Political Platforms in 2025
With the next general election due in the near future, this is a compilation of the platforms that the political parties have been running on.
Agriculture
People’s National Party (PNP) says it will be seeking to establish an Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) to empower small farmers, boost productivity, and modernise the nation’s food production. Dr Dayton Campbell said the PNP would provide farmers with better access to land, credit, technology, irrigation, and post-harvest storage. - Gleaner
Dayton Campbell says the PNP intends to revisit the Praedial Larceny (Prevention) Act to better protect farmers from theft while penalising those guilty of making the lives of the farmers miserable by stealing their produce. PNP plan is to broaden the scope of insurance offered to farmers adding protection against losing crops and livestock because of natural disasters. - Gleaner
PNP St Thomas Western Councillor Hubert Williams also promised a revitalised agricultural sector – with better prices for coffee, upgraded farming tools, expanded irrigation, and more support for extension officers and the establishment of two agro-processing plants in eastern and central St Thomas to create jobs, to benefit women especially. - Gleaner
Education
The Leader of the Opposition stated that a PNP government would expand and improve the school feeding programme by providing a daily lunch at primary and secondary school for all students who need it. He added that this will be extended to a daily breakfast as well. As part of the PNP’s Ensuring Adequate Sustenance for Education (EASE) programme will also roll out a transportation subsidy for students in areas not served by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company. Additionally, the PNP’s Rural Initiative for Delivering Education (RIDE) programme will help rural students with their weekly transportation costs. Golding said, “The existing arrangements under PATH (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education) in relation to transportation target only 7,500 students. Our aim is to expand it to 50,000 students over the next three years.” He also stated that a future PNP Government would remove all taxes on laptops and tablets for students and teachers, negotiate package deals to provide teachers with free internet service as a tool of their trade, ensure that teachers receive student debt reductions and motor vehicle concessions at levels that increase with their years of service and ensure that teachers benefit from enhanced access to National Housing Trust (NHT) loans and given priority in housing allocations in NHT-financed schemes. - Observer
The PNP’s spokesperson on education and community development stated that a PNP government will expand the Brain Builder Programme to 1,000 centres using the partnering churches as operating centres. Additionally, the PNP will implement a free app that “indicates to parents a home school curriculum from birth to age three, indicating simulation and learning prompts, and supporting families, especially in the underserved communities”. - Observer
Opposition leader Mark Golding says a PNP Government would pay taxi operators and bus drivers to transport rural students. - Observer
The Opposition leader promises "bag of goodies" for young people, including the EASE (Ensuring Adequate Sustenance for Education) programme to fund meals for "needy" children in primary and secondary school, the RIDE (Rural Initiative for Delivering Education) programme to provide a subsidy of $500 per day or $10,000 per month to help cover the cost of getting children to and from school safely. - Observer
The Opposition spokesperson on education outlines measures including extending the school day by 2 hours, expanding the role of form teachers and expanding access to lunch programmes. - Observer
Energy
The PNP’s spokesperson on energy and climate change said he is determined bring the cost of electricity down from the current US$0.40 odd cent to US$0.15 per kilowatt hour - Gleaner
The Opposition spokesperson on fianance, planning and the public sector said there would be a push for expansion in the use of renewable energy, and the scaling up of net billing with an increase in the rate so that it becomes more attractive. They will also look into Power Wheeling allowing entities with multiple locations to generate energy in one location and supply the others; implementing micro-grids in communities to tackle the issue of energy poverty; and implement a transparent pricing mechanism for electricity bills. - Observer
Environment
Minister with responsibility for the environment states that the JLP administration has committed to divesting and ensuring the expansion of the Soapberry Wastewater Treatment Plant and to re-laying the sewage distribution network right throughout Kingston and St Andrew. - Observer
Housing
PNP will increase the availability of low-income housing by building 50,000 affordable homes over the next five years. This is intended for public sector workers, young professionals, and low-income earners. - Gleaner