Copycat - Holness scoffs at PNP manifesto

Barrington Flemming, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU

Days before the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) releases its manifesto, the party's leader Andrew Holness has poured scorn on the manifesto of the People's National Party (PNP).

"The PNP manifesto is a copy of the JLP manifesto excepting that it has many, many errors and any good thing which they think they have to implement, we already are doing them," declared Holness as he addressed a party meeting in Junction St Elizabeth last Friday.

The JLP will release its manifesto at a media briefing in New Kingston today, less than one week after the PNP released its manifesto.

Holness has already released a list of the promises that party made in the lead-up to the 2007 general election pointing out that more than 50 per cent have been kept.

As supporters in Junction cheered on Friday following a tour of South East and North West St Elizabeth, Holness ripped into the PNP.

He charged that the PNP was about taking away the benefits from the people as he continued to tout the free health-care system and free tuition programmes introduced by the JLP after it was elected to form the government in 2007.

More advantages

According to Holness, more people are now benefiting from free health care and there has been an increase in the number of students attending high schools.

"We had promised, prior to the 2007 election, that we would give free health care and tuition and we have fulfilled our promises.

"In 2007, there was a rate of 70 per cent students attending high schools. Since we implanted the free tuition, school attendance for high school students has increased to 80 per cent," said Holness.

He continued his assault on the PNP while rejecting its claim that under the JLP, poverty had increased significantly.

"When they speak about poverty, it just gets me upset. For 18 years, they had the opportunity to eradicate poverty and they did nothing," Holness said.

"We don't believe in giving hand-outs because it won't end by handouts. We believe that we need to educate our people. And give people jobs," added Holness.

He urged voters in St Elizabeth to ensure that on election day, they give the PNP 'four love'.

There are four seats in the parish now split three to one in favour of the JLP but that is not enough for Holness. He wants all four when the votes are counted on December 29.

Holness was supported by Daryl Vaz, who whipped the meeting into a frenzy when he claimed that an internal poll commissioned by the PNP had revealed that there were 35 safe seats for the JLP with four purported PNP safe seats in trouble.

Hometown representative Franklyn Witter said the PNP was running scared after the massive turnout of labourites on Nomination Day.

Witter was caustic as he took aim at PNP President Portia Simpson Miller.

"We generally retire our people at 60, so why do we need to take up somebody at 66? What goes for one goes for the other. Portia must go," Witter said.