Debate - Is There Room for the Poor in Jamaica?

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According to an article titled “Overcoming a Poverty Mindset” the author outlined many ways in which individuals allow negativity to overpower our thoughts and as a result it is imbedded in one’s mind which makes it hard to overcome.

It is our firm belief that there is in fact room for the poor in Jamaica. The poor and vulnerable in society is heavily dependent on the Government as such we would like to take our argument beyond entrepreneurship (which is the poor helping themselves through their own efforts) to now look at the ways in which the Government and the wider society have been making an impact in the lives of the poor.

It is Nelson Mandela who said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” With this in mind the Government has always placed a major emphasis on ensuring that all citizens including the poor is educated. This initiative saw the need for the PATH programme.

PATH

PATH (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education) funded by the Government of Jamaica and the World Bank is aimed at delivering benefits by way of cash grants to the most needy and vulnerable in society. PATH was introduced island wide in 2002.

There are five (5) broad categories of beneficiaries, all of which must satisfy the criteria of poverty to qualify for benefits.

- Children- from birth to completion of secondary education

- Elderly- 60 years and over and not in receipt of a pension

- Persons with disabilities

- Pregnant and lactating women

- Poor adults 18-59 years

Tertiary students who were on the programme while they were in high school also qualify to receive $100,000 towards tuition fees, boarding costs or book expenses.

This is a good move by the Government as it is important to take care of the poor and needy; society’s most vulnerable.

According to Mr. Denzil Thorpe (Director of Social Security in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security) some 400,000 Jamaicans and 130,000 households have benefitted from PATH from its inception.

Mr. Thorpe stated that “One of the aims of PATH is to promote education at the highest level among categories of beneficiaries…”

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation

In the weeks leading to his assassination, King had been hard at work organizing a new march on Washington known as the “Poor People’s Campaign”.

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Solution to Poverty

Martin Luther King in his final book “Where do we go from Here: Chaos or Community?” had an expansive vision. King believed the programs implemented by the Government to provide better housing, better education, and better supported for families of the past all have one common failing- they were all indirect. Each seeks to solve poverty by first solving something else.”

It was time, King believed, for a more straightforward approach: the Government needed to make sure every citizen had a reasonable income and the way to do so was through job creation.

So where does Jamaica go from here, a place of chaos where the poor revolts against the rich, or place of community where the rich and the poor can co-exist?

This leads me to my next point: Job creation.

The Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) 2016 general election manifesto insisted that its focus would have been on the job creation, claiming: “We are confident that our 10-point plan for economic growth and job creation will generate real expansion of the job market and sustained growth in the long term hence the creation of the new Ministry for Economic growth and Job Creation.

The Minister Daryl Vaz further noted that tourism is uniquely placed to propel growth, through its linkages with other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and entertainment. He pointed that jobs will be created to fill the demand the demand in the sector for locally produced food, painting, sculptures, and furniture.”

Corporate Social Responsibility

It is not the Government that has taken steps to assist the poor, there are several businesses in Jamaica who see it fit to ensure that as a part their corporate social responsibility the poor is taken care of.

Companies such as Sagicor, KFC, Scotiabank, Grace Kennedy through GK Foundation, Courts Jamaica Stock Exchange all invest millions in projects centered on giving back and helping the poor making news headlines such as:

- Courts Jamaica constucts homes for the needy

- Sagicor Foundation gives $300,000 to Golden Age Home

And testimonials such as:

- “I am from a poor background and Grace Kennedy has helped me a lot, especially financially, with school fees and lunch money”

- “My heart sang when we were handed the keys to the house. We had reached the end of our hope and I was actually considering setting up a make-shift tarpaulin covered shelter, I’m grateful to Scotiabank.”

Not for Profit Organization

There are also many not for profit organization such as:

- Food for the Poor

- Red Cross

- Salvation Army

- and Mustard Seed

that reach millions of poor people each year.

Again we say yes there is room for the poor in Jamaica.

Opposing Team

First Speaker; Denise Smith

Good afternoon all presence, my name is Denise smith and I am the first speaker of the opposing team. The moot of today’s debate “is there room for the poor in Jamaica?’ I will be looking at poverty vs poor. While the second speaker will be expounding through the vantage point of the programs implemented for the poor and the third speaker be doing the rebuttal.

A number of factors have influenced the poverty level in Jamaica. They include the general level of education,