Holness - a man with a plan

By SuzanneLeslie-Bailey, Guest Columnist

After reading Jaevion Nelson's Gleaner article 'Political myopia: Opposition squandering its opportunity', my concerns about people's inability to make objective assessments, without carrying the weight of political prejudices on their shoulders or simply to read and understand, are heightened. I say this, not in any way to personally attack Mr Nelson, but to also highlight the penchant of some people to hide behind the curtain of political neutrality or, my personal favourite, 'concerned Jamaican' and fire their political shots.

Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, in his last two budget presentations, detailed a number of proposals and solutions, hence my concern for this notion that the Opposition does not proffer any solutions. Just last year alone, between Mr Holness and Opposition Finance Spokesperson Audley Shaw, approximately 21 solutions were posited. I invite Mr Nelson to do his research on this.

false narrative

In his 2014-2015 budget presentation, Mr Holness also rightfully outlined the pain and punishment (PnP) faced by the Jamaican people, as a backdrop to his solutions. He kick-started with: "Exposing the false narrative and setting the record straight on the national debt." Mr Holness was kind enough to refer to the blatant lies about the national debt as "false narrative". The genesis of this burdensome debt under which Jamaica is pinned is FINSAC. The spin doctors, Dr Omar Davies and Dr Peter Phillips, have twisted facts over the years. It took Andrew Holness to set the record straight.

In his continued quest to hear from the Jamaican people, Holness recognised that others whizzing by in their tinted, windows-up and flag-bearing SUVs and BMWs would not cut it. So, he left his SUV and entered the PUV - people's utility vehicle. He travelled downtown by bus, to hear the cries of the people; and from all accounts, the pain and punishment (PnP) inflicted is too much.

It is the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) that has to rescue Jamaica. Holness in his 2014-2015 budget presentation espoused some key and innovative solutions that will aid this rescue mission. First, institutional reform is critical to setting the stage for growth. Holness stated that "we cannot seek to build a 21st-century economy on 20th-century practices, laws and regulations. There must be an accompanying reform of laws, regulations and systems."

institutional audit and review

Holness placed squarely on the table the need to conduct an institutional audit and review of Jamaica's society and economy. This would reveal organisations that are failing to fulfil their mandates, identify new social and economic needs that are not being met by any existing institutions and markets that are not performing. This exercise is more extensive and detailed than the usual public-sector modernisation review, which has proven to be quite limited. I concur with Holness. I believe that too many existing government organisations have lost their purpose and are a drain on the public purse - simply paying salaries, with no corresponding productive results. As Holness mentioned: "... (some) need to be re-tasked to serve other emerging needs, but others may have reached their sunset."

Holness posited another novel solution - the 'knowledge economy', which will spur growth. While we can boast wide access to cellular phones, computers and the Internet, we cannot claim the know-how in making them. All it boils down to is that we are mere consumers of the technology. Holness insists that: "We must develop our own knowledge, technology and know-how. Only people can innovate, (that is) take existing information to create new knowledge and then embed that knowledge into products that drive economic activity."

To meet this need, Holness, on regaining state power, will create a Ministry of Knowledge, Economy and Growth, which will be tasked with: increasing training in the workforce; ensuring knowledge transfer from foreign workers; establishing a system of National Apprenticeship and Internship for Jamaican youths; ensuring that skills and know-how match industry needs, both current and projected, in order to reduce frictional unemployment; developing Jamaica as the regional training hub; prospecting for the development of new industries and markets; and identifying opportunities for linkages between industries and support them with market intelligence.

Holness is the man with a plan!

Suzanne Leslie-Bailey is Jamaica Labour Party deputy spokesperson on tourism. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and svclb@msn.com.