ANTONNETTE Haughton-Cardenas, president of the United People’s Party (UPP), said the party has enough members and the required signatures to receive official recognition from the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC).

Haughton-Cardenas, during a news conference at the party’s headquarters yesterday, said the UPP has 5,000 members, and has collected 50,000 signatures from people supporting the party’s right to certification, which she expects to be granted by weekend.

“I am expecting some speed on (the decision), especially because the election is around the corner,” Haughton-Cardenas said.

The party plans to issue a detailed platform in two weeks.

As a recognised party, the UPP would qualify for various benefits, including the right to appoint agents and scrutineers at polling stations and state support to pay these election workers. It would also qualify for tax concessions on vehicles imported for its campaigning.

Haughton-Cardenas, a lawyer, said her party had “16 confirmed candidates” to run for parliamentary seats. The UPP’s strongest support to date was in St Mary, Westmoreland, and Portmore.

“We have a lot of support among women and among young people,” she said.

When it was launched nearly a year ago, the UPP had a seven per cent support in polls conducted for the Observer by the Stone Organisation, but that has wilted to 1.3 per cent in the latest survey done last month.

The same poll showed the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), with the backing of 27.6 per cent and 27.2 per cent of the electorate, respectively. In the case of the PNP it had gained 3.4 per cent since April while the JLP had declined by 3.2 per cent.

In reference to the latest findings, Haughton-Cardenas said as Jamaica “gets closer to the elections, people will get more realistic as to how they’ll vote”.

Nonetheless, she said the UPP hopes to at least pick up some seats in Parliament, to “send a message” to the big parties.

“An independent voice in Parliament will make a tremendous difference,” she said.

Haughton-Cardenas said the party’s priorities include providing better access to education, and broadening curricula to include instruction aimed at boosting values and self-esteem.

In addition, “a fund has got to be created to ensure that every child is in school”, she said.

On the UPP’s own strategies, Haughton-Cardenas proposed that Jamaica rely more on television as an educational tool and that greater attention be paid to strengthening the agriculture sector to support rural communities.

“Rural development is at the centre of development in this country,” she said.

According to the UPP president, rather than focusing on building more housing, her party would implement programmes to allow homeowners to expand their tiny dwellings.

“We want to launch an assault on one-room living,” she said.

The party would upgrade the police force by requiring more training for detectives, and providing better investigations and accountability of police shootings.

Police should live in the communities in which they work, she said, and they must be backed up with a wide range of social services.

“We believe we can take back our country, but we must do it with love — and firmness,” Haughton-Cardenas said.