KINGSTON, Jamaica – With the conclusion of Saturday’s second of two political debates, the Jamaica Debates Commission is expressing satisfaction with the execution of the series of debates ahead of the February 26 poll.

In the last of the debates, the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) representatives were Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, Kingston’s Mayor and councillor candidate Delroy Williams along with St James Municipal Corporation candidate Richard Vernon.

While the People’s National Party (PNP) was represented by Andrew Swaby contesting in Kingston and St. Andrew, Scean Barnswell, candidate for the Clarendon Municipal Corporation and Kadian Harty a candidate for the St Ann Municipal Corporation.

Questions from journalists Natalie Campbell, Arthur Hall and followers on social media covered more than ten areas under “Local Government at Work” which was the theme of the debate.

“Questions were raised around the conditions of markets and cemeteries, streamlining the number of municipal corporations, water and sewage infrastructure and management, increasing market fees, the approach to disaster risk management, management of traffic congestion around the granting of permits to stage events, the regulatory and actual requirements for environment impact assessments, implementing solar street lights, managing illegal vending, the granting of building permits and monitoring compliance with them,” a statement from the JDC read on Sunday.

It added that 13 questions were raised of the debaters, including two follow ups; five of them came from social media.

In the debate on Saturday, Mayor Williams had 11 inputs to questions, just ahead of Minister McKenzie with ten and candidate Vernon with four. The JLP team gave 25 inputs.

Candidate Barnswell had 12 inputs to questions for his team, followed by his colleague candidate Swaby with 10 and candidate Harty with six. The PNP team gave 28 inputs in the debate.

“In the first debate almost a dozen topics were covered with 14 questions being raised. The JLP had 28 inputs in the first debate while the PNP had 34 inputs from its team members. In that debate The JLP’s Venesha Phillips, Richard Creary and Charles Sinclair had 10, nine and nine responses each, while the PNP’s Natalie Neita-Garvey, Dennis Gordon and Allan Bernard had 14, 11 and seven inputs each,” the JDC said.

The debates were aired live on radio and television as well as streamed on various social media platforms.

The JDC facilitated several virtual “Debates Watch” sessions across the island and will be releasing data from polling to be done after the elections involving collection of data about the debates’ relevance, effectiveness and assistance to voters in determining their voting intentions and actions.

Concerns raised in the first debate by members of the deaf community about the sign language arrangements were addressed for the second/final debate.

As is the practice of the JDC, there will be a comprehensive review of the planning and execution of the series of debates as well as an assessment of the inputs of stakeholders which are considered in the Commission’s continuous review of its activities.