A new National Water Commission (NWC) amnesty that will benefit the micro, small and medium-size business sector will take effect on September 1.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness made the announcement Sunday night at the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) mass meeting in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew, where he named September 3 as the date when Jamaicans will go to the polls to elect a new Government.

“We will… write off 50 per cent of the outstanding amounts that these medium, small and micro enterprises owe in water bills. This is about getting us back into full production mode,” Holness said.

He also told the massive crowd that if given a third term, the JLP will make Jamaica “clean as a whistle”. To this end, he said the Government will enter into public-private partnerships that will significantly increase the number of garbage trucks, thereby ensuring that all communities are served on a regular basis.

The prime minister reminded the audience that the Riverton waste disposal site will be closed, with the area slated for major development over time. That facility will be replaced with a new and proper landfill that will focus on recycling which will turn waste into energy.

Holness repeated that the JLP will provide 60,000 housing solutions in its next term in office and that 10,000 of those will be built in the Greater Innswood Area.

Meanwhile, Jamaicans who owe student loans and who maintain a certain grade point average will benefit from a lower interest rate with the Students’ Loan Bureau.

Stating that the massive crowd gathered in Half-Way-Tree consisted of mostly young people, Holness told them that “the JLP is the party for you”.

Declaring the JLP to be the best steward of the economy, the prime minister urged Jamaicans to stay the course and return his party to Government. He said it will not be an overnight job, but with the foundation already laid, “Jamaica needs to stay on the path for the longest time” and not trust the People’s National Party which, he said, has wrecked the economy every time it has been given a mandate to govern.

Jamaica Labour Party supporters display campaign posters of some of the party’s candidates for the September 3, 2025 General Election at Sunday’s mass rally in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)