The long-awaited dates for the national political debates were yesterday announced by Philmore Ogle, chairman of the Jamaica Debates Commission.

The dates, according to Opposition Senator Anthony Johnson, have been agreed on by representatives of both political parties.

The first of the three debates will be held on Wednesday, August 8 when Dr. Peter Phillips of the People’s National Party (PNP) and Dr. Ken Baugh of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) will debate on social issues such as crime and health.

On Friday, August 10, the topic of economic issues will be debated by Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, and Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Audley Shaw. Attorney-at-law Derek Jones will be the moderator and Franklyn McKnight, Dennis Chung and Erica Virtue will be the panellists.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Opposition Leader Bruce Golding will participate in the third and final debate on Saturday,August 11. Their debate will be moderated by University of the West Indies (UWI) lecturer Canute James and will feature panellists Dionne Jackson-Miller, Moya Thomas and Lloyd B. Smith.