Morris Cargill

FOR A change my column today is full of good news. Indeed, everyone seems to be going in for sweetness and light. To begin with, think of the 55,000 new jobs that the Prime Minister and his Government are about to create. Negative growth is out, and positive growth is in, with prosperity just around the corner.

A short list of at least four 'pre-qualified' firms has been compiled, and Highway 2000 is about to be created. Four well laid-out user-friendly parks will be developed along a 230-kilometre multi-lane toll expressway which will run, if not quite from here to the Kingdom of Heaven, at least from Kingston to Montego Bay.

This alone will create wealth, for not only the workers and the contractors will prosper, but of course the politicians too, for it is only reasonable that they will gather a reasonable proportion of the inevitable kick-backs. And why not? Everyone deserves a bread, and when it comes to all those tolled multi-lane expressways, never ask for whom the tolls toll.

In addition to all that, interest rates are to be reduced on a credible and sustained basis. This involves meeting the fiscal deficit target of 46 per cent of GDP. There is also to be a balanced budget with a slight surplus within a year or so, and the need for domestic borrowing is to be sharply reduced. Dr. Davies says "the government agrees with the diagnosis. In fact, I wish to inform the House that, for the first time within recent years, there is a growing convergence of the views between the government and the IMF". This may be translated into "the government is at last learning sense".

Furthermore, agriculture is going to be improved. With any luck the US Department of Agriculture will shortly agree that ackees are no longer poisonous and this alone will add a few million to our general prosperity.

Tourism will not be forgotten. To create growth there is to be "a concentrated marketing programme"; small hotels as well as big are to come into their own. On top of all that one need hardly add that the bauxite industry will enjoy new investment and continue to grow.

All of this is not only good news but proof, if proof is needed, that the Prime Minister, and the good Dr. Omar Davies have very fertile imaginations. The Kingdom of Heaven is nigh.

Catering

There is also good news for prisoners. A well-known caterer by the name of Tony Phillips who takes pride in having no former experience, but who, nonetheless might be called an original genius has stuck the prison authorities for $15 million to buy everything from pots and pans to fresh capital for the purpose of providing prisoners with some elegant menus, and some solid catering. Indeed, the menus provided for the prisoners appear closely to compete with the menus provided for the best hotels.

The prisoners will soon be growing noticeably fatter, and of course, so will the warders and the caterers. Indeed, what with the Prime Minister's successful efforts for economic growth and the growth in the waistlines of our prisoners, everyone will soon be outgrowing their suits.

Savagery

It is not however good news that there has been a spate of killings due to family feuds. It is terrible to think that brothers kill brothers, that parents kill children and even children indulge in killings. I cannot help feeling that somehow all this is part of a growth in cruelty and vulgarity. There is much talk of what is called our music industry. But I find it difficult to admire so many of those oddly-named, untidy gentlemen wearing dark glasses and looking more like gunmen than musicians who infest the country with illiterate lyrics and unpleasant noise.

It is a creditable aim to try to improve the wealth of a country, but there is little point in this, if at the same time too many in the country lack self control and decent moral values. It seems to me that the general collapse of good taste and moral values must inevitably go hand-in-hand not only with domestic violence, but violence of all kinds.

Prayer breakfasts

Before this column appears in print a lot of people will be attending prayer breakfasts and praying like crazy.

We've been having prayer breakfasts for 20 years, and the sad part about it is that for 20 years things have been getting steadily worse. It is nonetheless commendable that our prayer breakfasts are held at the best hotels. It seems to me that if we are going to have prayer breakfasts we should hold them in style.

It is noticeable however that the prayers have been meeting a bit of competition. Jamaicans For Justice have been staging a bit of protest concerning the street people and the protestors have been exhibiting some placards to the effect that "the truth shall set us free" or "justice truth be ours for ever". Nice sentiments indeed, though perhaps a bit over-ambitious. The trouble with truth is that it is relative rather than absolute, which causes a lot of confusion to everyone even at prayer breakfasts. Even something as apparently straightforward as bacon and eggs allows for certain divergences of opinion. Still, let us all hope for the best.