‘Shared prosperity’ - Blind voter rallies behind JLP’s record

Cane in one hand and a bell in the other, 33-year-old Alister McLean cut a determined figure yesterday in Half-Way Tree square, St Andrew.

Hours before the official announcement of Jamaica's 19th general election date, he was already in position among the early wave of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters flooding the streets. Blind since birth, McLean refuses to let his disability slow him down -- especially when it comes to showing loyalty to his party and its leader.

"I am here to show my support behind the Jamaica Labour Party and Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness," declared McLean, who journeyed from South Central St Catherine for the rally.

For him, this loyalty is more than political hype -- it's personal. McLean credits the current administration for introducing initiatives that have made a tangible difference in the lives of Jamaicans with disabilities, including the New Limb New Life programme. The $50 million initiative provides prosthesis for those who have lost limbs due to health conditions or trauma.

McLean also hailed the removal of the guarantor requirement for Student Loan Bureau applicants, recalling how burdensome it was for him as a student.

"When I was going to take out my student loan, I struggled because persons were reluctant to be my guarantor. Now people don't have that problem again," said the public policy and management graduate.

Another initiative he praised is the decision to remove tuition fees for certain HEART/NSTA Trust training programmes.

"We are short in certain skills areas and the government has taken the strategic decision to allow persons to do up to Level 4 programmes at HEART with no cost attached to that," McLean said.

With more than 30,000 persons registered with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, members of the disabled community has emerged as a key voting block this election cycle.

The opposition People's National Party (PNP) has pledged $1 billion in support for the community. Its president, Mark Golding, said people with disabilities face discrimination and hurdles when they seek to access benefits.

"I grew up with people who were in wheelchairs or on crutches around me and I have always felt a sense of obligation to make the system right for them too, because right now they are the most vulnerable in the society ... very high levels of unemployment and so many challenges to their daily life," he said.

But McLean insists the JLP's record of action outweighs promises.

"We can speak to the housing programme. When houses are built, the government has put in place $350,000 we can use. Persons with disabilities can access that grant through the NHT to retrofit their homes," he noted.

That special grant became effective in 2017.

"So just imagine someone with a physical disability who uses a wheelchair -- that person can install railings, that person can use those to install ramps and so on," he said.

McLean was gung-ho about his party, which has been in power since 2016, getting a third consecutive term in office.

"This government has been caring, compassionate and forward-thinking, and persons with disabilities are included in the government plan. It is what the good prime minister has called shared prosperity."