Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
PEOPLE'S NATIONAL Party (PNP) leadership contender, Dr. Omar Davies, says if elected as the next leader, he will be establishing a Project Empower-ment Programme to help the underprivileged.
Dr. Davies made the announcement on Sunday during a Campaign for Prosperity function held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.
He said the programme would be established under his personal directive and that the project would not be a big government department with a chief executive officer. "It is not going to be that ... It is going to be about work!" he said to his supporters.
Dr. Davies said the pro-gramme would pull together private sector leadership and government agencies to inform and educate Jamaicans about the number of government programmes that can assist them and show them to access these opportunities available.
But he noted that every single person who is going to be helped has to have the commitment to help himself or herself.
"I cannot help you if you feel that the only way is through a one-off touch," he said. "You must make that decision ... as an individual and as a community that you are going to step to the next level," he said
"I can't pull you to the next level. It is too much of you, it is too heavy. If everybody is stepping up then I can hold yuh hands and take you to another level," he said.
He said that the project would be coordinated similarly to Lift Up Jamaica.
"... There is going to be a Lift-Up Jamaica Programme with a difference. You will work until 2:00 in the evenings and then afterwards. Lift Up means lift up yourself too. It means you go to school, if you can't read, you have to learn to read," he said.
Dr. Davies said that this programme would begin internally, but would be expanded nationally.
He, however, noted that this programme could not forever be doing remedial work, so the education system would have to work.
"We cannot be graduating children from primary schools ... who can't read and you move them to grade seven, not having mastered grade six, it can't work!" he criticised.
He said that the current situation should not be blamed on Education Minister, Maxine Henry-Wilson but that it is a problem, which has to be fixed by everyone.
"I believe passionately in education ... because I have seen it work. For us to step to the next level the whole party and country have to have that same passion about education, which I am telling you now," he said.
He, however, noted for the PNP to win a fifth turn, the party has to elect a leader, which can perform. He said that he was the man for the job.
