Mister Chairman, Distinguished Prime Ministers, President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Fellow Governors, Directors and Officers of the Bank, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Observers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. It gives me great pleasure to greet you at this my first meeting and the Thirty-Ninth Meeting of the CDB Board of Governors. I am pleased to be here...

Mr. President, the Bill being laid before this Honourable House is the annual Appropriation Bill required by subsection (1) of section 116 of the Constitution of Jamaica. It provides authority for expenditure (other than statutory expenditure) for the financial year 2009/10 and specifies the manner in which that expenditure is to be allocated to the various services and purposes specified...

Much of this year's Budget Debate has been spent discussing the unprecedented economic challenges facing the global economy. To be sure, we find ourselves at a difficult and critical juncture. Nevertheless, this year's Budget Debate has given Jamaicans and all stakeholders ample reasons to be proud, particularly in light of the challenges we face. Rather than discussing the details of...

We enter this year's Budget Debate in the midst of the most challenging global economy in our nation's history. The world is experiencing a severe economic contraction not seen since the great depression over 75 years ago. All over the world: economies are slowing, businesses are closing and jobs are vanishing. Under this weight, some of the oldest and largest...