PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller steered clear of confirming an election date and stuck to her guns on keeping the State of Public Emergency in force, in her broadcast to the nation last night.

But the prime minister laid out a relief programme that promises to put $580 million immediately into the hands of some 310,000 hurricane hit Jamaicans, even as she urged against political point-scoring from the disaster.

“No one should take advantage of a crisis of this magnitude to score political points,” Simpson Miller declared. “Our children now need safe homes, protection, reassurance and love, not a political debate on procedural issues.”

The broadcast made no mention of elections or the expectation that she would have confirmed a recommendation from the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) that the general electons be postponed to September 3, 2007.

Impeccable Observer sources said the prime minister made it clear to her Cabinet colleagues at an emergency session Tuesday night that she was against the September 3 date, but was solidly outnumbered by those who were for.

The sources suggested that an announcement from the education ministry that the elections would be September 3 and that the start of the new school year would be pushed back as a result, was aimed at pre-empting Simpson Miller.

In respect of the State of Emergency, she said the order remained in force “as only 20 per cent of the country has electricity”, reiterating her promise to do daily reviews and to revoke the order “as soon as it is safe to do”.

The state of emergency has been condemned by the two national daily newspapers in rare page one editorials Tuesday, August 21, and later by at least two human rights organisations – the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights and the Famiies Against State Terrorism – all of whom feared it could be abused or would hurt the image of the country.

“It is a shame that an action taken for the protection of all Jamaicans in a time of crisis should be used as a political football,” Simpson Miller hit back.

She went on announce that the hurricane relief programme would also include distribution of tarpaulins to affected households, including 10,000 that would be brought in by the government.

The National Housing Trust (NHT), in a joint venture with the building societies, had established a $500-million programme to provide loans to affected householders to undertake emergency repairs, at an interest rate of six per cent per annum. The NHT would also provide a three-month moratorium on mortgage payments covering September 1 to November 30, 2007 and contribute some $200 million to the relief effort.

Some 90,000 households with 230,000 persons would benefit from a “special one-off” allowance of $2,000 and 80,000 pensioners would get a special allowance of $5,000 each.

“We are currently in the process of finalising a voucher system through which citizens in need who do not fall in any of the above categories will be able to purchase food supplies through the existing retail trade,” she announced, saying the vouchers would be disbursed through the ministers fraternal in each parish.

In addition, the agriculture sector would get assistance of $225 million, with an immediate allocation of $100 million for the purchase of fertiliser, and a $25-million grant to Blue Mountain Coffee farmers. The $50-million fruit tree programme would be accelerated, she said.

The prime minister also named Kingsley Thomas, a former senior public servant to head the reconstruction effort.