KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) says it will use its 80th annual conference, scheduled for next week, to outline plans for the country’s development if it should form the next government.

Speaking at a press briefing this morning, PNP chairman Fitz Jackson said the party intends to set out its policy framework in the form of a covenant with Jamaicans.

“It is not a manifesto, it will represent the broad outline of the policy objectives that the party will seek to achieve when it becomes the next government.

“This will be put forward, at this time, to also accommodate detailed discussion with delegates of the party and the wider Jamaican society. And we are doing so because the policy initiatives that we intend to take as the next government must have substantial ownership by the people,” Jackson said.

According to him, the party’s new policy framework reflects the work of the shadow cabinet, which has benefitted from the voluntary contribution of the intelligentsia and members of the private sector.

“Jamaica can only move forward with a political leadership that has the capacity and the moral authority to build national consensus and mobilise the national community around a new policy framework,” Jackson said.

The framework includes programmes that the party will seek to implement to transform education and training, achieve sustained and equitable growth and offer the landless a program of radical land reform.

Meanwhile, he disclosed that American political commentator and attorney-at-law Bakari Sellers will be the guest speaker at an opening night celebration at the National Arena, when the conference begins on September 13.

Representatives of political parties in Cuba, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Barbados are also due to attend the conference, which will be held under the theme “The People’s Interest: Our Passion, Our Purpose”.

The party’s delegates are to meet in a closed session on Friday, September 14 at the Jamaica Conference Centre ahead of the vice-president election a day later at the National Arena where, six candidates will vie for the four posts.

They are incumbents Dr Angela Brown Burke, Dr Wykeham McNeill and Dr Fenton Ferguson, and new contestants for the posts Kingston Eastern and Port Royal Member of Parliament (MP) Phillip Paulwell; Manchester North Western MP Mikael Phillips, and Senator Damion Crawford.

PNP leader Dr Perter Phillips will address the closing ceremony of the annual conference on Sunday, September 16.