By Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer 
Seaga
WESTERN BUREAU:
EDWARD SEAGA, the leader of the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), on the weekend reiterated that his party will take home this week's general election, declaring that October is a "bad luck month" for the governing People's National Party (PNP).
"I don't know who told Mr. Patterson to call the election in October, when he knows it is a bad luck month for the PNP," Mr. Seaga told thousands of supporters during a tour of Westmoreland. "I don't know why he called election in the 13th year of his government when he knows the number 13 is a bad luck number. People say bad luck worse than obeah. I don't know which one it is, but between the bad luck and the obeah, him going to get a blow on the 16th of October."
Mr. Seaga said that the sugar and tourism industries were in serious trouble in Westmoreland. The cost to produce sugar in Jamaica, he said, was much higher than in other parts of the world, predicting that within another year or two, the industry could crumble. He said it would be left to the JLP to implement measures to revitalise the sector.
On the matter of tourism, he said: "It grieves me to see what has happened to the tourism industry in Negril and Jamaica on a whole. Tourism is growing by one fifth under the PNP and grew by 11 per cent under the JLP administration and it hasn't grown since this year.
"The hotels have to be lowering their rates to get tourists here today. The tourism sector is in a crisis because the government doesn't realise that it is a product you have to advertise. They don't want to spend the money. They could bring over 300,000 additional tourists to Jamaica if they spend US$8 million on advertising. We took over tourism when it virtually collapsed in the 1970s and we want the chance to build tourism once again," Mr. Seaga said.
Deliberating on education, the Opposition Leader said three out of 10 students could not read nor write after leaving primary schools; while two out of 10 could not, after leaving secondary school; and seven out of 10 did not pass one subject. He cited that the reason was due to the fact that money budgeted for education was being largely spent on the traditional schools. "You have schools for the rich and schools for the poor. It must stop, and create one quality education for one and all. By the year 2003, education will be free," he said.
