Dear Editor,

While the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) continues to roll out serious policies designed to improve the lives of ordinary Jamaicans, the People’s National Party (PNP) appears to be doing the exact opposite by tearing down meaningful initiatives and replacing them with gimmicks, empty promises, and irresponsible rhetoric.

A clear example is the rural school bus programme, a long-overdue initiative designed to provide safe, reliable transportation for rural children, many of whom struggle daily to get to school. Instead of welcoming this necessary move, Opposition Leader Mark Golding has casually dismissed the programme as just “old buses”. This kind of mockery is not only out of touch but deeply insulting to the many families this programme seeks to assist.

Even more troubling is the comment from former Minister of National Security Peter Bunting, who claimed the buses could “endanger lives” because of Jamaica’s hilly terrain. This sudden concern for safety would be laughable if it weren’t so offensive. In my opinion, his tenure as minister of national security was defined by fear and failure, not safety.

The PNP now proposes subsidising taxi operators to transport students, a plan that raises serious safety concerns. Many Jamaicans have witnessed the reckless behaviour of some route taxi operators: speeding, overloading, and ignoring basic road rules. Are these the people we now want to entrust with our children’s lives?

And what of our children with disabilities? The school buses provided by the Government will be retrofitted to accommodate wheelchairs and ensure accessibility. Will a Probox offer the same? How exactly does a wheelchair fit in a taxi designed for four passengers?

It’s clear the PNP’s attacks are not based on concern for the public, but on political desperation. Instead of presenting a credible alternative, it is actively sabotaging real progress.

Golding recently made headlines for using language many deem unbecoming of a national leader despite previously claiming no such behaviour had occurred on his platform. Some excuse it as frustration, but if a faulty microphone can provoke such an outburst, how will he handle the real pressures of leadership? Imagine if this had happened on the international stage. Is this the temperament we want representing Jamaica? If Prime Minister Andrew Holness had done the same, there would be national outrage. So why the double standard?

Jamaicans must now ask ourselves: Is this the kind of leadership we want for our country?

This upcoming election is one of the most consequential in our lifetime. It is not about party colours, it is about direction forward with functioning systems and real solutions, or backward into confusion and chaos.

If we want to preserve the progress we have made and demand even more of it, we must show up and vote. Let us defend Jamaica’s future with our voices, with our values, and with our vote.

Liora Chen

iamliorachen@yahoo.com