‘Too many forced to make difficult choices to survive’

People’s National Party (PNP) Deputy General Secretary Dr Paul Blake has painted a grim picture of the hardships facing Jamaicans, pointing to rising food insecurity, youth unemployment, and families struggling to make ends meet.

Addressing the public session of the PNP’s 88th Annual Conference at Independence Park in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, on Sunday, Blake said too many Jamaicans were being forced to make difficult choices simply to survive.

“People are walking with calculators in the supermarket. They are checking the price, and they are putting it back,” Blake said.

He said food insecurity was being experienced in households where parents were sacrificing their own meals so their children could eat.

“Food insecurity is when a mother has to drink tea, so the families can eat food. Food insecurity is when a child goes to school without breakfast and is expected to learn on an empty stomach,” he said.

Blake, who is the president of the affiliate group PNP Patriot, also turned his attention to young Jamaicans who he said are struggling to find employment, despite completing secondary and tertiary education.

He said young people were submitting applications repeatedly without finding jobs, arguing that their prospects should be determined by “ability and effort”.

“Too many Jamaicans’ families are now living in fear of the supermarkets,” Blake said, while urging PNP supporters to carry the party’s message into communities across the country.

Blake told supporters that despite the challenges facing the country, “hope is alive” and “change is already here”.

He urged them to remain confident in the party’s leadership and its ability to offer Jamaicans greater opportunities.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com