Letter of the Day | People’s agenda should be the sole priority
Published:Monday | August 25, 2025 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Ahead of the elections, we are highlighting the People’s Agenda, reflecting demands voiced by Jamaicans through polls, protests, and other expressions. Successive administrations have fallen short of Vision 2030 targets, leaving many struggling while a privileged few prosper.
Inspired by Marcus Garvey’s principle that government must empower people and safeguard their rights, the People’s Agenda stresses fairness, accountability, transparency, integrity, and equal opportunity as the foundation for national transformation. It identifies three core areas of change: economic well-being, governance reform, and community empowerment.
1. Putting people’s economic well-being first
Despite claims of strong macroeconomic performance, most Jamaicans do not feel the benefits. Public sector workers face protracted wage disputes, while politicians awarded themselves significant salary raises. Polls show widespread dissatisfaction:
• 80 per cent say the plight of poorer Jamaicans is the same or worse, after 10 quarters of growth (in 2023).
• 83 per cent say the rising cost of living is their biggest concern (in 2024)
• Protests, especially in the hotel sector, highlight poor wages and working conditions.
Critical challenges include limited access to housing, land, and beaches (less than one per cent of coastline), inadequate infrastructure, and high economic migration.
Bottom-up economic policies that directly improve their lives, including …
• Good-paying jobs and fair opportunities for entrepreneurship.
• Quality education that includes lessons in citizenship/civics and opens real doors.
• Affordable housing and land ownership.
• The rights to beaches, rivers and the rezoning of the coastline for social justice, greater participation in the tourism economy and environmental conservation
• Modern infrastructure – roads, water, internet, electricity – that works for everyone.
• A safe environment to live, work, raise families and retire.
2. Fixing a broken system of governance
Since Independence, Jamaica’s parliamentary system has centralised power, fostered authoritarianism, and eroded trust. Citizens are disillusioned by corruption, neglect, and lack of accountability. Polls confirm overwhelming support for systemic reform:
• 79 per cent want to directly elect our Head of State (HoS); 70 per cent want the appointment of our HoS to be made by the Prime Minister in consultation with the people (in 2023).
• 92 per cent want impeachment laws for corrupt politicians (in 2023).
• 89 per cent call for recall powers for underperforming MPs (in 2023).
• 78 per cent want term limits for Prime Ministers and 76 per cent term limits for councillors and MPs (in 2025).
• 81 per cent want fixed election dates (in 2023).
Changes to increase accountability, support good governance and improved standard of living, including …
• Greater parliamentary oversight and citizen rights to petition.
• Transparent, accountable governance.
• An independent judiciary rooted in Jamaican/Caribbean values.
• Empowered local government with resources and decision-making authority.
3. Empowering communities
Communities remain powerless, under-resourced, and excluded from decisions affecting them. Following the 2024 local government elections, 61 per cent of Jamaicans saw no change in municipal operations, perceiving only “same old” management.
Local government reform that empowers communities to lead their own development, including …
• Community-level decision-making power.
• Support for local entrepreneurship.
• Stronger partnerships among communities, businesses, and government.
• Strategies to build resilience against climate change, economic shocks, and global crises.
We encourage Jamaicans to demand and vote for trustworthy leaders willing to pursue your agenda – “A fi wi Jamaica.”
ADVOCATES NETWORK