FINANCE and Planning Minister Dr. Omar Davies has backed a proposal by Public Defender Howard Hamilton calling for a $2 billion investment targeting inner-city communities.
While he said he did not want to argue about how big the fund should be, the Minister, speaking against the background of the social problems affecting communities such as his own constituency of South St. Andrew, said "such communities can benefit and will benefit (not only) in terms of improved infrastructure as well as in terms of employment which would go towards improving that infrastructure, but any additionality of investment."
Mr. Hamilton made the proposal last week as one of the possible solutions to reduce crime after members of the business community pressed the Government into taking measures to bring an end to the problem.
President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Peter Moses, in responding to Mr. Hamilton's proposal on Wednesday, said the amount proposed was inadequate, but also suggested that Government should devise a plan to improve the infrastructure and make those communities viable for establishment of businesses.
Speaking at a state of the nation luncheon meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) at Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston yesterday, Dr. Davies said the benefits which could accrue from such an investment was not based on theory, "I speak from seeing it work."
While asking the business people not to "dismiss Mr. Hamilton's proposal out of hand", the Minister said the obvious question was the medium through which any such contribution would be handled.
He suggested that it could be handled by the Social Investment Fund, which was originally set up to intervene in depressed communities with projects of a maximum expenditure level.
Dr. Davies said the track record of the Social Investment Fund, for anybody who has dealt with it, has been impeccable. "And not only that. There's never ever been even one suggestion of political partiality in terms of its involvement."
He further suggested that if the idea of such a fund has any appeal, discussions could be initiated with the Social Investment Fund, either to complement some of their existing expenditure, or "if you wish to have a fund dedicated to your own set of projects. Do not let us go and recreate the wheel, there is a system of identifying communities which are needing help, communities which have the supporting infrastructure to carry out these projects."
According to Dr. Davies, "an economy doesn't operate in the abstract, but rather it operates within the context of the society within which we all live."
