Jamaica poster child for fiscal management – Holness

“Jamaica is the poster child for good fiscal management,” said Prime Minister Holness at Jamaica Connect, a virtual town hall meeting with the diaspora, hosted by Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks.

He told the virtual diaspora audience that the Jamaican economy is expected to grow by five per cent this fiscal year.

At the same time unemployment continues to go down, the debt-to-GDP ratio continues to decline and the only worrying indicator is the rising inflation rate which is a worldwide problem, he said.

Holness said that the Jamaican economy will continue to do well.

The prime minister touched on a number of topics during his presentation, including the economy, crime, the suite of state of emergencies, his meetings with representatives of the US Department of Justice, infrastructure work for the parish of St Thomas and the plans to construct a new capital in St Thomas.

Pointing out that this Christmas season will be spent free from the shackles of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holness said that the expectation is that there will be an explosion of entertainment, commercial and other activities.

But he also said that the Government is bracing for and is putting measures in place to combat an expected rise in criminal activities with the coming season.

MULTIFACETED PROGRAMMES

“We have seen a pattern where criminal activities increase towards the end of the year and we have to have in place multifaceted programmes to meet this challenge,” he said.

The prime minister said that his government has made significant investment in the country’s security apparatus and the use of technology has increased the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s ability to better coordinate its approach to tackling the crime problem.

Speaking specifically about infrastructure development in St Thomas, the prime minister noted that while the project may seem to be taking longer than expected, much work needs to be done to ensure that the roadway being built is able to sustain the heavy vehicles that haul quarry and such along that stretch of roadway.

“We are straightening the roadway, putting in new systems and ensuring that everything will be done right,” he said.

The prime minister said that it not merely resurfacing the roadway but includes all the attendant infrastructure work that must be done.

The prime minister repeated that Jamaica will become a republic under his administration, pointing to the work being done by the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs.

Prime Minister Holness, accompanied by Jamaica’s Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson, has been in Washington DC since Tuesday for security issues talks with members of the Biden Administration Department of Justice.

While details of the discussions have not been revealed, the prime minister spoke at the town hall meeting about cooperating with the US Department of Justice to stem the flow of illegal guns into Jamaica as well as seeking to have those living in the United States who finance criminal operations in Jamaica and send guns back to the island prosecuted for such activities.

He noted that crime in Jamaica is not a recent thing but its explosion over recent years is mainly due to the lack of resources into the security system as well as non-recognition that Jamaica has become a trans-shipment point.