Dear Editor,

Jamaicans are to go to the polls on September 3, 2020, but the winner will face an unprecedented economic reality.

The challenges of COVID-19 will be a nightmare for all world leaders, and economic recovery will be an uphill battle requiring innovation and collaboration. Jamaica will need a decisive, strong, mature, and prudent leader to take the country forward in this crisis, and the only leader on record who knows how to handle a crisis successfully is Dr Peter Phillips.

Let’s us not forget that during the Portia Simpson Miller Administration, when Jamaica was facing the impact of a recession, it was Peter Phillips, as finance minister, who made some tough decisions to put the Jamaican economy on a positive footing. The current Administration has reaped from this, in addition to all the hard work the People’s National Party (PNP) has done. For example, all of the works projects we’re seeing unfolding were planned by the PNP Administration but implemented under the ruling Government, so I can’t understand why the JLP Government would want the Jamaican people to believe it has done them all by itself.

In my humble opinion, popularity doesn’t make you a good leader, performance does. Prime Minister Andrew Holness may be leading in the polls, but what is his popularity based upon? His Administration has failed on curbing crime and there are questions of misconduct among some of the members within his party. It is clear that since Andrew Holness assumed power there has been no real effective crime plan. This Administration’s efforts to curtail crime with zones of special operations have proven ineffective with minimal results. This is the sad reality that Jamaica has been and still is crippled by criminal elements.

Damion McCatty

damionmccatty@gmail.com