Jamaica Debates Commission Debates Watch
DEBATES WATCH PARTICIPANTS EMPOWERED BY THE EXPERIENCE
Kingston, Jamaica. September 2, 2020. Participants in the Jamaica Debates Commission (JDC) sponsored Debate watches say that the experience has empowered them to hold political leaders accountable for commitments made during the election campaign. They say the Debate Watches provided an opportunity for meaningful political engagement with fellow citizens.
Close to 450 Jamaicans from rural and urban areas across the island and in the Diaspora participated in Debate Watches which were mounted live at the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC) as part of the JDC’s three National Debates in the lead up to the General Election on Thursday September 3, 2020.
Participants were invited to connect to the teleconferencing platform Zoom via smartphones or computers to watch the three debates and then participate in discussions hosted by trained facilitators, pulled from the Dispute Resolution Foundation of Jamaica.
Crime and violence, the COVID-19 recovery plan, Unemployment, Job Creation, Taxation and Economic growth were among the top issues of interest raised by participants in Debate Watches.
Education, Water, Roads, Transportation and Affordable Housing were also major issues of interest.
There was criticism from the participants in the youth and Diaspora Zoom rooms who felt that that there was too much time “playing politics“and focusing on past achievements instead of presenting a path for the way forward.
The main objective of the Zoom Debate Watches was to invite participants to listen to the content of each debate with an open mind and assess the relevance and importance of the proposed policies and plans to their lives at the individual, community and national levels.
The first debate on Social Issues was held on Tuesday August 25th with teams from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP). The second debate on Economic Issues was mounted on Thursday August 27th with the Minister of Finance Dr. Nigel Clarke and Opposition Finance Spokesman Mark Golding. The final debate on Leadership Issues was mounted on Saturday August 29th with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Dr. Peter Phillips.
All three debates were broadcast live on more than ten radio and television stations in Jamaica as well as via cable in 18 Caribbean countries and also on cable in the Tri-States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in the United States of America. It was also available on the JDC’s website and YouTube channel.
The Jamaica Debates Commission (JDC) is a charitable organization that is a partnership between the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC). The successful staging of the debates was made possible with sponsorship by Proven. Scotiabank, NCB, Panjam, University of the West indies, Digicel, Flow, JN Group, Victoria Mutual Building Society and the National Democratic Institute.
