Dear Editor,

I have listened to the rhetoric of the general secretary of the People’s National Party (PNP) Dr Dayton Campbell on a number of occasions. I find it generally negative.

One example is his attitude to the departure of the former Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke to Washington. As he saw it, it was a matter of the minister leaving a sinking ship. Of course, this is far from the truth. At a divisional conference of his party, he raised the matter of the minister’s departure again. I could hear a female party worker declare, “Him a run wey!” At no time did Dr Campbell correct this palpable untruth.

We should see it as an honour for Dr Clarke, a black Jamaican, educated at a Jamaican primary school, a Jamaican high school, and Jamaican university up to the bachelor’s level, to assume such a prestigious responsibility. Do we really think that he should have been satisfied with serving only one country with fewer than three million people? When the news broke, I was filled with pride that one of our very own — a male — has been called to serve in an organisation which aims to serve 191 countries! It should be a lesson to our boys, especially, that they can reach the highest heights.

What upsets me most is Dr Campbell’s comments at a recent press conference on the reduction of General Consumption Tax (GCT) on electricity consumption from 15 per cent to 7 per cent. I must confess that l am not clear on how the change will affect me come April 2025. My electricity bill is nowhere near $15,500 per month. I have never paid more than $6,750 and my most recent bill came to the princely sum of $4,258.86. In short, l have never paid GCT on electricity and hope that l’ll never have to.

But let’s use Dr Campbell’s figures. Under the new policy, he would save the miserly sum of $547.00 per month and that can only buy a pound of meagre carrots at Loshusan.

That’s not the way l think. $547 per month is $6,564 per year. With that sum, I could acquire about 6,000 Omni Industries Limited shares. Just an example. I would be investing in a Jamaican company which exports. We’re talking about jobs and foreign exchange here. Instead of lambasting the other side, parties need to help to make their supporters financially literate, among other things.

Encourage your constituents to read such positive articles like like ‘7 old-fashioned frugal habits we need to bring back in 2024’ and ‘7 ways to invest like you’re rich, even if you’re not yet’. I hope you heard what l just said: Encourage your constituents to read.

Teach your constituents the value of money. Let them know that the less money they spend, the more they’ll keep to save and invest so that they can achieve long-term financial success. I learnt at the primary level that “a fool and his money are soon parted” and “take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves”.

I would like to say to the Opposition spokesman on agriculture that if you get people into the mode of negative thinking, when the PNP assumes office, it will be hell to get them out of it and consequently difficult to move them to face the challenges in our country. People don’t switch off and switch on like that. Let them know that if life throws them a lemon, make lemonade.

That’s the message they need to hear.

Norman W M Thompson

norms74160@gmail.com