MONTEGO BAY, St James – Opposition Leader Bruce Golding on Sunday urged party members in Montego Bay to gear up for general elections, which he suggested could be called before Cricket World Cup 2007.

According to Golding, reported low ticket sales for Cricket World Cup – which commences on March 11 with the opening ceremony at the newly constructed Trelawny stadium – have dashed government’s hopes of gaining political mileage from the staging of the event.

“The election may be sooner than you think,” Golding told party members attending the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Area Council Four annual general meeting in Montego Bay.

“There are a number of reasons; a number of factors that are putting pressure on the government to call the elections early.”

He said government was “hoping to get a big bounce out of Cricket World Cup. That was supposed to create a kind of carnival feeling. They were supposed to have a whole heap of people coming in to watch cricket but don’t watch that. the tickets not selling,” he said.

“[Have] you ever spent a whole heap a money, print up a whole heap a poster, buy up a whole heap of goat, hire three of the biggest sound in Jamaica because you are going to put on a dance. And when you get close to the dance it look like the dance going flop?” Golding asked his smiling audience.

In addition, Golding said government will be forced to increase taxes significantly for the upcoming budget in an attempt to service debts. As a result, he said the prime minister would want to call an early election.

“It would be a foolish government that is facing an election and decide to raise taxes,” the Opposition leader argued.

“So, if no taxes is raised this year when is the taxes raising time? In the budget? When is the budget? End of March? So if you know that Cricket World Cup is coming in March and it going be a dance weh flop; and you know that March is budget time and the budget is going have to drop on some new taxes, when you would call the elections?” he queried.