MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Opposition spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips has promised motorists, including public passenger vehicle operators, that should the PNP form Government it will prioritise a review of the Road Traffic Act.

“When we get into Government on the third of September we are going to review the Road Traffic Act, because the way how dem a ticket some a dem people out a road, it is unjust!” Phillips told PNP supporters at a mass meeting in Mandeville on Sunday night.

He said while it is important for motorists to obey the rules of the road, people are being ticketed and their licence suspended for minor breaches.

“We [are] going to have that conversation within the PNP government. What we do with all the people with all those tickets and who are losing their licence for some things that are trivial and unjust, but at the same time I will say to the man dem out there, take time pon the road, follow the law, because we are going to uphold the law,” added Phillips.

The Opposition spokesman also sought to clarify the PNP’s position on a rural transport system for students in light of reactions to the party’s spokesman on education Damion Crawford saying that the PNP would scrap the programme being implemented by the Government in its current form.

“If is one thing I know, PNP would not buy nuh old bus for our pickney dem. Dem did bring our forefathers in some ship from Africa come to Jamaica. Anything that the PNP is going to do for our children it haffi brand new, good looking and fit for purpose,” Phillips said.

“The only way they can try to discredit us is to say we don’t support the school bus system. Let me make it clear one more time, the People’s National Party supports a school bus system for our children. We support it and we support the subsidised fare. We support it, because the same subsidised fare that children in Kingston get, our children in Manchester, Clarendon, St Elizabeth, St James, St Ann deserve the same,” said Phillips.

He accused the Holness Administration of being “barefaced” and claimed it is “undermining” contracted operators who usually transport students on the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

“The school year starts next week, but what they have done is the private operators who operate the PATH school bus system… the coaster buses that park at the school gates, it is this same Labour Government that start to under-fund the schools and tell them to come out of the contracts and start to fire them. I want them (JLP) to challenge me on that, because they know it is true,” charged Phillips.

“What they are saying to the PATH students is ‘we do not value you’ and that is why when Daryl Vaz a run off him mouth I will say it again, him nuh bright like me so him cyah challenge me,” added Phillips who is defending the Manchester North Western seat.

He reiterated his call for a one-on-one debate with Vaz.

“For months I have been saying to him, ‘let us have a debate in Parliament. Let us have that conversation about public transport’, but because me know seh him nuh bright, him cyah stand up and have a one-on-one conversation with I man,” said Phillips while he argued that the PNP’s transportation proposal has a plan for everyone.

“A new day is coming for the taxi man dem, a new day is coming for the bus man dem, a new day is coming for our students, our elderly and persons with disability,” added Phillips who previously served as the Opposition spokesman on works.

He told the massive gathering of Comrades in Manville that if elected to form the next Government the PNP will prioritise the rehabilitation of roads in rural Jamaica.

“We are going to take care of our roadway in our deep rural communities, because we value everyone who uses our roads. If you born a Kingston, Mandeville, Comfort Hall [Manchester], down a Alligator Pond [Manchester], no matter where you come from we are going to put proper roads for you to travel on. We are not promising what we can’t deliver, because we are a responsible People’s National Party,” said Phillips.

“What I can promise is that we know what we need to do and we will do it, because the people of Jamaica will elect the People’s National Party to fix up what the Labour dem mash up in this country,” added Phillips.

Comrades out in their numbers at the PNP’s mass rally in Mandeville on Sunday