1. ARNALDO BROWN
EAST CENTRAL ST. CATHERINE
MANIFESTO
Introduction
It is said that politics is the art and science of making decisions for the development
of people. It is an endeavour that honourable men and women should engage in, to
advance the development of their country. Unfortunately, what we have seen are
individuals of impeccable repute and with sincere motives, abstaining from the
political process. As a result, there has been an increasing number of citizens who
are frustrated, uncommitted and pessimistic about the political process. This is the
situation in Jamaica today that has led Arnaldo Brown to make the decision to be a
part of the political party and team that restores the breach that has been created in
our political process.
Arnaldo Brown attended the Bridgeport Primary School in his formative years and
when his family moved to Clarendon he attended Glenmuir High School. Being an
individual with a passion for education,he registered at the University of the West
Indies (UWI) in 1993 for a Bachelor of Science in Government. This he completed in
1996 and later that year enrolled for a Master of Science in International Relations at
the same institution. In 1997, Arnaldoonce more registered at UWI to pursue a
Bachelor of Law degree. He successfully completed his legal studies in 2002 and was
called to the Bar that same year. He has been practicing in the legal profession since
2002.
Arnaldo believes that it is the responsibility of leaders to drive development which
will contribute to the improvement of the lives of all persons. His focus is
developmental and his vision is empowerment of the people. Within this context,
Arnaldo intends to implement a series of developmental programmes to improve the
quality of life of the people within this constituency. These will cover the areas
ofSports, Housing, Education, Employment and Training (SHEET). This is in addition
to the existing issues related to road maintenance, infrastructural development, and
concerns such as safety and security.
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2. SPORTS
Sports is a major developmental factor and especially so within the Jamaican
context. As a country, we have dominated the world in athletics over the past 60
years. We have demonstrated the capacity to produce athletes who are world
champions and this has placed them in aposition of earning significant income. We
have demonstrated world championship capacity in other sporting areas such as
football, cricket, netball, basketball and boxing. We must move to exploit these
opportunities and enable our young people to earn from them. Consequently,
Arnaldo intends to do the following once elected as Member of Parliament for the
constituency of East Central St. Catherine.
1. To develop a number of sporting complexes across the constituency. These
will be done in all 3 major divisions: Gregory Park, Portmore Pines and
Southborough. All of the playfields in the constituency will see improvements.
However, Lime Tree Oval will be subject to major developmental work during
the first term. The field will be equipped with playing areas for football,
cricket, netball, basketball and athletics / track and field.
2. Arnaldo will also establish marching bands in all high schools within the
constituency. This is to engender discipline through music amongst the youths
and to sharpen their social skills. Funding for this initiative will be sought
from CHASE and USAID.
3. As a part of the effort to improve sports in the constituency for young people,
an allocation will be made from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to
assist sports clubs with equipment and gear. This is to ensure that the
professional capacity of the teams are developed and improved. Private sector
companies will also be approached to assist with funding some of these sports
clubs.
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3. Housing
One of the major challenges confronting members of the constituencyis that of poor
and inadequate housing. There are areas within the constituency where the quality
of housing is way below the acceptable standard.People should not be allowed to
reside in such squalor. In this context, the following will be done within the first
elected term:
1. To provide assistance for social housing through the Constituency
Development Fund and from Food for the Poor.
2. To engage in a programme to remove zinc fencing from around the houses
within various communities. This will be supported from the Jamaica
Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) that will be implemented by a
PNP administration.
3. To engage the private sector and the National Housing Trust (NHT) in
discussions with the aim of developing more affordable middle income
housing for members within the constituency.
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4. Education
For any society to develop, an investment in education is a must. Arnaldo recognizes
that the best and most sincere way to lift his people out of poverty is to provide them
with quality education. As such, the following will be done to assist individuals in the
constituency to achieve their educational goals:
1. To allocate a pool of funds from the CDFspecifically for education. This pool of
funds will be used to assist individuals with tuition fees, school books,
uniforms, lunch subsidy and any other matters / fees relating to education.
2. To provide support to Early Childhood institutions, basic schools, primary
schools and high schools, to ensure that children within the constituency
receivea first world education. In this context, schools will be provided with
adequate toilet facilities and also retrofitted with computer labs so that our
children can become computer literate. These initiatives will be funded by
funds from the CDF and the E-Learning Project.
3. To ensure that a minimum of 1 primary and high school in the constituency
are accessible for children with disabilities. This will be done by making sure
that transformation takes place in schools that have already been constructed
and to ensure that any new schools being constructed in the constituency, are
accessible for this vulnerable population. Funding for this initiative will come
from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).
4. To establish a minimum of 2 Home Work Centres in each Parish Council
Divisions. These centres will provide a place where children attending
primary and high schools, can go to get assistance with their assignments. The
centres will be staffed with retired teachers and other volunteers from within
the communities. To achieve this, the churches and community based
organizations will be asked to assist. Funding for this initiative will be
obtained from the Constituency Development Fund, CHASE and other donor
agencies.
5. As a means of rewarding performances of excellence, a number of bursaries
and scholarships will be provided to children across the constituency.
Students attending primary, high schools and other tertiary institutions will
be provided with assistance through this initiative. Funding for this will be
obtained through the Constituency Development Fund, private sector
contributions and other donor agencies.
