MARK Golding on Sunday declared the Andrew Holness-led Administration defective and invited Jamaicans to choose change at the next general election as a People’s National Party (PNP) Administration led by him will provide the country with effective governance built on integrity and honest communication.

Utilising the party’s ‘Better must come’ slogan from the 1972 General Election, which placed the Michael Manley-led PNP in office, Golding challenged Prime Minister Andrew Holness to call the election, which is constitutionally due next September.

“The prime minister just needs to fly the gate! Call it, Andrew, call it…. and I will sound the trumpet,” Golding declared, eliciting loud cheers and sustained horn-blowing from Comrades packed inside and outside the National Arena in St Andrew for the public session of the party’s 86th annual conference marked by an appearance on stage by former incarcerated dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel.

“This Government is failing the people, but help is on the way, my fellow Jamaicans. Better is possible, and better must come,” Golding said.

After using much of the first portion of his address to repeat points he had raised previously, Golding slammed the Government for a lack of accountability and non-performance in a number of areas.

“Jamaicans are tired of the impunity of those who hold political power. Public officials must be held accountable. There must be transparency and openness in the conduct of national affairs, and reasonable protection of privacy in personal life,” he said.

“I am very concerned about the insidious abuse of the Data Protection Act by State officials to restrict disclosure of potentially damning information in which there is strong and legitimate public interest,” added Golding.

He scolded the Holness Administration for allowing “critical boards and tribunals to grind to a halt because of failure to make appointments when the terms of those boards expire”.

The PNP president also charged that corruption is rampant at the highest levels of the Government, and continued his hammering of the Administration on the issue of Members of Parliament (MPs) under investigation by the Integrity Commission for illicit enrichment.

“The failure to disclose the identity of the so-called illicit six MPs who are under investigation by the Integrity Commission for illicit enrichment remains a festering sore, only made worse by the prime minister’s gag order on Cabinet ministers speaking publicly on these matters,” he said, then pointed to the commission’s recent revelation that the number of MPs under probe had grown to eight.

But that number, he said, could become 12, “the way how the number of Labourite ‘illicits’ seems to multiply like gremlins”.

“Accountability and transparency matter. That is change. When the PNP forms government, our job is to create an environment in which all Jamaicans can thrive and achieve their version of the Jamaican Dream,” he said.

“Every Jamaican must feel well-cared-for and enabled by their Government. We must invest and build an efficient and caring public service with shorter wait times, giving value for the taxes you pay,” Golding argued.

“People deserve much more than what is happening now. We want garbage moved from our gates; street lights that work; sewage in pipes underground and not running in the streets; clean piped water in our homes; roads that don’t mash up our vehicles’ front-end; public health facilities that treat people with dignity and provide good and affordable health care; schools that give every child a strong basic education so they can go on to pursue whatever career they choose; and we want to feel safe in our homes and communities.”

He said the PNP has a vision to make Jamaica a global maritime and aviation logistics hub; transform agriculture and the blue economy to drive rural development; establish 24-hour entertainment zones in suitable locations and develop balanced and clear guidelines under the Noise Abatement Act for night-time entertainment in communities; and invest in regularising electricity usage in communities where throw-ups are the norm, with the State underwriting most of the cost of rewiring.

“While there is no magic wand to do everything at once, the PNP in government will prioritise the things that the people are crying out for every day. And we will ensure that public resources are not scraped away in corruption for friends and cronies, but are only used for the benefit of the people,” Golding vowed.

He said the PNP will apply a mix of change policies to put things right and that the party is ready to move forward on a new path with a talent pool that is deep and wide — with the right mix of experience, skill, expertise, energy, and commitment to transform Jamaica.

“We are ready to take the bold steps necessary to make Jamaicans’ lives better, and we have a plan… The time has come for change, and the People’s National Party will bring change,” Golding added.

A section of the massive crowd which turned out for the public session of the PNP’s 86th annual conference (Photo: Garfield Robinson)