Lopez and PattersonWESTERN BUREAU:
TOURISM HAS been identified as the main catalyst for growth at this time, after a weekend retreat involving Government and private sector leaders in Montego Bay.
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson is to head a working group to monitor implementation of the decisions arrived at during the weekend consultations.
After three days of intense discussions and debate at the Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Hotel the public and private sector leaders have agreed to work together to stimulate economic growth, create jobs and promote investment.
The controversial issue of casino gambling was once again brought to the fore, with the group arriving at a consensus to carry out further studies on how it can benefit the economy.
"We have agreed to weigh the economic benefits versus the social implications (of casinos) and we will be carrying out a further study on that issue, but it is an important aspect of the tourism industry which is one of the areas we have identified as having growth," said president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Beverly Lopez.
Managing Director of the Development Bank of Jamaica, Kingsley Thomas who heads the Highway 2000 project will work alongside the PM, and will be directly responsible for overseeing the implementation of the decisions taken. Mr. Thomas already reports directly to the Prime Minister on housing as chairman of the National Housing Trust.
Tourism, information technology, agri-business and construction were identified as areas of growth and which can stimulate the economy. The advantages of homeport facilities for cruise shipping, as well as entertainment and sports were also discussed as areas to be further explored.
"What we've done is to identify the areas that offer the best possibility of contributing to growth in the medium term and seeking to concentrate on them," said Prime Minister Patterson in his closing remarks at the retreat.
"We have concluded that tourism, because of its tremendous linkages with other sectors of the economy, must be the main catalyst for growth at this time... we have to expand on the product by creating new attractions and we have to continue to build the requisite infrastructure," he said.
Discussions on information technology included the possibility of producing phone cards and the refurbishing of cellular phones for the export market. The need for a sustainable policy on science and technology was also agreed on. Representatives from the private sector are expected to present these ideas at the next meeting of the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST) in June.
One of the key decisions taken was for the inclusion of private sector representatives on the Development Council, to ensure direct involvement in the development planning process.
"Representatives from the private sector will help us to ensure that we not only deal with government projects but that we also deal with private sector initiatives and there is a constant flow of communication as to what we need to do in terms of incentives, in terms of reducing the bureaucracy and very importantly of expediting the decision-making process," said Mr. Patterson.
With war looming in the Middle East the Prime Minister also acknowledged the need for an updated energy policy, and announced a meeting for later this week to discuss energy issues. He also called for conservation on energy consumption.
"We also feel that in an energy-deficient country, where we are high consumers of imported energy, we must not only have an updated and relevant energy policy but at the same time we have to find a way of discouraging wasteful energy consumption," said Mr. Patterson. "We have to be particularly mindful of international events and the prospects of military turmoil in the main oil producing centre of the world."
No timeline for implementation of the decisions was disclosed. However, the Government and the private sector agreed to have quarterly meetings to monitor the progress and implementation of the items discussed. It was also recommended that both groups meet annually for two to three days to update plans and receive the report of the working group.