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5. Employment
The issue of unemployment is of major national focus. Currently, the rate of
unemployment is over 13%. This is up from the 9.6% that the PNP administration
had left in 2007. Unemployment is also of major concern in the constituency of East
Central St. Catherine. All across the constituency, large numbers of youths are
unemployed and the current administration has done nothing about this problem in
the constituency. Arnaldo Brown and the PNP, when elected, will treat the issue of
unemployment as a major priority. The following are some of the approaches that
will be taken to remedy the problem:
1. The establishment of a constituency Production Fund with approximately
J$50 million to target the productive sector.
2. This Fund is to be used to expand production in 3major areas namely
agriculture, self-employment and ICT services.
3. In the area of agriculture, Arnaldo will make some of these funds available to
youths in the constituency, at minimal interest rate, to drive production of
certain crops for export and the tourist industry. In this effort the
constituency will aggressively utilize modern technology such as hydroponics,
to increase production and quality of various crops. Youths in areas such as
Lime Tree, Lakes Pen and Gregory Park, will be encouraged to enter into
greenhouse production of crops such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, lettuce and
other such crops that can be grown in a protected environment.
4. As a part of the effort to support the youths who are engaged in agricultural
production, Arnaldo will ensure that at least 1processing plant is established
in the constituency to properly process and market these agricultural
products. This factorywill be owned by the same farmers through the creation
of a co-operative. This co-operative will be encouraged to develop a
production relationship with established and reputable companies such as
Grace Kennedy and Lasco, to market their products.
5. As a part of the effort to increase capital in the co-operative, a portion of the
sales of the farmers are to be reserved and converted into shares. This will
build up the capital reserve of the co-operative on a consistent basis whilst at
the same time, increasing the self-investment of the farmers in the business.
Over time, the wealth of the farmers would increase significantly through such
an approach.
6. Arnaldo realizes there are a number of individuals who would want to engage
in other self-employment activities. However, they do not have the requisite
capital to commence what they want to do. These are individuals who would
want to start a business with capital outlay of under $50,000. As Member of
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6. Parliament, Arnaldo will allocate $3 million from his CDF,on an annual basis,
to a designated institution, to assist these individuals in the start up of their
business.
7. Information Communication Technology (ICT) services is one of the fastest
growing industries in the world today. Portmore is regarded as one of the
areas within the Caribbean with a high concentration of highly skilled and
competent individuals. The constituency of East Central St. Catherine is
located within Portmore and as such is strategically placed to benefit from
this growth in ICT services. In this context, Arnaldo will ensure that a facility is
constructed in the constituency, in particular, the Southborough area, to
exploit opportunities in the E-Services industry. This facility will employ a
number of tremendously bright and skilled youths within the constituency. In
order to fund this initiative, assistance will be sought from the Development
Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and private sector investors.
8. As a part of the strategy to generate employment in the constituency Arnaldo
will establish 3 block making projects within the constituency. These are to be
located in Lakes Pen, Portmore Villas and the community of Newlands. These
block making projects will be funded from the Constituency Development
Fund, Citizen Security and Justice program and other donor agencies such as
USAID.
9. Arnaldo will also establish an ornamental fish project which will allow young
people to grow ornamental fish for export and local pet shops. In order to fund
this project, funding will be sought from overseas donor agencies such as
Department For International Development (DFID) and the European Union
(EU).
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7. Training
In order for the residents of the constituency to exploit the economic opportunities
which will be created under the stewardship of Arnaldo Brown, they must be trained
and prepared to maximize their God given talents. Within this context, the following
mechanisms will be put in place, outside of the regular educational system, to train
individuals within the constituency who are interested in developing a skill:
1. To establish a solid relationship with the Portmore HEART Academy, to
provide training for youths within the constituency. This training will cover a
plethora of areas so residents within the constituency can benefit from the
developments that will be taking place in construction, ICT, sports, auto-
mechanic, agriculture or any other area that will be bringing economic
prosperity to our people.
2. Working in tandem with HEART-NTA, Arnaldo will establish a Mobile Lab to
provide training and certification for youths in communities across the
constituency. The Mobile Lab will provide training and certification in areas
such ashairdressing, woodwork, carpentry, welding, drywall construction and
other areas that will enable residents of East Central St. Catherine to capitalize
on the economic opportunities which will be created by a PNP administration.
To implement this initiative, Arnaldo will approach some of the donor
agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the Department For International Development (DFID), for
funding.
3. To assist in upgrading and expanding the Jockey Training School at Caymanas
Park so that more youths can exploit developments in the horse racing
industry. An approach will be made to one of the tertiary institution in
Jamaica, to assist in strengthening the various training programmes at the
Jockey Training School.
The ideas detailed in this brochure, are only some of the initiatives that Arnaldo
Brown, once elected as Member of Parliament, will implement over the next 5 years.
These are ideas that are designed to solve some of the problems that have dogged
the constituency for years. Problems such as unemployment, poor housing, limited
training opportunities and inadequate sporting facilities, are all areas that these
ideas are designed to address.
Arnaldo Brown is committed to ensuring that the quality of life for the people in East
Central St. Catherineis improved through education and developmental initiatives.
The Sports, Housing, Education, Employment and Training (SHEET), constitutes a set
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8. of initiatives that Arnaldo Brown will use to blanket East Central St. Catherine with
development and restore hope to the people.
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