PM’s comment on productivity should also apply to Cabinet, governance
Published:Wednesday | April 30, 2025 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
The Gleaner reported recently on a speech by PM Holness at the launch of the Parnassus Agro Park in southern Clarendon, in which he noted that a singular focus on wage increase without matched productivity was doomed to fail, and that it is not the answer to our economic problems. As I read the report I wondered, how ironic, as the same principle could be applied to other sectors and industries. This includes governance, as parliamentarians and members of Cabinet received massive increases–up to 200 per cent in four years–while employees in other sectors struggle.
It is odd that the PM now has concerns about output and inflation, given the impact of wage and salary increases. We haven’t heard of any specific measure to manage performance and output of parliamentarians to make them accountable and more responsible. One could also argue that the Cabinet, with some 28 ministers, is top-heavy for a country of our size and budget, considering that ministers focus on strategy and policy. Recently, the PM added three new senators, and two were appointed minister of state and minister without portfolio, further adding to the wage bill.
PRE-ELECTION PROMISES
The PM and his Cabinet may think that most persons have forgotten about the increases and the pre-election promises, more so in the first 100 days. I cringe sometimes watching Parliament and the House Speaker (PM’s wife), who takes great pleasure in using her power to turn off the microphones, usually of members of the Opposition, as if to silence them whenever it suits her.
Many feel that the administration is authoritarian and not open to constructive criticism. They remain tone-deaf and out of touch, considering the harsh economic realities of many Jamaicans who work but struggle to make ends meet to purchase the basics.
The minister of finance’s Budget presentation, which included a suggestion that negligible savings from the increase in tax threshold could now allow persons to save “faithfully” for a down payment on a Probox vehicle spoke volumes.A social media user commented recently, under the caption ‘Who would you vote for?’, that “ in a jus four years unu salary jump from nine million to 28 million, yet minimum wage a struggle like some single mother wid ten pickney, yes growth a gwane to only at the top.” The statement packed powerful punches from every angle.
The PM is right about wanting to place greater emphasis on productivity. But he would have more credibility if his actions reflected his words. No one would’ve opposed a reasonable increase to parliamentarians, given their responsibilities. Likewise, no one would oppose reasonable increases to the minimum wage, and to the public-sector workers, police and teachers, whose economic output is out of sync with their meagre earnings.
P. CHIN