Jamaica through the eyes of business leaders - Looking back, looking forward

Neville Graham, Gleaner Writer

Richard Pandohie CEO of Carreras Jamaica believes in Jamaica - believes in its capacity for greatness. He tells us how to get there.

After 50 years of Independence, Jamaica's scorecard is a mixture of brilliance and underachievement.

In the cultural and sporting arenas, we have been amazing; impacting the world in many positive ways that have truly led to Brand Jamaica being one of the most recognised and revered brands globally.

Unfortunately, on the economic front, we have failed in many aspects and now find ourselves at a crossroad where many of us are asking: What have we really achieved?

How did we get here?

I put the blame for our economic failures squarely at the divisiveness that ruled our politics and subsequently our policies over many decades. Additionally, as a people, we have, for too long, been content to be spectators, rather than participants in determining the direction of our country.

Expectation for the next 50 years

I believe in our resilience and I believe that as a nation, we are showing real signs of maturity and as such, my expectation is that we are ready to acknowledge our issues and take the necessary steps to address them. I am cautiously optimistic that we will make significant strides to achieving Vision 2030 and turning Jamaica into a true economic power, at least within CARICOM.

How will we get there?

We will get there by having inspirational, transparent and caring leadership. As a nation, we have the capacity to rally and overcome all obstacles. We have a capacity for greatness and it is imperative that we fulfil this potential, every single one of us, in moving our country forward and achieving greatness on all fronts.

Christopher Dehring, chairman of LIME Jamaica, was born in 1962, the same year Jamaica became independent. For him, 50 years later, Jamaica has a bright future.

What is your assessment of Jamaica over the last 50 years?

There is a lot to be proud of but some challenges we need to overcome. It is easy to take the privilege attendant to a strong democracy for granted, but look at other less fortunate societies where freedom of speech and democracy have a premium and it becomes clear. In my 50 years, I have grown up with a country maturing democratically, where violent partisan politics has diminished leaving more order and civility. Our economic status and our levels of crime call for improvement. Crime is undoubtedly our biggest threat to continued evolution and nation growth.

How did we get here?

While we might have been ready politically for independence, perhaps the economic readiness was not so well thought through. So we have always been playing 'catch-up' as a nation, unable to replace British economic financial security with an independent economy, not yet mature with the requisite skills and resources for sustained development. That said, our foresight and skill sets prompted development of one of our natural, intrinsic assets - our beauty, creating a successful tourism industry comparing favourably with anywhere in the world.

What will/should Jamaica be like in the next 50 years?

Global technological changes will ameliorate life for average Jamaicans driving economic growth. Technology will improve everything from national security, to investments and even to every-day chores. Jamaica has a bright future in this new world with our natural creativity and athletic talent - two fantastic intrinsic assets to have in the digital age.

How will we get there?

We need to modernise our legislation and government administration to benefit from the competitive advantages we have in the digital age. In the digital world, content is king; sports and music are the reigning kings of content; and Jamaica is at least a 'crown prince' in that world, if not a bona fide 'king'.

Christopher Zacca, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, sees significant growth in sports, theatre and tourism as well as the retail and distributive trade.

Over the last 50 years we can cite examples in human development, democracy and health along with education in terms of availability as instances of progress. At the same time we bemoan a diminution in educational quality. Our sports, theatre and tourism along with the retail and distributive trade have all seen significant growth.

How will we get there?

We got here by the strength and resilience of our people and the vibrancy of our democratic traditions. At the same time, we cannot ignore our negative growth in Gross Domestic Product relative to the rest of the region. Our average growth rate has been only 1/3 (0.6 per cent vs. 1.8 per cent) that of our partners. This has severely hampered us, built up a mountain of debt and engendered poverty.

It will take us another 100 years just to get where our partners are at present! We need to batten down in a united effort to get out of our present situation, because we cannot continue this way. I am calling for a genuine partnership ... 50-50, private sector and public sector so that we can realise our growth potential and take charge of our destiny.