Kingston. March 20, 2012.

The opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the governing People’s National Party (PNP) today signed an agreement with the Jamaica Debates Commission to participate in the country’s first Local Government debate and announced their three-member teams to take part.

At a signing and briefing session at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites this Tuesday afternoon, JLP Member of Parliament, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange and PNP representative Colin Campbell expressed confidence that their teams will do a good job in the debates.  Ms. Grange announced that the JLP team will be comprised of Acting JLP Chairman, former State Minister for Local Government and former Mayor of Port Maria, Robert Montague; former Mayor of Kingston, Spokesman on Local Government and Member of Parliament, Desmond McKenzie; and the Head of the Association of Local Government Authorities and Mayor of May Pen, Milton Brown.

The PNP team comprises Local Government Minister Noel Arscott; PNP Vice President and Senator Angella Brown-Burke; and the mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay.  Mr. Campbell correctly called heads and won the toss to determine the speaking order for the debates and said his party will speak first thereby giving the JLP the position to give the final closing statement in the debate.

The JDC Chairman, Mr. Gary Allen, confirmed that the debate on Thursday evening at the CPTC Studios will be for 90 minutes and will be aired live on radio and television beginning at 9.00PM.  He disclosed that the moderator will be TVJ’s Archibald Gordon while the panel of questioners will comprise Natalie Campbell of IRIE FM, Dwayne Berbick of CVM TV, and Rhoma Tomlinson of the Jamaica Observer/ Northern Caribbean University.

The JDC expressed appreciation for financial and in-kind support received from several organizations which made the staging of the debate possible.  These sponsors consist of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – through the Centre for Leadership and Governance at the University of the West Indies; the British High Commission; Flow; Desnoes and Geddes Foundation and Jamaica Public Service Company.  Strategic Corporate Interventions Limited sponsored the briefing and signing session.

Contact us via e-mail at info@jamaicadebatescommission.org

Or write to:

Jamaica Debates Commission

C/o Media Association of Jamaica

32 Lyndhurst Road

Kinston 5

(876) 908-4955

Comments or questions are welcome.

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