Gordon Robinson, Contributor

Jamaica is a country with a variety of wines. We have Wincarnis wine. In our renewed regional-integrationist vigour, we have imported the Dollar Wine. And, now that the Silly Season is upon us, here comes the Election Whine.

To noone's surprise, the Prime Minister has announced a massive new Crash Programme as the PNP's reality manifesto - the virtual manifesto - will be published later in a form inaccessible to most voters. It has been criticised as 'an election gimmick' in response to which the PM has put on her best election whine. She whines about the number of critical cartoons. She whines about the mispronunciation of her name for goodness sakes. And, of course, she whines the ultimate whine of all failed socialists, "whenever I try to do something for the poor, I am criticised."

Nothing for the poor

This Crash Programme announcement (and it is still just an announcement) will do nothing for the poor. After the World Cup is over, I doubt that the Crash Programme will be able to identify one single person who has been elevated above the poverty line as a result of participation in the programme. Noone will have acquired any new skill nor any permanent job. However, the expectation is that the PNP will have been re-elected. So, in reality, this is being done for the PNP and not for the poor.

Not to be left out, the JLP, desperate for its turn at the wicket, has been whining about its equally irresponsible announcement, namely the promise of free education. This has been criticised as a financial impossibility as a result of which the Opposition Wanna Be Minister of Education, Young Andrew Holness (not to be mistaken for Andrew Young), retreats to promising free tuition for high schools only and says he will 'abolish' the Ministry of Local Government to pay the bill.

Despite a $37 billion education budget, we still have many schools with pit latrines and non-existent or non-functioning infrastructure of the most basic nature. What should be the budgetary priority (assuming that $600 million can be found in the $37 billion) - proper sanitation or free tuition? How does Young Andrew expect to encourage children to learn in that environment? Or does he intend to upgrade the education system, including the infrastructure, as well as making it free? How many more ministries will he have to 'abolish' to meet that bill?

Recurrent expenditure

Does Young Andrew have any idea how much was allocated to the Ministry of Local Government for this year? And how much of that was for recurrent expenditure that will not go away because the ministry is 'abolished'?

What will be the impact of free tuition on the cost of other related Government programmes, such as the school feeding programme? And, what of the administrative cost to the Government of this 'free tuition' system?

And, what is the point of providing free education at the high school level if we are graduating too many illiterates into our high schools from the primary school system? Wouldn't it make sense to start from the ground floor and build upwards?

I will say that, of the two massively irresponsible election whines now going around, like a bad flu virus, I am more prepared to listen to the JLP's whine because, at least, if only it were a practical possibility (which it isn't), free tuition (properly planned and implemented) is a long-term investment in the nation's growth, whereas the PM's Crash Programme is a bare-faced, vote-buying, short-term illusion. However, anyone who casts a vote based on either of these election whines in a nation whose fundamental problems of governance are not being addressed by either side needs to have his or her head examined and will reap the whirlwind sown by that vote.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law.