JAMAICA: COMPARING THE PARTY MANIFESTOS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 KINGSTON 001301 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/WHA ALSO FOR DS/IP/ITA STATE FOR WHA/CAR (JTILGHMAN/KHARNE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV SOCI ECON EFIN ASEC SOCI CPAS SNAR KCOR JM SUBJECT: JAMAICA: COMPARING THE PARTY MANIFESTOS REF: KINGSTON 1194 Summary and Analysis -------------- 1.(SBU) The election date is September 3, the debates are over, so what do the two parties actually stand for? -- The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) released their manifesto first, on July 30. The document is 127 pages, well organized, and easy to digest. -- The Ruling People's National Party (PNP) waited until August 9 to release their manifesto. It looks more like a travel brochure, featuring pictures and brightly colored logos. -- While the parties differ on key points, much of their manifestos are remarkably similar; -- Both parties list many ideas for new programs and additional plans to spend money, yet neither explains how they will be funded. -- The Unknown: What changes will be needed in the wake of Hurricane Dean? 2.(SBU) The JLP was quick to release a very well researched and comprehensive manifesto to announce its platform for the upcoming elections. The document ranges from governance in general, to economic growth, education, crime prevention, and the environment. The ruling PNP was slower to release its manifesto, and while it too is a serious document of some length, many points seem to have been lifted right out of the JLP manifesto, as if they were trying to match the JLP's plans. The key areas of emphasis in both manifestos are the economy and tourism, health and education reform, and crime prevention. End Summary. Economic plans: JLP proposes reforms at all levels -------------- 3.(U) The JLP plans for reform start with government institutions. Its manifesto proposes an independent Central Bank, "insulated from political direction and with sole responsibility for monetary policy and mandated to maintain domestic price stability." Under the JLP proposal the Governor of the Bank would report directly to Parliament twice annually. Another institutional change is the proposed merging of Jamaica Invest, the Development Bank of Jamaica, and EXIM bank into a single institution. The JLP would also enact key constitutional legislation restricting the government's debt limit and fiscal deficit. This would restrict the debt to 95 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) except in special emergencies when approved by a 2/3 majority of Parliament. Also, the fiscal deficit would be constitutionally restricted to 3 percent or less of the GDP, unless an exception is approved by the same 2/3 majority. 4.(SBU) The JLP manifesto further states the party would initiate a debt reduction strategy, phased in over five years, to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio to 60 percent. At the same time, the manifesto proposes raising the threshold for individuals paying personal income tax, and eliminating the 'double taxation' on dividends. ((Note: while the JLP manifesto does talk about establishing Enterprise Zones and an offshore financial center for Kingston to improve the local economic environment, there is no mention of how the government will marry the expenditures for new programs with the cutting of debt and lowering taxes for some. End note.)) There are many other references to development plans in the JLP Manifesto: -- Better access to research and development technology; -- Establishment of a special unit within the Office of the Prime Minister to promote and monitor the development and application of science and technology within the public and private sectors; -- Attraction of investors for large-scale projects designed to generate significant numbers of new jobs, such as a new air transshipment hub in Vernamfield in Clarendon and the expansion of the Port of Kingston; -- Aggressive overseas marketing and exploiting "Brand Jamaica"; -- Active support for the continued development and growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs); KINGSTON 00001301 002 OF 005 -- Expansion of existing bilateral arrangements for the supply of oil; -- Promotion of bio-technology through the National Research and Development Center to increase the quality and marketability of farm produce; -- Improved management of marine fishing; -- Repositioning the sugar industry, including a divestment of government-owned sugar estates and factories; -- Tax incentives for energy efficiency; --Export status for hotel operators, giving them the same benefits and concessions enjoyed by export manufacturers; -- Enhancement of Jamaica's duty-free shopping appeal; -- Redevelopment of the Ken Jones Aerodrome in Port Antonio to accommodate private and mid-size aircraft; --Expansion of Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Pier, to include the relocation of shipping operations for bauxite and sugar to another location. The PNP's plan for wealth and job creation -------------- 5.(U) The PNP manifesto's economic plan is much more general than the JLP's and spends more time highlighting the PNP's past achievements than making a coherent pitch for future plans. However, the document makes passing reference to "significant new challenges to be addressed in the medium term." 6.