The JLP manifesto

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner: Wednesday | August 8, 2007

This election campaign has been really short on discussion of the issues. How do the parties wish us to decide between them? The JLP released their manifesto only last week, and the PNP will launch theirs tomorrow. Clearly neither party wants us to choose between them based on public discussion on their strategies to address the burning issues facing the country. This is another aspect of Jamaica's 'old-style politics' that needs to be changed. It is an immature democracy which sees campaigns based on braggadocio and personalities and promises rather than on quality of programmes.

I have looked at the JLP manifesto, an it contains good things, it also has deficiencies, and in so many cases we have to wait for details. But in one area there is a major, fundamental policy shift. The JLP proposes to extend the school-leaving age from 16 to 18 years old. This means that a high school education will now be the norm for Jamaican children, instead of just an elementary education.

Abolish the shift system

In addition, they will abolish the shift system. (Great!). This means they will have to build about 500 new high schools, so this is not just a manifesto for the next five years; obviously, the JLP expects to be in power forlonger than five terms.

In addition, they plan to have compulsory school attendance between ages three and 18! And this must include Fridays when many rural children stay home. I wish them luck with that one.

The manifesto also says that the JLP will introduce 'zoning for G-SAT placement'. We are not told what this means, but it suggests that persons who want their children to go to Wolmers must live nearby. Does this mean that the only persons who can go to Campion must live in the Liguanea area? It also might mean that all high schools will be upgraded to the standard of Campion and Immaculate, so that it will not matter which high school students are placed in. I need the JLP to clarify.

The JLP which emasculated local government in the 1980s has changed course; it now promises constitutional recognition and protection for local government. In Jamaica there is so much confusion between the roles of local and central government, and the JLP promises clear separation of functions, and full financial and jurisdictional autonomy of local government. I am happy for this change of course.

After reading the manifesto I am left with the impression that the JLP does not understand the use of the word 'sustainable'. Its first use is as 'Sustainable Environment', a usage which I have not seen before. There is clear recognition that there is a problem now with environmental management, for they recommend a stand-alone national environmental authority with statutory powers to protect and regulate our natural resources. But this sounds like what we already have in the NRCA/NEPA. The problem is that the environment portfolio is always combined in a ministry with other portfolios with which it is conflicted. Do they mean that there will be a stand-alone Ministry of the Environment? I would support such a decision.

Glaring omission

But, in their environment section, the creation and sustenance of protected areas are not mentioned, which is a glaring omission. In their development section some of their plans involve environmentally unsustainable industrial activity within already existing protected areas; which is why I continue to wonder what they understand by the word 'sustainable'.

A welcome reference is made to the goal of reducing overfishing and a halt to the pollution of sea water. This makes me ecstatic, but it immediately begs the question how they are going to do this, with the major source of marine pollution being fertiliser run-off and our many secondary sewage treatment plants.

It is good that the party which started political garrisons should first commit itself to transforming them. I guess we will have to wait to hear exactly how they plan to do it.