Senator Bennett Calls for National Consensus to Face Challenges

Government Senator, Hyacinth Bennett, has called for national consensus to steer Jamaica through the challenges posed by the onset of the global economic crisis.
Central to this must be plans to boost the country’s productive capacity, to enable the nation to increase its ability to earn its way out of debt and reduce dependency on borrowing, she suggested.
Senator Bennett, who was making her presentation in the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday (October 9), lamented what she described as the “very limited menu of options” available to the Government to effectively cushion Jamaica against the impact of the economic downturn.
“We are all in this plight together, and it is (a) mature response to this fact that will be a most vital pre-requisite in tackling the problems which beset us as a nation. So, as the full blown effects of the global financial meltdown, coupled with the longstanding deficiencies in the nation’s affairs, begin to sting this nation, it is important that our responses bring out the best and not the worst of us as a people,” she urged.
Senator Bennett stressed the importance for the Government and Opposition leading the effort, by putting aside political differences in the national interest, and working to see how best the prevailing crisis can be transformed into opportunities.
She said that it is essential that all Jamaica begin to capture and interpret, accurately and objectively, the essence of the times.
“It is most important too, that we endeavour to convert the nation’s crises into opportunities that seek to ensure that it must be business unusual. As Jamaica sits precariously on the verge of a deepening dilemma, I believe that both Government and Opposition now have a precious opportunity to coalesce and move around a national response initiative,” she implored.
Arguing that “the world does not owe us a living”, Senator Bennett warned that Jamaica “will certainly begin to starve” unless the nation curbs its appetite for borrowing.
“We certainly cannot continue the tradition of the lunacy of borrowing, and not producing our way out of our problems. We cannot hope to borrow our way into a prosperous Jamaica. Rather, it is the decrease of our dependence on borrowing and an increase in our productive capacity, which will result in long term prosperity,” she said.
Senator Bennett expressed confidence in Jamaica’s ability to tackle the challenges, once the crises are acknowledged and the commitments are made.