MIDDLE QUARTERS, St Elizabeth — Prime Minister Andrew Holness, asserting that he is aspiring to end “absolute poverty” in Jamaica, says he makes commitments not promises.

Holness, during three of his speeches while on a tour in St Elizabeth on Wednesday, reiterated the Government’s lists of achievements.

During his first address in Middle Quarters for the handing over of a house, Holness pointed out that more than 200 houses have been built under Government’s social housing programme.“We estimate that there are about 6,000 Jamaicans who are in need of some social housing intervention, so it is going to take some time. You can have faith that there is a programme, the programme is funded. These are not promises. These are commitments. I don’t want to go too much into the season, but I am hearing something about making promises. You know I don’t make promises; I make commitments. I am not afraid to speak aspirationally, so it is my aspiration to end absolute poverty in Jamaica,” Holness said.

“A dimension of absolute poverty is when people do not have access to the basic standard of housing, if we could ensure that there is a basic standard of housing in Jamaica, then we would have ended one element of absolute poverty. Does that mean that I shouldn’t have the aspiration, that I shouldn’t look to a big goal? The difference is though it is 6,000, and more than 200 persons have benefited. We have started. There is an institution in place now, there is a budget in place, there is a process in place and it can only get better,” he added.

At the same time, Holness labelled the Opposition People’s National Party as the “promising party”.

“They make a lot of promises, but they were never able to deliver and the reason they were not able to deliver when they formed the Government. I would never think it’s because of any malicious intent. I think that, like all Jamaicans, we want to see good for our people, but if you do not have the economy that provides the budget to make these efforts sustainable, we will not be able to deliver on promises,” he said during the commissioning of a water project in Lancewood, Middle Quarters.

There the prime minister explained his view on the difference between a promise and a commitment.

“What I try to do is not to make an empty promise. A promise is a wish, and there is nothing wrong with wishing good for people. A promise is a good wish, but a commitment is slightly different. A commitment is a good wish with the backing of the resources to achieve it, but more than that the maker of this good promise backed by resources also has a track record of delivery,” he said.

“So one set of people they make a good wish for you and they are very articulate at doing it. Their rhetoric alone will get you to believe that it will be done, but the problem is having reached to this high of expectation, the precipitous fall-off causes deep frustration and resentment. My Administration avoids that totally. I am standing here today in fulfilment of a commitment,” added Holness, while pointing to more water projects for the Middle Quarters area.

Holness, meanwhile, urged Jamaicans to look at politics objectively.

“Your political leanings, your perspective may influence how you view the objective statistics, but you can’t change it… I say to Jamaicans we are in the season where we are battling for the minds of the public and I, too, am a gladiator in that ring and I am battling for your minds because we have been at this place before where subjective and emotional feelings override logical reasonable and objective analysis of our situation,” he said at the official opening of the renovated Black River Fire Station.

“You cannot treat your politics in this emotional and subjective irrational way. You have to look at your politics objectively and for the first time you have a Government that can campaign objectively on what we have achieved,” added Holness.

Following the ceremonies the prime minister toured sections of St Elizabeth as part of the Jamaica Labour Party’s campaign for the February 26 local government elections.