(SBU) The first challenge addressed in the PNP manifesto is debt and fiscal deficit. The document states, "There is only one way to achieve this objective: contain public expenditure within revenues by running a large primary surplus...Unless the fiscal deficit is eliminated, the country will continue to be plagued by high debt servicing charges...." ((Note: There is nothing in this document to explain how revenues will be greatly increased, or how they plan to cut expenditures. Although it does list references to potential buyers for the government-owned Jamaica Sugar Company, and a plan by the national airline Air Jamaica that aims to eliminate losses over the next three years. However, both of these entities are very politically sensitive, so major restructuring or privatization is easier said than done. End note.)) The PNP manifesto cites many other economic plans, most of which are extensions of past PNP achievements: -- Establishment of a stronger link between labor market reform and the transformation of the educational system; -- Universal service in broadband technology, allowing wider access to E-learning and E-commerce opportunities; -- Transformation of the city of Portmore into a full-fledged municipality with the requisite legal authority, and administrative, financial, and physical resources; -- Expansion and diversification of the economic base of Old Harbour; -- Implementation of Urban Renewal Tax relief; -- Passage of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act and Tourism Incentives Act to help investors; -- Detailed planning for a portfolio of investment projects involving 15,000 rooms with the Harmony Cove development in Trelawny on the North Coast; -- Reconfiguration of the cruise ship terminal in Ocho Rios, adding new shopping complexes and other attractions; -- Expansion of Heritage Tourism with the establishment of a Reggae Museum and investment in the restoration of great houses and theme parks as signature attractions. Education Reform: JLP proposes free public secondary schools for all -------------- -------------- KINGSTON 00001301 003 OF 005 7.(SBU) The JLP has several proposals for education reform. However, the one attracting the most publicity in the local media is the proposal for all government secondary schools to offer free tuition. While free access to education is a noble goal, most local people are far more concerned with the quality of secondary education in public schools than the financial burden. Other JLP education reform goals include: -- Emphasis on early childhood education, commencement of primary school enrollment at age five instead of six, and establishment of stand-alone infant schools; -- Enforcement of a maximum class size of 20 for all basic schools; -- Establishment of performance standards and targets for schools; -- Elimination of the shift system in all schools; -- Acceleration of upgrading teacher skills to the Bachelor of Education level; -- Expansion of internet access to primary and secondary schools; -- Identification of children in need of special nutritional support and providing programs to assist feeding them; -- Issuance of government-guaranteed education bonds to increase the loan amounts available to tertiary students; -- Extension of school-leaving age from 16 to 18 years; -- Development of a five-year capital expenditure program to construct new schools; -- Establishment of compulsory school attendance for all children between the ages of 3 and 18. PNP Educational Plans -------------- 8.(SBU) The PNP Manifesto states, "Education for all Jamaicans is central to the creation of a viable, prosperous and equitable society with a productive citizenry. We are the party of Education." Perhaps the most lofty of all PNP goals is the National Remediation Programme to achieve 100 percent literacy within five years. ((Note: not even Cuba with its socialized education can achieve this goal. End note.)) The PNP, too, has prepared a long list of goals for education, some of which are extensions of programs already in place: -- Continue to guarantee that no student is excluded from high school due to inability to pay cost-sharing contribution; -- Build new primary and high schools so as to sustain universal access; -- Continue to subsidize exam fees for students taking the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence; -- Mandate compulsory enrollment and attendance in schools as of 2010; -- Build a new university in Western Jamaica to provide training in nursing and teacher education; -- Expand the Student Loan Bureau and make it more responsive to the needs of students; -- Ensure that by 2015 all students in grades 1 to 6 are exposed to Spanish as a second language; -- Develop two types of schools in the entire system (Kindergarten to Grade 6; and Grade 7 to Grade 12); -- Expand E-learning programs currently being introduced in 128 secondary schools; -- Eliminate the shift system beginning with 11 schools in September 2007, and another 100 in the 2007-08 school year; -- Introduce licensing of early childhood and basic schools; -- Complete the development of Early Childhood Curricula by September 2007; KINGSTON 00001301 004 OF 005 -- Introduce performance management systems with agreed targets for schools and students by 2008-09. Crime and Punishment Proposals for JLP -------------- 9.