KINGSTON, Jamaica — The first of three election debates kicked off tonight with teams from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) responding to tough questions from a panel of journalists, as well as Jamaicans on social media.

The debate opened with the PNP’s Lisa Hanna listing the virtues of the party, which she said has given Jamaicans access to education, health care and social amenities.

Stating that COVID-19 had exacerbated the anxiety and desperation of Jamaicans, Hanna said the JLP was a great public relations (PR) machine which says “prosperity for everyone”, but the majority of Jamaicans were feeling desperate.

“We [the PNP] will continue to build Jamaica,” she stressed.

Dr Christopher Tufton, the first JLP speaker, said the Andrew Holness government had worked over four years to build a stronger Jamaica — with [achievements like] unemployment being the lowest in history; poverty having declined by 40 per cent; and the Students’ Loan Bureau restructured.

He said that they have delivered, are committed to health care, and other deliverables to improve the life of the average Jamaican.

Dr Tufton underscored that the Jamaican people are satisfied with the government’s management of COVID [and], “let’s continue with the work of the JLP to build a stronger Jamaica.”

Questions from the journalists and social media centred on issues including corruption, gender, crime, transport and social services.

Asked about corruption in public bodies, the PNP’s Dr Dayton Campbell said the PNP will reduce and eliminate corruption out of the government structure, and all PNP members have been asked to sign a code of ethics.

“The PNP understands that corruption robs opportunity,” he said.

In rebuttal, the JLP’s Kamina Johnson Smith said the administration was working at improving institutions for a corruption free Jamaica.

“We recognise that corruption is an important issue; unlike the PNP, when there have been questions of integrity, the prime minister has acted,” she said.

Asked about access to water and drought mitigation, and why the JLP hasn’t done better at guaranteeing Jamaicans access to water as promised in their 2016 manifesto, the JLP’s Floyd Green said the Government has invested over $28 billion to fix the water network. He admitted that there was still a lot to be done, but said they plan to continue the work if given another term.

In rebuttal, Hanna said there are still communities without water, and the administration was actually implementing PNP plans. She also accused the JLP of sabotaging PNP constituencies from not having water.

For his part, Green said the PNP could be described as the ‘pipeline national party’ and the JLP had a lot more to get done, after the PNP’s years of neglect.

Other questions which followed addressed education — from classroom sizes to technology, with both parties promising STEM training and technology for both students and teachers.

On the area of infrastructure, and roads in particular, Green said there were still areas of significant need because of poor maintenance issues over the years, but a JLP government will put more investment into roads.

“We are the party to fix the roads,” he said.

But in rebuttal, the PNP’s Raymond Pryce pointed to the destruction of  recently built roads by recent rains, stating that the “cyaapet has started to rip up”.

“Investment must include efficiency and proper maintenance,” he said.

On the matter of crime, the PNP was asked about their strategy to fight crime, having criticised the Government’s strategy of implementing states of emergency (SOEs).

Pryce emphasised the need for investment in “social development, not social control”.

He encouraged police partnership with citizens, community policing, use of geofencing, and wider use of JamaicaEye.

But Johnson Smith said the Holness government had invested more in national security than any other government, notwithstanding decades of underinvestment.

She said SOEs are one way to fix the problem, and they have been delivering results with crime being down.

“The numbers don’t lie,” she said.

Also covered was the worry that there has not been a significant move to establish a plan for persons with disabilities through the Disabilities Act, as well as the long-promised domestic violence shelter.

Johnson Smith insisted that the JLP will soon deliver three shelters, but Hanna maintained that it was the PNP, through action, that had been revolutionary in helping and protecting women.

Removing the queen as head of state was another issue, with Johnson Smith insisting on a referendum, and Pryce stating that the PNP had started efforts, but the JLP had stalled, and insisted on a referendum.

In closing, Pryce emphasised that marketing and PR cannot change the reality of Jamaians.

“We designed a manifesto to allow citizens to participate in the design of the blueprint to develop your Jamaica,” he assured.

And Johnson Smith promised that the Holness government had been working hard to take Jamaicans through the pandemic.

“We know you’ve been seeing the efforts,” she said. “These times require leadership, unity, clarity and certainty. Unlike others, we have a plan.”

The moderator for tonight’s debate was TVJ’s Janella Precius, and the questioners TVJ’s Vashan Brown and Irie FM’s Natalie Campbell. Marjorie Gordon of Nationwide News fielded questions from social media.