THE PSOJ calls on all Jamaicans to work together in 2003. This year will offer many new opportunities for us to grasp and urgent challenges for us to meet.
The most pressing of these challenges is to win back our country from criminals who now hold the rest of society in a new kind of bondage. We must also substantially improve the management of our public sector and work together to create economic growth, in order to generate more jobs and provide a better quality of life for ourselves and our children.
Towards the end of 2002, major crime was reduced by the increased visible presence of the security forces on the streets. The PSOJ congratulates the leadership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force, as well as the Minister of National Security for their new and successful initiatives. The test for 2003 will be the early arrest and conviction of some of the major players in the drug, criminal and extortion industries. Anything short of this must be regarded as failure.
Our urban areas are badly and incompetently managed. Parts of Downtown Kingston are not under the sovereign control of the Jamaican authorities. The flight of jobs, both public and private sector, from our capital city will not be stopped without the introduction of improved management and the control of crime. The Prime Minister now heads a team that is determined to address these issues and the PSOJ will support the Prime Minister in this work.
The Corruption Prevention Act is still to become operational. The regulations have not yet been implemented and the secretariat is under-funded. The PSOJ believes that all persons elected to national office should make public declarations of their financial affairs. All other persons holding decision-making and security related public offices should declare their financial affairs to the Anti-Corruption Commission. The continued delay in implementing this Act raises questions about the seriousness with which the government intends to put and end to widespread corruption.
The acute shortfall in tax revenue must first be addressed by a drive to collect taxes not being paid. Evasion of customs duties is, we understand, widespread and insufficient efforts have been made to increase the number of persons and businesses paying taxes. Businesses already paying their taxes would be hard pressed to be asked to pay more, and more effort must be made to collect the revenue due from non-complaint businesses.
Mr. Oliver Clarke reflects on his tenure as President of the PSOJ. For full story, read this week's edition of the Financial Gleaner.