(SBU) The JLP says the safety of the nation will be its "most urgent priority" if it forms the next government. Its recent manifesto says that "too much of our energy is being devoured by the ever-present fear for our own safety." Therefore the JLP's manifesto has a large section devoted to Crime Prevention, Security and Justice. Most of the JLP plans for crime involve spending more of the budget on law enforcement and increasing the ranks of police officers in the Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF). These proposals include: -- Increasing the strength of the JCF to 12,000 (currently about 8,000); -- Expanding the Mobile Reserve, keeping contingents based at strategic locations on the island; -- Establishing a cadre of Police Auxiliaries to undertake clerical administrative and light security tasks at police stations; -- Establishing a Traffic Corps made up of civilians to relieve the police of traffic duties and allow them to focus on law enforcement; -- Improving training in investigation techniques and crime scene management; -- Improving forensic capability by providing appropriate technology and training; ((Note: the sudden desire to improve forensics comes after the internationally publicized case of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistani Cricket World Cup team coach who died under mysterious circumstances in a Kingston hotel room; local authorities concluded mistakenly that foul play had been involved. End note.)) -- Increasing surveillance at the ports to stop the inflow of illegal guns; -- Intensifying the program of community policing; -- Enacting into law a Code of Political Conduct with appropriate criminal penalties; -- Strengthening the powers of the Commissioner of Police to discipline members of the force; -- Strengthening the human rights component of the curriculum of the Police Academy; -- Designing a five-year program for the rehabilitation of police stations island-wide. And the PNP Proposals on Crime Reduction -------------- 10.(SBU) The PNP says the "provision of a safe and secure environment is a fundamental responsibility for any government and the survival of the state depends on it." The party, however, admits "Jamaica has faced a severe challenge from criminal violence over the years." "In recent years this violence has been facilitated by the growth of the international drug trade and the easy access to illegal firearms. These factors have encouraged the consolidation of well-organized criminal networks within Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and throughout the hemisphere. This is a serious problem, which hinders our continued progress and must be tackled on several fronts simultaneously." ((Comment: This is one area where the PNP Manifesto shows weakness, as they are admitting they have done little to improve the law-and-order situation in the country during the last 18 years in power. The voters are supposed to believe this will somehow get better during their next term. End Comment.)) 11.(SBU) The PNP Manifesto goes on to say, "Our programme to reduce the levels of violent crimes will include an assault on those conditions in violence-prone communities, which give rise to anti-social activities, in order to restore the law abiding behavior as a norm." Then they list their 'Urgent' plans: -- Promoting peaceful dispute resolution skills; KINGSTON 00001301 005 OF 005 -- Adding 4,000 more police officers to the force to fill the increased establishment of the 12,000 officers previously approved by the Cabinet; -- Redeveloping and upgrading the Twickenham Park Police Academy to full university status; -- Providing permanent training facilities for the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF); -- Developing more specialist training modules for investigations, intelligence, and firearms; -- Expanding the Graduate Entry Program for the JCF and implementing national work standards for the Police Force; -- Completing the Strategic Review of the JCF and implementing its findings; -- Launching an assault on corruption within the Police Force through a revision of the Police Service Regulation and the disciplinary rules being undertaken by the Disciplinary Task Force. -- Completing construction of a new public morgue and equiping the forensic laboratory with the most up-to-date analytical capabilities. -- Implementing, within the first three months of the new term, a National Independent Investigative Agency to tackle corruption in public life and transnational organized crime. -- Implementing the plan for port security (already drafted). The Final Analysis -------------- 12.(SBU) Comment: A major concern with both manifestos is that there seems to be no overarching vision to get Jamaica out of its current conundrum. Both placed a lot of emphasis on the social sectors. However, the JLP, wisely or not, appears to have beaten the PNP at its game this time around by proposing free education and health care. The problem with the JLP's plan on education is that quality is more important than access at this time. It is important to note that a manifesto basically outlines a set of policy proposals. It is essentially a set of promises, which might or might not be delivered. However, it is easier to judge performance if goals are easy to measure. 12.(SBU) It could also be argued that the most important aspect of any incumbent's manifesto is his/her past performance. Unsurprisingly, the PNP made consistent reference to its past performance, but this performance has to be judged against what it promised five years ago. A cursory look shows that the PNP delivered on some of its promises, but fell far short on others. In particular, the 2002 manifesto had economic transformation, wealth- and job-creation as its primary objectives. This goal has not been met by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the PNP inadvertently admits this failure, as party officials consistently speak to macroeconomic achievement as their major success story. But macroeconomic stability, while important, is only a means to economic development, and not an end in itself. End Comment. JOHNSON