Ronnie surrounded by wimps?

Paul Golding, Guest Columnist

The Gleaner's editorial on June 26, 2013 titled 'You should worry, Mr Thwaites' commented on the reaction of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the People's National Party (PNP) to the education minister's presentation during the Sectoral Debate.

The editorial and a subsequent article on Sunday, June 30, by Martin Henry titled 'Admission of failure by Government' suggest that the NEC is not supporting the education reform articulated by Mr Thwaites.

The April 17, 2013 letter of intent (LOI) by the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) requesting a 48-month arrangement under the extended fund facility outlines an agenda of fiscal and monetary policy reforms. The policies outlined in the LOI are "aimed at creating a stable, predictable and resilient macroeconomic environment, structural reforms aimed at significantly strengthening Jamaica's external competitiveness and productivity ...".

The LOI is addressed to Ms Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, and is signed by Peter Phillips, minister of finance and planning, and Brian Wynter, governor of the Bank of Jamaica.

The LOI, in its fourth paragraph, says: "The Government is deeply committed to the objectives and measures underlying this programme and intends to pursue them regardless of any formal financing agreement with the IMF. Accompanying the LOI is a Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) which details the programme of action to be undertaken by the GOJ."

Section B of the MEFP addresses structural fiscal reforms. Within this section, there is a subheading dealing with public-sector reforms. Item 39, page 24 speaks to reform of spending on education: "Spending on education will also be made more efficient and effective."

Item 39 indicates that there will be a balancing of student-teacher ratio within and between schools that are overstaffed. The item then goes on to outline how this will be achieved by highlighting five bullet points. The item concludes by mentioning other measures, including reforming the current study-leave policies to take account of the new hiring policy; and restructuring the current scholarship programmes into separate need-based and merit-based components.

review of scholarship mechanism

The item further indicates that there will be a review and design of the scholarship mechanism in the 2013-14 academic year with full implementation in 2014.

A comparison between the IMF document and the MOE document indicates that they are entirely congruent. There is structured attrition, mandatory retirement, standardisation of student ratio, establishing of a clear, accountable mechanism and the process of voluntary reallocation of staff.

The MEFP is not only clear on content, but specific on implementation timeline. If the GOJ is now distancing itself from Minister Thwaites, it also suggests that the GOJ is distancing itself from the LOI to the IMF and the MEFP.

These reforms outlined in the MEFP were negotiated with the IMF and are necessary if our education and economic system are to be strengthened.

Does the GOJ have the strength, the political will, the fortitude and the leadership to implement these changes?

Structural reform will not be painless; there is no magic bullet for the current situation that we are in, and it is getting worse. Our public debt has risen to 150 per cent of GDP. This is unsustainable.

The Gleaner editorial suggests that if the GOJ does not support Mr Thwaites, he should be prepared to jump.

The PNP made itself available to lead this country in the last general election, and voters gave it a mandate to lead. Leadership requires making unpopular decisions in the interest of national development. The short-term mentality has to change with one of the political parties for Jamaica to develop.

If the PNP was not ready to lead, it should not have contested the last election.

You can argue with how Mr Thwaites is implementing the proposed reforms, but he is definitely showing leadership, while the NEC of the PNP is cowering.

If the GOJ does not support the education minister, it should be prepared to jump, throw in the towel, or say you 'cyaa krass it' and walk.

Minister Thwaites' presentation in the May 15 Sectoral Debate was titled 'A Call to Action'. This call was meant for the entire country.

Paul Golding is associate professor/dean, College of Business and Management, UTech. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and pgolding@utech.edu.jm.