EDITORIAL - Right show of confidence in Matalon

It is not entirely a coincidence, we believe, that nearly 80 per cent of Jamaicans believe that our Government should listen to, and embrace, the advice business leaders, and more specifically, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), that has paralleled Mr Joseph M. Matalon's presidency of the PSOJ.

For Mr Matalon has been a voice of wisdom and reason that has contributed immensely to this renewed, and growing, confidence in Jamaica's private sector as articulator of policies and programmes for Jamaica's development. That is why this newspaper welcomes his unanimous re-election last week to a third term as the PSOJ's president.

Of course, Mr Matalon cannot, and would not, claim sole credit for this institutional rejuvenation of the PSOJ. He will note that is part of a team that has built on the efforts of their predecessors, including the former presidents.

But there is little doubt, though, that under Mr Matalon's leadership, the PSOJ emerged from the period of seeming somnolence. It has not only pursued programmes that would narrowly advance the interests of business, but has interpreted its responsibility in the context of broader national development and social cohesion.

The PSOJ's economic policy papers, its frequent discussion fora, and Mr Matalon's own public engagement on a variety of economic, social and political issues attest to the organisation's vibrancy.

Engaging yute

But what, perhaps, demonstrates the PSOJ's relevance, as in a national institution that has extended its mandate beyond those who sit on corporate boardrooms, is its Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) programme.

Launched last year, this programme aims to train and support more than 2,000 young people from inner-city communities, some of whom will be placed in jobs at private-sector firms. Others will receive support for entrepreneurial endeavours. Mr Matalon's call for more than 800 mentors for this programme should be supported.

Mr Matalon has set a new tone for public-private sector discourse and social partnership. But as he knows, it is a work in progress that has a long way to go

EDITOR'S NOTE: Joseph M. Matalon is a director of The Gleaner Company.

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