Jamaica must Consolidate Economic Gains – PROFESSOR WINT

Member of the National Partnership Council, Professor Alvin Wint, says Jamaica must consolidate the successes made so far on the economic front and in other areas.

“I think it is important that we seize this moment. We have had a long period where we have not performed as well as we ought to… although there have been important successes in Jamaica, we now need to consolidate those successes,” Professor Wint said.

He made the comment at a consultation on the Jamaica Partnership Agreement held on Wednesday (September 24), at the Anglican Church Hall, Morant Bay, St. Thomas.

The first ever signing of the social partnership agreement in Jamaica took place on July 31, 2013, among the Government, private sector, trade union and civil society groups, at King’s House.

Under the agreement, the groups reaffirm and recommit to the principles of social dialogue and partnership; and resolve to embark on a programme for Jamaica’s stabilization, growth with equity and sustainable development, through a social partnership, initially over the period 2013-2016.

Priority areas of focus for the first three years include: fiscal consolidation; adherence to the rule of law; ease of doing business; employment creation; and energy diversification and conservation.

Professor Wint noted that for each of the priory areas, the responsible Ministers have brought the partners together to implement various initiatives.

He cited, for example, the establishment of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee, to monitor the implementation of Jamaica’s economic reform measures.

Noting the successes under the reform programme, Professor Wint said: “the fiscal consolidation targets are on track. We are on track to move down our debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio, and we are on track in terms of the amount of money the Government needs to save every year.”

In the area of crime, he highlighted the creation of the ‘Unite for Change’ programme, which seeks to rekindle hope in the society and mobilise law-abiding citizens to work together against crime.

“Unite for Change is a programme that says ‘we can’t continue the way we have done in the past’. We have to move much more carefully into a coordinated approach between the citizens, the police officers; we have to bring all of the partners in,” Professor Wint said.

In the area of energy, Professor Wint commended the establishment of the Electricity Sector Enterprise Team (ESET), to lead and manage a procurement process for the development of additional base load generation capacity. He noted that “Jamaica is leading in energy conservation for this side of the world”.

Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Eastern St. Thomas, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, who attended the session, noted that the Jamaica Partnership Agreement represents a “best practice in relation to how we deepen the democratic process by pulling together government and civil society.”

“The strategic objectives of the partnership are well aligned with the Government’s objectives. It is my view that this coming together in partnership, with the vision, guidelines and strategic priorities, will augur well for Jamaica going forward,” he said.