There was a time when Jamaica was seen as the basket case of the region, largely because of our crippling national debt. At one point, our debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 130%, unsustainable by any standard. Today, we’ve reduced that figure to 68%, and we expect it to decline even further. This didn’t happen by chance. It happened through deliberate, disciplined, and responsible government policy. We were also labelled the crime capital of the region, with a murder rate of 49 per 100,000 people. Today, halfway through the year, we’ve brought that figure down to approximately 25 per 100,000. This, too, is the result of targeted government policy. The government has invested nearly 90 billion in national security, three times more than what was spent over the previous nine years combined. This enabled the acquisition of new vehicles, modern technology, improved equipment, and enhanced training for our police force. There are some who would try to separate government from results, as if the reduction in crime or improvement in public order just happened. But the truth is, government matters. Leadership matters. Policy matters. And I stand proudly on a platform of integrity, one where we make commitments and follow through. That is the standard the Jamaican people deserve.