By Raymond Forrest, Contributor 
Golding (left) and Charles (right)
THE ATTENTION over the last few weeks has turned to the Jamaica Labour Party and its attempts to find a new leader to contest the next general election. While a court injunction has temporarily thrown a spoke in this try, it would be useful to look at the main policy proposals emanating from the two contenders for the JLP leadership, Pearnel Charles and Bruce Golding.
Pearnel Charles has not offered much in way of novel ideas except to state a strong emphasis on education. It is good that he fully supports education, but Charles needs to tell us whether this would mean that education would get increased resources and which areas would receive reduced resources to accommodate this.
Wishing for education to get more funds and facilitating it, are two different things. An example will suffice. Prior to the last Budget (2004/05), both major parties had agreed for education to get at least ten percent of the national pie and an ever increasing percentage share in subsequent Budgets. When the 2004 Budget came out however, Education get eight per cent (8%), which still had the largest single share going to any sector, outside debt repayments, but not the agreed 10%.
The point that I am making is, that given Jamaica's huge debt costs (almost 70 cents of every dollar earned goes to repay debt), the refinancing of education is a formidable task. It is going to take much more than just stating support for education to re-channel resources into this sector, to achieve the radical transformation needed.
MANY NEEDS
The politicians may claim that education is a priority, but when others come calling for financial support: the Police Force wanting cars, vests, other equipment; various hospitals wanting drugs and bandages; Air Jamaica wanting further cash injections; plus local government wanting funds to clean gullies; there are so many needs that it becomes difficult to meet all of them. As a man with a large family, Pearnel knows that you cannot favour one special child over the other children or the rest will resent that favoured child. So if education is to be that favoured child don't expect other sectors to quietly acquiesce to this. It is far more likely that one will have to decide that some areas won't receive the previous level of support and given that education is quite expensive, it will have to be a substantial level of withdrawals to meet the educational support promised. Tell us which ones.
Golding's polices are wider, but also includes overhauling the educational system. I have already addressed the educational challenge above, which is similar to that of Charles. His other proposals range from crime reduction; to effective economic management; to create investments; to punishing corruption and safeguarding the people's rights.
The crime issue is a well-debated topic in Jamaica and we all agree intolerable (especially violent crimes). Many believe, however, that unless the politicians (on both sides) stop playing political football with the issue, it will remain unchecked despite all kinds of new crime fighting operations and acronyms for police squads to deal with crime.
The JLP has consistently argued that crime is due to poverty and when the country grows then crime will decline. At the same time crime reduces the prospects for growth and deters some investment.
Given that there is no immediate large scale of infusion of cash to transform political garrison constituencies into model communities, and that those who benefit from the failed situation in these communities will continue to push their peculiar mode of control, why should we buy into the idea that crime can be reduced?
POLITICAL LINKS
Furthermore, given the past and present political links with some of these dons to both parties, it is going to take more than a few pronouncements and a few arrests to convince anyone that don rule doesn't succeed in these failed mini-states. If you really believe that the politicians have answers to reducing the crime rate then look at the homicide statistics in Jamaica between 1962-2004, especially since the introduction of guns into the system (said to be in 1967 to secure political advantages then). It makes disturbing reading.
Economic management that avoids debt escalation is an interesting question. Will a debt cap be done? If so, will it be an internal one or an external one or both? There are several interesting scenarios that can unfold from this, and while everyone agrees that the debt level as it is, is far too large, the hard sacrifices that come with a debt reduction plan have to be explained. Will Golding sacrifice popularity for pragmatism to enforce this reduction?
His best policies seem to be ways of reforming and improving accountability amongst public officials to reduce corruption, although we have come a long way since Golding was last in office. More transparent policies and if he was to show a willingness to jail and fine aberrant colleagues (heavily) would easily take a giant step to punishing those who are corrupt. I would still like to have defined to me, however, what are meant by peoples rights before I can comment further.
The above is my early review of the policy proposals of the two JLP contenders.
