KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party’s (PNP) National Executive Council is calling for the National Housing Trust (NHT) to be restored to its core mandate of providing affordable houses to the people of Jamaica. 

In a statement on Wednesday, the PNP said the NHT, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, has, over the past 10 years, “lost its way under the current Holness administration”.

The PNP said the NHT is “building houses that are out of the reach of ordinary workers, and twice passing laws which have depleted its financial resources by extending the annual extraction of $11.4 billion for budgetary support.”

It maintained that such approaches are stymying the vision and mission of the NHT, as delineated by the former Prime Minister Michael Manley.

The PNP reiterated what it said was its commitment to repurposing the NHT to its core mandate; ending the annual extraction of $11.4 billion for budgetary support; providing greater housing opportunities for young people; removing the land cost from the final housing price to provide more affordable houses to NHT contributors; establishing a rent-to-own housing initiative; and establishing more favourable terms for public sector workers contributing to the NHT.