Bruce Golding yesterday placed job creation at the centre of an economic strategy that his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) would pursue if it is elected to form the Government at the next general election.

“The principal objective of our strategy must be jobs, jobs and more jobs,” Golding, the opposition leader, declared in his contribution to the annual budget debate in the House of Representatives.

“Job creation cannot be a hoped-for by-product of our economic strategy. It has to be the central purpose of that strategy,” he added.

In a speech which, he made clear, will be his last budget contribution prior to the next general election, Golding pledged to do everything in his power to ensure a peaceful election and called on “Labourites” to support that commitment.

However, Golding laced the speech with his election theme “Time for a change”, and lashed the Government for failing to stimulate growth which, he said, was the fundamental problem with its economic strategy.

“We will never be able to lift our people out of poverty by way of crash programmes, PATH programmes or poverty alleviation programmes,” he said. “We just don’t have the money: it is all gone to service debt. Create jobs for the people and they will get rid of the poverty themselves.”

Golding then went on to list a number of changes the JLP would institute as part of its economic and social agenda in government, including:

. Creating a blueprint for tackling crime based on recommendations emanating from the task force led by former commissioner of police Colonel Trevor MacMillan;

. Expanding the powers of the public defender to defend people’s constitutional rights, and establishing an independent body to investigate abuses by the security forces;

. Appointing a special prosecutor, with wide powers, to vigorously pursue corruption in the public sector;

. Abolishing public hospital fees and establishing fully equipped diagnostic centres, with dialysis machines, at regional hospitals;

. Removal of all secondary school level tuition fees and increase spending on basic education;

. Restoring participation in sports as a required part of the school curriculum;

. Restructuring the development approval process by fast-tracking the proposed national building code and the promulgation of development orders, as well as establishing a single authority capable of dealing with development approvals within 90 days by shifting the burden from the applicant to the agency;

. A physical development plan, for rural and urban areas, to parallel the proposed national development plan;

. An independent Bank of Jamaica reporting to Parliament, instead of the minister of finance;

. Diversifying tourism promotion to focus more on the higher-end market;

. Combining offshore financial activities with the Fort Augusta free port shopping project, as the basis for the redevelopment of downtown Kingston;

. Setting up a major craft training centre on the North Coast as the basis for a “powerful” craft industry;

. Expand cruise shipping facilities in Ocho Rios;

. Create an agricultural revolution based on a greenhouse technology programme;

. Increase government support for the manufacturing sector;

. Reposition HEART/NTA to respond to skills requirement for targeted investments, as well as expected increased competition from Caricom and to reduce the need for foreign workers;

. More aggressive investment promotion policy and removal of bureaucratic obstacles to investing; and

. Passage of labour market reform proposals arising from the 1990s George Eaton study