JLP's 80th annual conference to cost $50 million

By Lorraine Mendez    

 

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) will be shelling out $50 million to execute its 80th annual conference at the National Arena on Sunday.

 

JLP Chairman Robert Montague says a bumper crowd is expected for the event, which many anticipate will provide some indication of the level of support for the ruling party.

 

Mr. Montague added that the conference will be part of efforts to fine-tune the JLP's election machinery.

 

"There may be an issue in the community that sometimes people not turning up to conference is to send a message that there is a challenge and we need to now go and engage them. So that is why I'm saying the conference doesn't end on the 26th. 

 

"There's our whole ecosystem and then even the Sunday after, there's the election of officers of the party at the central executive meeting, and then you review the mobilisation and you look at the issues that pop up - why this community did not turn up, why this bus was not full, why this bus we had to put in an extra bus in there. So it also signals to us that on election, during the logistics, you're going to need additional transportation in this area, you may need to pull down that infrastructure in another area," he outlined.   

 

Mr. Montague was speaking at a press conference at the party's headquarters on Belmont Road on Thursday morning.