Editorial | Why debates are important

The brief kerfuffle between the People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) over moderators for the election debates has passed.

Indeed, the whole thing appears to have been overblown, with the potentially unfortunate effect of pinning partisan labels on journalists.

The critical development, however, is that yesterday the National Debates Commission announced the names of the panel of journalists, who, over a series of three debates, starting this weekend, will question officials of the JLP and the PNP on their policies and programmes for Jamaica, depending on which party forms the government after the September 3 general election.

Put another way, the debates are on, and no one can claim any of the journalists who will oversee them carries a partisan cudgel. Neither can it be said that either party will be in a privileged position in the debates, the last of which, on August 28, will be between the party leaders, the JLP’s Dr Andrew Holness and the PNP’s Mark Golding.

SUBSTANCE RATHER THAN SLOGANS

Debates like these are important in two related ways. They affirm the island’s democracy in the context highlighted by Prime Minister Holness when he announced the election; and they provide voters an opportunity to hear from the leaders, directly and unfiltered – but under questioning – their ideas for the country.

Or, as Dr Holness framed it last week: “I have to stand here and account to you for the authority you have given us, the Government. And there can be no break in that.

“The authority isn’t forever. It is for a certain period. How we use the authority has to be reviewed ... by you the people.”

Similarly, it is an opportunity for the PNP spokespersons, including the shadow finance minister, Julian Robinson, and Mr Golding, to make their case – beyond declarations in a manifesto or soundbites on stump – for why they should form Jamaica’s next government and shepherd Jamaica’s affairs for the next five years. In that sense, the debates should be about substance rather than slogans.

The Gleaner, therefore, expects that the moderators, on behalf of voters, are cognisant of issues we highlighted on Sunday, the fixing of which is critical if Jamaica is to extricate itself from a long-standing series of low growth loops that, for nearly half a century, caused GDP to advance by a meagre annual average of one per cent.

The questions cannot, in these times, allow the politicians to waffle on these and related developmental matters. They must insist on clear, cogent and coherent articulation of policy.

We know that the challenges facing Jamaica are not easy, and the choices the new government will have to make are not straightforward.

For instance, the incumbent party, which has in recent times talked about “pivoting to growth”, and the Opposition, will have to explain how they will maintain high primary balances that, over the past decade, allowed Jamaica to lower its high debt-to-GDP ratio while, at the same time, invest at sufficient levels in infrastructure, social needs, innovation, and research and development that are necessary to propel growth.

The parties have to talk coherently, too, about their plans to transform high-cost energy and logistics systems into efficient, competitive services that will boost economic growth.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Despite a 40 per cent decline in murders so far this year, Jamaica still has a serious problem of crime, which constrains economic activity and further limits employment and growth. The parties have to recognise the nexus between crime and economic underperformance, and offer credible and sustainable programmes to fix the problem, without threatening the core of democracy or democratic governance.

Crime, however, must not be perceived only in terms of violent acts. Corruption, especially in government, imposes costs on investments, and, therefore, the returns therefrom. That, in turn, shortchanges growth and development. Tackling corruption, and its effect on trust in government and national leaders, must be a priority.

While Jamaica has made great strides in improving access to education, outcomes remain poor. That impinges on productivity and the country’s capacity to move up the economic food chain. Education demands urgent attention – and major overhaul.

Fortunately, many of the educational challenges, as well as deficits in other sectors of the economy, can benefit greatly from the emerging technologies in artificial intelligence (AI) – if there are national policies and a supportive environment to encourage their use. So, the debaters should have clear ideas of where AI will be on the national development agenda, and what system will be in place to leverage its strengths, while guardrails are installed against its threats.

The bottom line: these debates ought not to be about gimmicks, but framing Jamaica’s development agenda for the next quarter-century. And an appreciation that the ideas have to fit as a cohesive whole. Which is perhaps another way of saying that the new government has to have something akin to an industrial policy.