THE focus being given to issues by Jamaica’s political parties in the run-up to general elections expected this year has found favour with the Carter Centre which says it is looking forward to a series of debates being planned for the campaign.

The Atlanta-based election observer group, in a statement on Jamaica’s electoral process, also spoke favourably about the Electoral Office of Jamaica’s (EOJ’s) preparedness for the poll and listed a number of observations made from its visit last week, offering them, it said, “in a spirit of support for the democratic process” here.

Included on the list are:

* the electoral authorities’ professionalism and technical preparedness for the national election;

* the signing of a code of political conduct by Prime Minister P J Patterson and Opposition Leader Edward Seaga in June;

* the establishment by the Electoral Advisory Committee of an election centre to receive and process election-related information and facilitate discussion and resolution of difficulties;

* the appointment of the political ombudsman;

* the mechanisms used by the electoral authorities to resolve the political conflict in St Catherine earlier this month; and

* the efforts of Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections to recruit, train and deploy observers throughout the island.

The Carter Centre team visited the island August 20-24 and said it took note that Jamaica’s electoral law provides for the ultimate tool of null and voiding an election in the case of campaign period intimidation or election day violations. “This, we hope, will encourage the parties to adhere to the provisions of the code of conduct and deter others from tampering with election materials and legal electoral procedures,” the Carter team said.

The group also encouraged all Jamaicans to act as monitors of the code of political conduct “and to hold their politicians to the letter and spirit of the document”.

The Carter Centre will be in the island to monitor the general election. Although Patterson has not yet announced a date, campaigning has been increasing across the island and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party appears to have gained traction with its promise of free secondary education if it wins the government.

The promise has shaken the ruling People’s National Party, forcing Patterson to respond last Sunday with an offer of freezing school fees at last year’s levels and phasing out, by 2005, cost-sharing, the 20 per cent of secondary school tuition that parents have to pay.

Patterson also announced that the government would pay the registration fee for English, Math, Information Technology and one science subject which Jamaican students will write in the Caribbean Examination Council’s (CXC) exams.

The education issue will, no doubt, be raised in a series of four national debates planned by a Debates Commission set up by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the Media Association of Jamaica.

No dates have yet been announced by the commission.