Morgan defends JLP’s stewardship of economy, accuses PNP of distraction

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Senator Marlon Morgan has launched a vigorous defence of the Andrew Holness-led Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government, in particular its management of the economy over the past 10 years. Morgan talked up the successes of the JLP during his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday, October 23. He also reserved large portions of his speech to launch searing attacks on the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) and its President, Mark Golding. After acknowledging setbacks caused by Hurricane Melissa, Morgan stated that, “Despite assertions to the contrary, the most important and defining feature of the Jamaican state at this point is its resilience; particularly its fiscal resilience”. “In this the 11th year of the Holness-led Administration, our macroeconomic stability is intact. Indeed, we have demonstrably exhibited a capacity to withstand and navigate exogenous shocks, and in so doing, build on the foundations that have been consolidated over the past decade in our push for accelerated economic growth and a better quality of life for the Jamaican people,” he added. “The ultimate measure of a good and effective government is its ability to maneuver amid global uncertainty, resist shocks to the system, expand the delivery of public services and improve the overall quality of life of the Jamaican people,” said Morgan. He highlighted that as at September 2026 Jamaica has hit new record highs in terms of the Net International Reserves which stand at US$7.2 billion. He also stated that the economy was recovering faster than previously anticipated. “Our debt-to-GDP remains moderate and is being sustainably managed. Credit ratings agencies like Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor's continue to give us their enviable stamp of approval. Unemployment remains at record lows,” Morgan pointed out. He boasted that, “There are opportunities aplenty for our young people - not least, through HEART/NSTA”. “We continue to enjoy stability in the foreign exchange market, payments to PATH beneficiaries have increased, minimum wage earners as well as NIS pensioners have seen increases in their earnings, and the vast majority of public sector workers are smiling all the way to the bank with their tax-free $80,000 which was paid in October”. Despite the upbeat picture he painted, Morgan acknowledged that there were challenges. “We note cost of living challenges wrought and exacerbated by the passage of Hurricane Melissa and the ongoing Russia/kraine war and more so the US-Israel/Iran war in the Middle East," Morgan said. Yet, Morgan was certain that “Any objective measure or assessment of the state of the nation will tell you that Jamaica and Jamaicans are better off today than in February 2016 when the last PNP Government was booted from office”. “We recorded almost 1,200 murders in 2015, this year, we are projecting less than 600 murders - we are literally slashing that number by half. I dare them to point to any PNP Administration that made the strides and registered the successes that this Holness-led Administration is registering in national security. Jamaica is on the right track in becoming a safer, more peaceful society …,” said a combative Morgan. He also took a swipe at Opposition Senator Cleveland Tomlinson, who is also PNP deputy spokesman on productivity, efficiency and competitiveness. Tomlinson was scheduled to make his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate immediately after Morgan who told the Senate that, “The presentation that will follow mine this afternoon, will, in an intellectually dishonest way, disregard context and assert that Jamaica was in peril prior to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. “That narrative disregards the fact that following the Covid-related economic fallout/downturn, Jamaica had rebounded tremendously, and by virtue of invariably getting back to pre-Covid levels of economic output, our rate of economic growth, especially in the period preceding the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, had begun to moderate (as recovery growth was tapering off)”. His statement prompted a point of order from Opposition Senator Lambert Brown who cited Morgan as being out of order. Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson instructed Morgan to use another word in place of “dishonest”. Continuing, Morgan said, “As one can imagine, the advent of Hurricane Beryl brought its own challenges, but as we are doing today, we were rebounding prior to the massive hit we suffered from Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. So spare us the distortion, manipulation of statistics and narrative that is divested of proper context. If you want to debate, come and debate us on the question of fiscal buffers and fiscal resilience because that is the hallmark of this Government." Morgan argued that in the context of a major and debilitating natural disaster such as Hurricane Melissa, the yard stick by which the Government is to be measured is the degree to which it has been able to demonstrate care, compassion and competence in mobilising State and other resources in devising, coordinating and implementing relief, recovery and resurgence. “It is to the Government’s eternal credit in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Melissa that we were able to get our international airports back up quickly and create access to various towns and communities by clearing critical roadways. Approximately 6.6 million cooked meals and nearly 48,000 food/care packages were distributed,” he reminded. Again taking aim at the PNP, Morgan said, “Throughout this debate, as they have been doing over several months, a picture will be painted by the Opposition PNP that nothing has been happening in terms of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. Barefaced though they are, we know their narrative does not accord with the facts. While work is on in earnest in getting the National Reconstruction & Resilience Authority (NaRRA) up and running in terms of project execution, those who only talk about blue tarpaulins, should be reminded that in terms of shelter recovery - just about 50,000 households have received a grant under the ROOFS Programme for assistance with building material and roof restoration”. The Government senator said the National Housing Trust (NHT) has been doing tremendous work in fostering recovery, reconstruction and resurgence. He pointed to the six-month moratorium NHT provided borrowers, as well as a special home improvement loan in the amount of $3.5 million made available to individual borrowers or co-applicants. The parliamentary secretary also pointed to the work that is being spearheaded by his ministry, remarking that, “We couldn't sit at the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth & Information and not ensure that our students were taken care of." He pointed to approximately J$25 billion being spent to repair 144 schools to date and another $500 million provided to assist schools in their post-Hurricane Melissa clean-up, and the Ministry’s focused attention on post-disaster psycho-social support. Morgan also went on the offensive in his criticism of several members of the PNP including Opposition Leader Mark Golding. “It would be remiss of me, and indeed a grave disservice to the people of Jamaica for my submissions in this 2026 State of the Nation Debate to not comment on leadership. The question of political leadership in Jamaica presents a tale of two cities. The governing Jamaica Labour Party has leadership; the Opposition PNP has none,” said Morgan. He also rapped the Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern Isat Buchanan for comments he made after homes were demolished and families evicted from privately-owned lands in Cooper Pen, Trelawny. -Lynford Simpson