Prime Minister Andrew Holness is scheduled to make his contribution to the 2023/24 Budget Debate today and in less than six hours on Wednesday, more than 1,000 people on social media responded to a Jamaica Observer question:

“What do you want to hear from Prime Minister Andrew Holness when he makes his contribution to the Budget Debate this Thursday?”

Here are random lightly edited samples of the responses.

George Elliott: “Mr PM, you need to highlight the several accomplishments of this Government, and compare them to the ‘pipeline’ non-performance of the PNP.”

Estella Williams: “Absolutely nothing. I will not be listening to him.”

Audley Nain: “Spanish Town development. He had promised in 2019 that development would start in Spanish Town. We understand COVID came so that was shelved. Now that is over, what plans are there for Spanish Town?

Pete James: “How much thousands of dollars it will take to full the basket him use to take to Parliament?”

Michelle Powell: “That he is resigning with immediate effect.”

Natalie Palmer: “Better wages for all working class people, better schools all over, better transportation system all over, better hospitals and health centres, lower the cost for living in certain areas.”

@phaze_one_dean: “I would like to hear some solid argument on crime. The Government need to get tough…Like the El Salvador president.

@moymoy_roxii : “How we plan to sustain our existing infrastructure and industries without ‘selling out’ to foreign.”

@gisellaperri: “What is he doing to protect Jamaica against globalisation. What is he doing to defend Jamaica’s natural resources from being stolen from other countries. What is he going to do to protect children against the rise of violence and finally, what efforts is he making to educate and train and develop employment opportunities for the youth?”

@You sammysassy30: ” A strategic plan for crime, transparency, and accountability to be manifested and rid corruption in government, fixed election dates law to be passed, a significant increase in minimum wage, what plans are there to reduce unemployment, a reformation of the justice system and laws.”

@bles sed876: “Keep up the infrastructures, upliftment, improvements, keep building up Jamaica from ‘painp’ poverty to prosperity, raise the minimum wage, and help the helpless those who can’t help themselves.”

kingstonbachelor: “At this rate it doesn’t even matter…. The PM is going to come with a pretty budget speech & stating that it’s the first time in history that any Government ever do this, etc… No matter what we ask for as a people, he gives something else and justify it.”

dikofie876: “How they will put a lot of funds into technology to fight crime…that would be nice.. we should be able to tell where every killer travel. We need lot of cameras to start with.”

orville_lifeyard: “How the Government will offset the public sector wage increases so that the people can benefit from the increase.”

baughja2020: “I expect nothing, he is going to come talk about road projects to come and by now about 10 people can put together to buy one house down a NHT. He is going to reduce a few rates at NHT, talk about the new laws he passed. That’s about it. And he will be going back 200 years to say the PNP did this and the PNP did that.”