‘No fear in facing the people’ - Holness readies Labourites for local govt polls

As he prepares to lead the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) into local government elections next year, Prime Minister Andrew Holness says his party is prepared to educate young Jamaicans about its achievements in office.

Holness, whose administration holds the reins at the central and local government levels, conceded that "We know we have a task to educate them". He said, however, that the party has no fear about facing the people in the upcoming polls.

"Next year, at a time of my choosing, we will be going back to the people on the local government elections. We have no fear in facing the people of Jamaica. We believe in the people of Jamaica," Holness said.

The JLP leader was delivering the main address at his party's 80th annual conference at the National Arena in St Andrew. Local government elections were last held in 2016 but have been postponed twice. The polls are now due by February 28, 2024.

Holness said Labourites should take the message to Jamaicans, urging them to stick with his party, which has held state power at the central government level since 2016.

"We know that there is a generation of Jamaicans who were not born in the 1970s and they have no clue as to how the other party destroyed Jamaica. There is a generation born in the 90s and early 2000s, they have no clue as to how the 18 1/2 years of the PNP destroyed Jamaica," Holness said.

Robert Montague, chairman of the JLP, said the party laid the foundation for prosperity in Jamaica. He took at jab at members of the leadership of the People's National Party, who he said are seeking safe haven after losing their seats in 2020.

"Don't vote for them, Jamaica," he said.