Marking the Assignment: How the JLP’s 2020 Manifesto Measures Up

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As an educator, my mind is wired for rubrics. A rubric lays out the criteria, sets the expectations, and establishes how success will be measured. It is a contract between the teacher and the student: “This is what you must do to earn your grade.” If the student hands in something else, no matter how creative or flashy, it may still have value, but it does not meet the assignment.

A rubric lays out the criteria, sets the expectations, and establishes how success will be measured. 

Politics, I believe, should be no different.

In 2020, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) signed a contract with the Jamaican people: their manifesto, Stronger Future. It was the grading sheet they set for themselves. Now, five years later, they have published a book of achievements. But like a student who submits an impressive project that ignores the instructions, we must ask: did they actually do what they promised?

The Assignment/Contract: JLP’s 2020 Promises

The JLP’s manifesto was anchored in a 10-point COVID-19 recovery plan with bold pledges. Among the standout promises were:

• Building a Stronger Economy: Revive growth, create jobs, stabilise finances; A $20-billion public/private COVID-19 recovery equity fund, small-business grants, and loan guarantees for MSMEs.
• Governance, Security & Justice for All: Strengthen policing, rule of law, and transparency.
• Equal Access to Healthcare & Wellness: Modernised hospitals, telemedicine, and equitable healthcare; More access points and improved infrastructure.
• Energy and the Blue & Green Economies: Go green with renewable energy and sustainable marine growth.
• Building a Digital Jamaica: Expand broadband, digital IDs, and e-government services.
• Building Brand Jamaica for Development: Boost tourism, cultural exports, and global image.
• Quality Education for All: Expanded broadband, 6 new STEM focused high schools and performing arts high school, better schools, stronger curriculum, improved outcomes.
• Building a Stronger Jamaican Society: Reduce poverty, expand housing (10,000 affordable homes for young people (18–35) with 100% financing; 70,000 total housing starts, with 30% for civil servants, teachers, nurses, women and policemen), and strengthen social safety nets.
• Local Government & Community Development: Empower parish councils, promote grassroots development.
• Infrastructure – Major Road projects, including the Montego Bay Perimeter Road and rural road upgrades; bridges, water systems, and public facilities.

Like any rubric, these were not vague aspirations. They were measurable, time-bound goals, clear enough for us to mark.

Marking the Work: 2020 – 2025 Outcomes

• Building a Stronger Economy

The JLP boasts of a historic drop in unemployment to 3.3%, poverty reduction to 8.2%, and expanded social programmes like the PATH benefit increases and a higher minimum wage. These are significant macroeconomic markers, especially amid a pandemic recovery. However, underemployment remains high and cost of living pressures have erased gains for many families. 

Grade: B-

• Governance, Security & Justice for All

One troubling issue in grading is accuracy. The JLP claims to have added 6,000 new police officers since 2016, but official figures show the force only grew by about 2,200. Inflated numbers are like plagiarised answers, if the data cannot be verified, it undermines the whole submission. Crime hotspots have persisted, and justice delivery remains slow. 

Additionally, between 2020 and 2025, Jamaica faced several high-profile incidents that highlight persistent weaknesses in transparency and integrity within public life. In September 2021, then-Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Floyd Green resigned after being caught on video at a mask-free party during a government-imposed “no-movement day,” a breach of COVID-19 restrictions that sparked widespread outrage and underscored issues of personal accountability in leadership. More recently, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness became embroiled in a legal battle with the Integrity Commission over its investigation into his financial disclosures. In 2025, the Supreme Court rejected Holness’ bid to strike “scandalous” content from the case, though proceedings were stayed pending appeal, an example of how legal challenges can delay or frustrate the work of oversight bodies. These events sit against a backdrop of ongoing capacity and procedural constraints faced by the Integrity Commission, which critics argue limit its ability to investigate and sanction misconduct effectively. Other controversies, such as reports surrounding Robert Montague’s resignation from the Cabinet following a damning Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) report, and lingering questions over the actions of other senior officials, point to gaps in both the enforcement of ethical standards and the public disclosure of findings. Together, these cases illustrate a troubling pattern in which accountability is often reactive and driven by public outcry or media exposure, while structural and political barriers weaken the consistent application of transparency measures. 

