21st Century Mission 

In July 1998, the National Executive Council on the recommendation of the Party Leader Cde. P. J. Patterson, directed that a special committee be set-up to undertake an analysis of the current political and economic situation as it affects Jamaica and to advise as to its
implications for the mission of the Party as it enters its seventh decade and as the country enters the new millennium.

Since then, discussions have been held at the regional level, within the Parishes, at the Party’s Annual Conference, and with elements of the wider society. In essence this "Mission Statement" is the result of a collective effort.

It should be emphasized however, that while we present it here, it is in the interest of stimulating further discussions within the Party and in the country, as a whole, regarding the nature of the social and political challenges which we face in this increasingly globalised world.

It does not signal the end of our efforts at analysis. Indeed, if there is one defining feature of contemporary social and economic reality, it is the constancy and speed of change, driven by the technological revolution of the information age. Our efforts at analysis must, therefore, continue and indeed, intensify. Equally, however, we must engage the wider community
in our debates.

The document produced is not a manifesto, with detailed outlines of policy proposals in the various sectors of the society. Simply put, it represents an effort to determine the way forward for our Movement as it continues to strive for the achievement of its timeless objectives of
empowerment and social justice in the face of the epochal changes taking place in the world-economy.

Peter D. Phillips