The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is oozing with confidence as it prepares to roll into its 79th annual conference starting this weekend and ending with the public session at the National Arena in St Andrew next Sunday, November 20.

The party is completing divisional and constituency conferences this weekend with the private session of its annual conference set for Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James today.

On Thursday, JLP officials announced that the party will be spending $50 million to stage the conference with financing through donations from the private sector and its members of parliament.

As usual, the highlight of the public session will be an address by the party’s leader, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who is expected to have his continued leadership confirmed, being the only nominee for the position.

Providing details during a media conference at the JLP’s Belmont Road headquarters in St Andrew on Thursday, conference chairman Desmond McKenzie said that nominations for the position of leader and deputy leaders will be put to the delegates for them to ratify at today’s private session.

“There have been only five nominations so far. Four deputy leaders for the four area councils and one nomination for the post of leader, which is the present leader, the prime minister, Andrew Holness,” said McKenzie.

He noted that the format of the business session will see delegates examining various aspects of the party’s constitution and looking at a number policy directives.

JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang said the private session of the conference will not only be used as an opportunity to examine party policies but also Government policies that relate to constituents and the grass roots in many ways.

“The private conference [is being held] primarily to ensure that we look at the party going forward for the next 36 months… the rest of the term of office and we have to get our young MPs, in particular, not just settled but operating in normal times,” said Chang as he noted that this is the first public session that will be held by the party since 2019.

“In 2020 when we had COVID, there was relative lockdown, reduction of face-to-face activities… Political parties are about people and engaging constituents. That was, of course, severely restricted during COVID. So we have to now move in a new direction and have our MPs engage our constituencies and ensure that we not only have them active politically, but also be sensitised to Government programmes,” he said.

Chang noted that a key issue to be discussed during the private session is the National Identification System (NIDS), which, he said, “is a critical part of building a foundation that really can ensure we engage all of our citizens”.

According to Chang, the JLP is going into its 79th year as a party on a record of performance and achievement.

“The year 2022 has seen great strides made by the party despite the challenges that we face economically in terms of global problems that are confronting the world,” declared Chang.

In the meantime, McKenzie appealed to party supporters who will be attending the conference to desist from hanging out of motor vehicles as they traverse to and from the venue.

“We are going to have monitors on all the major routes taking party supporters to the conference. The monitors will have the responsibility to see that there is no body protruding [from vehicles], no party supporters riding on the top of buses or hanging out windows. I want to appeal to party supporters that this is not what we want in this our 79th year and we are going to be working to ensure that that is eliminated,” said McKenzie.

He also announced that people entering the National Arena will not be allowed to take any weapons, including firearms and knives.

“Persons who are firearm holders are asked to make arrangements for the security of their firearm,” said McKenzie.