The Editor, Sir:

I have read numerous letters and columns discussing the recent debates and manifestos and I find these articles very disconcerting. There has been too much time spent on discussing how neither candidate has the answers for this country.

The fact is you are going to have to vote for who is available and not some fictitious character that does not exist in Jamaica.

We have two people vying for the opportunity to lead Jamaica for the next five years. It is as if Jamaicans have not fully grasped the electoral process. While it is commendable to critique their shortfalls, we have to assess their vision and the policies they plan on implementing and decide which is best for Jamaica. It cannot be enough to simply say neither leader is suitable as that would imply that it is therefore not important to vote.

The fact is, while there is no fundamental difference between each party's ideology, different people will yield different results. Any citizen who has an appreciation for democracy will see the need to vote on August 27.

I find it very disheartening that so many Jamaicans are so quick to repeat the propaganda that free education is not possible in Jamaica. It seems that Jamaicans have become inured to poor governance that their expectations are extremely low.

Free education

There are currently other small islands in the Caribbean that offer free education, Barbados and Trinidad to name two. With that said let us analyse the situation using actual figures and statistics to evaluate the JLP's proposition.

The British Encyclopaedia lists 174,000 students attending high school in Jamaica in 2001. The average high school tuition in the Corporate Area ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 while tuition in the rural areas averages $5,500.

Even if we use the highest value of $15,000 and multiply it by 174,000 students the resulting cost would be $2.61 billion. How can a country that spent $9 billion on Cricket World Cup not be able to provide another $2.61 billion to make education free? It would then seem that it is not a matter of possibility but priority. Is cricket more important to Jamaicans than their children's education?

I was a little disappointed neither Mr. Shaw nor Mr. Golding used these figures to put the argument to rest once and for all. One does not need a doctorate in finance like Dr. Davies or a degree in engineering such as myself to perform these basic calculations.

The main question is, can Jamaica do better than the meagre 2.5 per cent annual growth? If Jamaica can, as others in the Caribbean are currently doing, the question of funding will be a moot point.

I have no reason to believe that Jamaica cannot do better. August 27 will tell us if Jamaicans have given up and therefore reluctant to change course or they are a very resilient people who are determined to right the ship. Time will tell.

I am, etc.,

ANDRÉ McDONALD

Crestview, Florida

andre33319us@yahoo.com

Via Go-Jamaica