Holness promises more jobs
Published:Thursday | November 10, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
PRIME MINISTER Andrew Holness has thrown jabs at the People's National Party's (PNP) proposal to create jobs.
Holness, speaking during the opening of the new Dry River Bridge in Harbour View, St Andrew, said his government would soon be delivering jobs in agriculture, information communication techn-ology and tourism.
"Those jobs will not be temporary jobs, those jobs will not be jobs subsidised by the state. Those jobs will be genuine, real, sustainable jobs coming out of the private sector, supported and facilitated by the Government," Holness said.
The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) came to power in 2007 on the promise of "jobs, jobs and more jobs". However, amid turbulent economic conditions and what the PNP claims has been bad economic management, more than 100,000 jobs have been lost since the recession.
Holness noted that the Govern-ment has been able to achieve low inflation, low interest rate and a stable foreign-exchange rate.
"The economy, though stable, is still vulnerable and we are aware of this. But of course, this is not unique to Jamaica," the prime minister said.
No false hope
He argued that in spite of the macroeconomic accomplishments, "unemployment is still a concern and the Government is very sensitive about that concern".
Holness added: "We don't want to give false hope. We don't want to tell you we are going to give you crash work. We don't want to tell you that by the snap of your fingers we can automatically create jobs overnight. If anyone comes bearing such gifts, turn them back."
PNP President Portia Simpson Miller has said that if her party forms the government after the upcoming general election, it would implement a job creation vehicle called JEEP.
JEEP is the acronym for the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme, which the Government has labelled a crash programme. Simpson Miller has refused to divulge the details of JEEP saying the country is close to an election and that her party would not be sharing its ideas with the Government for fear that they would be stolen.