Workers on the move during peak hour at Half-Way Tree square Friday. According to Planning Institute of Jamaica data, the labour force totals nearly 1.2 million persons. -Carlington WilmotTrudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
PRIME MINISTER, P.J. Patterson is expected to announce plans to create jobs, rescue the economy and boost development, following a three-day retreat with Government/private sector leaders which ends today.
The Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet have been meeting with some 50 business leaders at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James, since Friday and a plan of action to remedy the island's current economic woes is being
hammered out.
However, as the retreat draws to a close members of the public are expressing a mixture of cautious hope, scepticism and even anger as they await the plan forward.
While some Jamaicans are hopeful that there may soon be an end to the employment drought which the island seems to be undergoing, several are angry and bitter, seeing the meeting as just one more step on a platform of talk without action as well as further waste of taxpayers' money.
"Well, I hope that what comes out does not work against the best interest of poor people in this country," declared Dr. Glenda Simms, head of the Bureau of Women's Affairs. She said that while dialogue between Government and private sector is important, so too is dialogue with members of the public, especially the poor.
"I would like to see a retreat where Government meets the poorest of the poor in a conference such as this where they put as much energy and listen to the voice of the people. The poor people," Dr. Simms said.
She added that although the private sector is seen as the engine of growth, Government must realise that the majority
of people, especially women, are in some informal economy at the grassroots level.
House of Issa boss, Lee Issa, says that "...Dialogue is better than no dialogue. We are a free market economy and so the Government has to involve the private sector in any discussion about the economy. This is a good initiative and both parties can now come together and provide solutions to the problems facing the country."
According to Mr. Issa, there are two steps that must be taken now, one is that the Government must stop wasting taxpayers' money and must be made to be more accountable. The other is that the Government must now address the shortfall in the Budget and must not punish those who are already paying their taxes, but must instead go after those who make no contributions whatsoever.
Dr. Simms added that the private sector will have to become more creative and take more risks in order to create a sense in Jamaica "that we ought to consume Jamaican, produce Jamaican. I hope the private sector will see itself as the avenue in which they are going to make all the initiatives to create the local development." she continued.
Richard Chen, senior director of Super Plus Foods Stores, told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday that he doesn't think that anything fantastic will come out of this retreat. "It is useful to clear the suspicion between the Government and the private sector, particularly in light of the recent comments by Dr. Omar Davies, difficulties with our debt mountain and our standing with the international credit agencies." He said the retreat will only reaffirm what the Government's economic policies are, and it is important for the private sector to buy into them. "The private sector is not a monolithic structure and many small businesses throughout Jamaica take their cue from senior business leaders, more so those attending the retreat, so they will be looking to see what those business leaders will now do." Mr. Chen said.
News of the retreat has also sparked the interest of downtown residents and workers alike.
Elma Moore, a domestic helper based in Portland, explained that her renewed faith is burgeoning because "you have the private sector coming on board and they are supposed to be the ones to steer the engines of growth, you know, to put up some factories to help employ more people."
In addition, bus operator, Ewan Anderson and Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) conductress, Amoy Silbourn, say, "You just have to hope something comes out of it."
Added mechanic, Wayne Hayes, "I hope something progressive comes out of it. We need employment fi di people dem inna di country cause nothing no really ah gwaan. Have a whole heap ah young people siddung and nothing nah really gwaan."
John Smithand Henry Brownand pharmacist/manager, Curtis Latibeaudiere yesterday scoffed at the thought that any of the ideas formed in the retreat will be implemented or, even if they are, that they will be sustained for the long haul.
Mr. Latibeaudiere said that it would take more than a three-day retreat to find ways to solve the country's problems.
Names changed to protect privacy
