Politics
Holness: Elections could be this year
The 39-year-old Holness was sworn in as prime minister on Oct. 23, ushering in a government that he said would heal political divisions, root out corruption, reduce debt and bureaucracy and attract foreign investment to reduce poverty.
He took over from Bruce Golding, who stepped down after four years as prime minister during which his popularity sagged because of his fight with the U.S. over an U.S. extradition request for a notorious Jamaican gang leader. Holness was education minister under Golding and has kept that portfolio as the island’s leader.
Most analysts have been predicting that Holness will call elections soon rather than allow tough economic realities to weigh down his early days as prime minister. Jamaica has seen two quarters of economic growth this year, but average Jamaicans continue to struggle.
Most of Holness’ speech Sunday was made up sober reminders of the difficulties facing Jamaicans, including the island’s punishing debt. The debt stood at roughly US$18.5 billion at the end of August for Jamaica, which has a population of roughly 2.8 million people.
“Some of us have lost hope in our institutions,” he said. “Some of us have lost faith in the future.”
On Saturday, the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) announced it has finalized its slate of candidates for all 63 constituencies for the next election and is ready if the vote comes in December.
Party leader Portia Simpson-Miller, a former prime minister, is appealing to Jamaica’s poor majority. At a Saturday night rally in the poor Kingston community of Papine, she pledged to end the island’s general consumption tax on food staples such as cornmeal and on electricity.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
