The Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Colin Gager, has congratulated the Trelawny Municipal Corporation for winning the inaugural Public Sector Debate Competition.
Mr. Gager was in attendance of the grand finals of the contest held on April 25 at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.
“I am happy and delighted that this team, coming from Trelawny, could be able to perform so well today that they have taken the top prize. They are a dedicated team and… they try to do everything to make sure that the name of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation is lifted, and I am happy,”.
The competition, which lasted six weeks, was organised by the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU) in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and the Jamaican Association for Debate and Empowerment (JADE).
A total of 20 teams from various ministries, departments and agencies matched wits in five rounds of matches, with the Trelawny Municipal Corporation defeating the Ministry of National Security to take the coveted title.
The teams debated the moot: “Be it resolved that the goal of Vision 2030 is to make Jamaica ‘the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business’ is a realistic one”.
Mr. Gager expressed confidence that the team from Trelawny will be able to successfully defend their title next year. “You have seen the speakers. They have performed and I know it (the trophy) will be in Trelawny for a very long time,” he boasted.
The Mayor also commended the organisers on the execution of the competition, which he believes will “get the whole country together” and provide an opportunity for participants to expand their networks.
Councillor of the Sherwood Content Division in Trelawny, Dunstan Harper, also expressed pleasure with the performance of the winning team.
“This competition is good, it’s welcomed. It is quite an appropriate gesture and I sincerely hope that it (the debate arguments) will take effect,” he said.