to the citizens for farming and manufacturing purposes to create employment; and for persons working in the hospitality industry to be paid in United States (US) currency and to enjoy all tax breaks afforded in the sector. The JAM is also proposing free education and skills training, as well as housing for teachers, doctors and nurses.