PRESIDENT of the People’s National Party (PNP) Mark Golding has rejected what he said was a false narrative being spread by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) that ongoing programmes, which started under the current Government, would be discontinued if the party he leads wins the September 3 General Election.

“A false impression has been deliberately sold by the Government that we will discontinue all existing government programmes and policies. That is absolute nonsense. We recognise, in the $360-billion envelope of programmes, that there is vast array of programmes. Some of them are long-standing and fundamental such as PATH (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education), which was started by the People’s National Party and provides support for vulnerable children and vulnerable citizens.

“We would never do anything to reduce that. In fact, we are trying to bolster that by supporting similar areas needing [support],” Golding said on Monday during a panel discussion at the launch of the PNP’s ‘People’s Guide to a Better Life’ document which it describes as a simplified and accessible presentation of its manifesto.

But Golding, who is the PNP’s candidate for St Andrew Southern, argued that there is a wasteful expenditure of public resources by the current Administration.

“Public resources are being wasted in large amounts by this Government through corruption, distortions in the procurement system, and through the inefficient negative management of major projects. Cornwall Regional Hospital is an example of that where a project which was supposed to be finished within a short space of time with a $2-billion expenditure has now gone over $24 billion with no accountability for that delay and the hospital is still not open to receive patients,” Golding said.

He also pointed to a $31-million neurosurgical drill recently purchased by the Ministry of Health.

“The drill is just symptomatic of what is going on in that ministry and so, as we go in-depth, we find many other things, like things available in the market place for one price that have been bought by the Government from contractors for multiples of the market price, depriving the people of Jamaica of resources for critical things,” Golding charged.

He highlighted a number of items which he considers high priority if he gets the chance to become prime minister.

Among the items Golding highlighted is the party’s proposal to empower Jamaicans to own land.

He said the change in the legislation being proposed by the PNP will open up land owning privileges for many families who have been occupying Crown land for 25 years but are not in a position to apply for titling because of laws from the colonial era which requires 60 years for possession before ownership can be applied for.

“We intend to deal with that as a legislative priority. Similarly, some of the reforms around greater accountability in Government. We are looking to implement those as well through developing and bringing the legislation to Parliament,” said Golding as he also highlighted the PNP’s proposed first in the family scholarship programme.

“You have to differentiate between those things that are priorities because they involve reform which doesn’t necessarily involve expenditure changes and those of a programmatic nature which will require expenditure changes,” said Golding.

He told the panel discussion that the PNP has a fairly good idea what would be possible fiscally if it assumes Government.

“We know, for example, right now that there are certain claims from the public sector workers which have to be addressed. To start at zero per cent [wage offer in the first year of a four-year contract] is not really an offer at all. There are various anomalies in the public sector transformation of their compensation. We are committed to working with the public sector unions and representing public sector workers to resolving those anomalies,” declared Golding.