Social issues take spotlight as JLP, PNP clash in first election debate

The 2025 Jamaica general election campaign entered high gear Saturday night as teams from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) clashed in the first national debate, trading punches on education, healthcare, and transport policies.

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The Social Issues Debate, staged at the Creative Production and Training Centre in Kingston, featured three-person teams from both parties. The JLP was represented by Pearnel Charles Jr, Matthew Samuda, and Kamina Johnson Smith, while the PNP’s team comprised Damion Crawford, Raymond Pryce, and Sophia Frazer-Binns.

According to the Jamaica Debates Commission, a total of 22 questions were posed—representing a 10 percent increase compared to the average number in previous debates. “The objective of getting more questions and answers by the removal of the opening statements was achieved,” the commission said.

Nineteen of the main questions were asked by journalists Natalie Campbell of Irie FM and Romardo Lyons of Television Jamaica (TVJ). The third questioner, CVM Television’s Amoy Harriot, posed eight queries drawn from social media submissions, while TVJ’s Janella Precius moderated the proceedings. There were also two follow-up questions from the panelists, in addition to each team posing one question to their opponents.

JDC Chairman Brian Schmidt said the commission was encouraged by the high level of public engagement and urged Jamaicans at home and abroad to continue submitting questions via @jamaicadebates. He added that the JDC looks forward to the remaining debates—The Economy on Tuesday, August 26, and The Leaders on Thursday, August 28. Both will air live at 9:00 p.m.

Clash over key issues

The debate saw spirited exchanges on education, healthcare, and transport. Responding to a question on youth opportunities, Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith outlined new proposals for the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB). She said the JLP would expand SLB loans to cover accommodation, books, laptops, food, and other living expenses, while also introducing a “debt reset” policy that would wipe penalties, insurance charges, and a portion of arrears for delinquent borrowers. Students in good standing, she added, would receive a $100,000 credit toward their accounts.

On healthcare, Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr said the government has upgraded 138 health centres, created 3,000 positions for medical professionals, and advanced construction of a new regional children’s and adolescent hospital. But the PNP’s Damion Crawford countered that the health system remains in crisis, pointing to long-delayed works at Cornwall Regional Hospital and a lack of basic diagnostic equipment at leading facilities. Opposition debater Raymond Pryce also criticized the absence of Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton from the debate stage.

Another flashpoint was the JLP’s Rural School Bus System. The PNP’s Crawford described the programme as inefficient, arguing that importing buses from the United States was costly and unnecessary, suggesting Toyota coasters could have been a more practical purchase. Charles Jr defended the initiative, claiming it would save parents up to $180,000 per year per child while keeping students safer, and said the plan was funded by savings from reduced fuel theft at the JUTC.

Mixed reviews and historic omission

Social media users and members of the diaspora split over who won the debate, though many said the JLP’s Matthew Samuda delivered the strongest individual performance. Both parties later declared victory.

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Observers also noted that, for the first time in a social issues debate, crime was not a central topic. No questions on the issue were posed—something many viewed as a reflection of Jamaica’s recent historic 42 percent drop in the murder rate, and an achievement that the JLP has taken credit for.

The next debate on the economy will take place on August 26 at 9 p.m. JLP’s Fayval Williams, Dr. Christopher Tufton, and Dr. Dana Morris Dixon will face off against PNP’s Julian Robinson, Peter Bunting, and Kisha Anderson.