Grade: D

• Equal Access to Healthcare & Wellness

COVID-19 response measures included expanded facilities and vaccination campaigns. Still, Jamaica’s public health system continues to face staffing shortages, overcrowded hospitals, and underfunded rural clinics. Incremental progress, yes, but far from the transformative leap promised.  

Grade: C

• Energy and the Blue & Green Economies

Solar and other renewable projects have grown modestly, but full-scale transformation is yet to materialise; marine-based development remains aspirational.

Grade: C

• Building a Digital Jamaica

Some progress via Wi-Fi hotspots and digital pilots, but rural access and technological equity still lag.

Grade: C

• Building Brand Jamaica for Development

Tourism rebounded well post-pandemic. However, smaller operators often did not feel the benefit. Cultural and export diversification remain limited. The brand looks good from the plane, but many local players are still waiting for lift-off.

Grade: B- 

• Quality Education for All 

Promises of new STEM and performing arts schools remain unfulfilled. Worse, national exam pass rates reportedly fell, from 28% in 2016 to 18% in 2024. Broadband access did expand in some areas, but infrastructure gains did not translate into clear academic improvements. In rubric terms: a well-presented answer that misses the key learning objectives. 

Grade: D

• Building a Stronger Jamaican Society

The pledge to deliver 10,000 homes for young people and 70,000 housing starts was a signature promise. While the JLP has spoken of progress in housing construction, independent, verifiable figures matching the original targets are scarce. Without data, it is like a student saying, “Trust me, I did it,” without handing in the paper. The social safety net exists, but it still has holes.

Grade: C

• Local Government & Community Development

Some localised projects were funded, but true decentralisation and authority for local governance remain limited. Efforts were made, but real power remains central.

Grade: C-

• Infrastructure

Here, the JLP can claim more concrete results. Projects like the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme, the Montego Bay Perimeter Road, and coastal highway upgrades have visibly advanced. While rural road conditions remain patchy, substantial urban and tourism-linked projects have been delivered. 

Grade: B

FINAL GRADE

CATEGORY	GRADE
Building a Stronger Economy	B-
Governance, Security & Justice for All	D
Equal Access to Healthcare & Wellness	C
Energy and the Blue & Green Economies	C
Building a Digital Jamaica	C
Building Brand Jamaica for Development	B-
Quality Education for All	D
Building a Stronger Jamaican Society	C
Local Government & Community Development	C-
Infrastructure	B

Overall GPA: C –

The performance reflects a few areas of relative strength, such as infrastructure and economic initiatives, but is weighed down by consistently low outcomes in governance, education, and social development. Progress appears uneven, with some initiatives showing promise while others suffer from weak execution, lack of accountability, and limited follow-through. To improve, there must be stronger governance systems, targeted interventions in education and community building, and greater focus on sustainable, equitable development.

The performance reflects a few areas of relative strength, such as infrastructure and economic initiatives, but is weighed down by consistently low outcomes in governance, education, and social development. Progress appears uneven, with some initiatives showing promise while others suffer from weak execution, lack of accountability, and limited follow-through. To improve, there must be stronger governance systems, targeted interventions in education and community building, and greater focus on sustainable, equitable development.

Why This Matters

In education, if a student does not meet the agreed-upon criteria, you do not just pass them because you liked their effort, you mark them honestly, give feedback, and push them to do better. As citizens, we must do the same. The manifesto was the assignment. The book of achievements is the submitted work. Our role is to check, line by line, if what was promised was actually delivered.

In the end, democracy, like education, works best when accountability is not an option but a requirement.

In the end, democracy, like education, works best when accountability is not an option but a requirement.
 
 

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Roxanne McKenzie is a passionate and committed school leader with almost 15 years of experience.