If re-elected the People’s National Party (PNP) promises to do more to reform the justice system and widen access to education, according to its manifesto, which was obtained in advance of its release tonight by JamaicaElections.com.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) released their manifesto 10 days earlier.

New courts dedicated to trying domestic abuse and mental health cases will be established; while the PNP has set a two year target, to establish in partnership with civil society, 16 shelters islandwide for victims, and persons threatened by, sex crimes.

Video evidence will be introduced as part of the ongoing modernisation of the justice system, testimony allowed from remote locations and an act regarding the collection of DNA evidence drafted.

School enrolment will be made compulsory by 2010, while by 2015 students in grades one to six will be ‘exposed’ to Spanish as a second language.

A national remedial education programme will be established to achieve 100 per cent literacy for school leavers within five years – the PNP had pledged in its 2002 manifesto to reach the target by 2007.

Click to download PDF versions of PNP and JLP manifestos.

Read the full story in today’s Daily Gleaner.

Downtown Kingston becoming a new offshore banking centre and the creation of a single ‘mega-agency’ for investment promotion were two pillars of the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) economic-centred election manifesto, announced by Opposition Leader Bruce Golding tonight.

Speaking at the manifesto launch held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, Mr. Golding reiterated his soundbite that “Jamaica was too rich a country to be so poor”. He promised to create a more business-friendly environment and stimulate job-creating investment while also cutting bureaucracy and corruption.

Saying that education would be the most important factor in providing a platform for economic growth he said that school enrollment under the JLP would begin at five and not six years old; and the leaving age raised from 16 to 18 years old.

Accusing the governing People’s National Party (PNP) of being inefficient he rebuked their criticism of his proposed spending on health and education claiming that if elected the JLP would better manage the budget, while reducing the role of government.

The PNP will launch its manifesto on August 9.

Read tomorrow’s Daily Gleaner for a full report of the launch

Download the manifesto from the JLP website