ST ANN, Jamaica – People’s National Party (PNP) caretaker for St Ann North West, Gabriela Morris is promising “true representation” for the constituency if elected Member of Parliament, citing education, skills training and workers’ rights among the issues that she would address.

“We are on a mission of hope to bring progress to your communities, to your families and what we are coming with in North West St Ann is true representation, a Member of Parliament that you can count on to be your champion, your defender, your voice and here in Gabbriella Morris you already know that you have that,” Morris told comrades during the PNP’s bus tour stop in the constituency on Saturday.

She said education was big on the agenda for the PNP in North West St Ann and other rural communities, citing the party’s proposed RIDE (Rural Initiative for Delivering Education) programme as one which will allow parents to transport their children to school “without you having to take out a bag of money out of your pocket”.

The PNP says RIDE is a partnership with private operators with subsidised transportation for 20,000 schoolchildren island-wide, compared to the 4,000 proposed in the Government’s plan.

“When we talk about development in North West St Ann we are talking about education for your children. The People’s National Party has already said that they are going to give rural students like yours a subsidy so that they can get to school without you having to take out a bag of money out of your pocket, we call it RIDE,” Morris said.

“And while they are walking around with them bus, we are saying here we’re giving back the money to the taxi drivers and to the bus men so that they can get a piece of the pie,” she added.

Meanwhile, Morris said her vision is to launch a skills training centre in Bamboo in the constituency, noting that “a skill a run things and our young people need to be properly trained so that they can be properly paid”.

She also said she will champion workers’ rights including job security.

“When we talk about Discovery Bay comrade leader, right now a lot of people fretting because they’re getting a lot of layoff in the hotel sector and a lot of people are threatened by this overbearing issue of contract work.

“The People’s National Party is once again coming to the rescue because we believe that workers should be treated fairly and we are here to take care of you,” Morris said.

The PNP’s two-day islandwide bus tour started in Kingston on Friday and is expected to end with a spot meeting in St Elizabeth on Saturday evening.

Morris is expected to challenge Krystal Lee, the incumbent St Ann North West MP, for the seat in the upcoming general election.