PSOJ: Nigel no miracle worker

Howard Mitchell, president of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), has said that while the insertion of Dr Nigel Clarke in the Cabinet was a strategic move, the Andrew Holness administration could not rely on him alone to drive the economic growth that the country desperately needs.

"I think he will be able to finish those infrastructural things that need to be done in our fiscal reform. I think he certainly has an understanding and a grasp of it and intellect. But I think it is going to be more than just him to achieve the growth," Mitchell told The Gleaner last evening.

According to the PSOJ leader, "Growth is not going to come necessarily because of the improvement in fiscal reform. Growth is going to come because we export more and because of increases in productivity."

"To the extent that Dr Clarke can do something in the Ministry of Finance to incentivise greater productivity, fine, but we need to concentrate on agriculture, manufacturing and social reform and improvement of human capital."

Describing Fayval Williams as a hard worker and a person of integrity and intellect, Mitchell said her promotion was a good move. He said Williams would provide strong support to Clarke.

Meanwhile, Mitchell has said that Audley Shaw's efforts as finance minister were now bearing fruit. Mitchell said Shaw's recent Budget Debate presentation was a triumphant one for him, with many players in the private sector lauding him for announcing that there would be no new taxes for the financial year.

Mitchell noted that under Shaw's new portfolio assignment, agriculture would get room to breathe and technology and investment would be used to boost the sector.

However, Mitchell said that the change at the Ministry of National Security was no surprise - "I don't know if it would take a prophet to figure that something would happen."

He is of the view that Dr Horace Chang, who now holds the portfolio, is an experienced player and knows the business of government. "He is not a man who is afraid of hard decisions and I would suspect that this is his last hurrah, so he would want to do something that is meaningful."