While signaling that Jamaicans will soon head to the polls to elect their next government, Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding on Wednesday painted starkly different pictures of the state of the nation to mark Jamaica’s Independence Day.

For his part, Holness noted that “Jamaica is still writing its story” 63 years since independence and indicated that prosperity lies ahead for the nation with the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in charge of its affairs.

“The role of government is to create the conditions where the sacrifice of the people is not in vain, their efforts are awarded and there is hope for a bright and prosperous future. That is why we continue to pursue policies that expand opportunity, promote ownership, and reward productivity,” Holness said. “We are building a Jamaica where law-abiding citizens have the freedom to work and play without fear, and the freedom to elevate, through education, enterprise, and effort.”

Against this background, the prime minister outlined a number of what he indicated were his administration’s accomplishments including the restoration of law and order through intensified crime fighting, with a more than 40 per cent reduction in homicides nationally year-to-date.

He also cited efforts he said are aimed at improving the public bureaucracy to make the state more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred; the drop in poverty; the building of more affordable homes; the expansion of the transportation system through the Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s rural bus programme; investments in road infrastructure development through the SPARK Programme and in highways and investments in public healthcare.

Noting that “progress is not automatic” and “requires the participation of everyone”, he encouraged Jamaicans to play their part in contributing to the nation’s future.

“We must not become a nation of spectators, wondering through our windows and complaining from our veranda about the challenges of living in our country, but shy away from being active and instrumental contributors to our collective future. Independence means we have the agency, but more so, the duty to choose our path to the future we want and not leave it up to others to choose for us,” Holness said.

“This Independence Day, I challenge every Jamaican to choose the Jamaican future you would like to see, be active in your countribution to building it, and be strong in taking responsibility for your corner of it,” he added.

In the meantime, Golding noted that the foundational values of Jamaica “must be nurtured and supported by progressive policies that uplift our people and strengthen our economy, so that we achieve our destiny of greatness.”

However, he painted a daunting picture of the current state of the nation. Golding outlined what he claimed were the realities:

– A stagnant economy in which national productivity has fallen by over 20 per cent since 2007, with the annual rate of economic growth at one per cent, adding that unemployment statistics hide the reality of life in low wage jobs;

– An education system with poor outcomes for students, with over 30 per cent leaving primary school without basic literacy and numeracy skills, and less than 20 per cent leaving secondary school with five subjects including Math and English;

– A health system that is delivering worse rates of infant and maternal deaths than Jamaica had achieved 30 years ago;

– A dilapidated road network which has suffered from years without proper maintenance, and an inadequate system of water storage and distribution which leaves many communities without piped water in their homes;

– An inefficient system of delivery of public services, with a bureaucracy which makes doing business in Jamaica slow, frustrating and costly, and provides impetus for corrupt practices;

– The undermining of critical institutions of transparent and accountable governance, such as the Integrity Commission, the Financial Investigations Division, and the Office of the Political Ombudsman; and

– The highest level of brain drain in the Western Hemisphere, as Jamaicans seek to move overseas to build their future.

“The promise and hope of our independence are in danger of being lost if we fail to move the country forward out of the quagmire of the challenges that make daily life so hard for so many of our people,” Golding said.

“We have the capacity to turn this around, and to overcome our adversities and build a strong economy that delivers opportunities for advancement for all our people,” he continued. “However, to solve these deep and pressing problems will require honest and diligent leadership that is caring and inclusive, and which steadfastly upholds integrity in public life. Jamaica needs leaders who tell the people the truth, rather than empty promises which never see the light of day.”