DaviesMINISTER OF Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, has stressed the need for closer co-operation between the government, the private sector and communities in the pursuit of national and community development.
Addressing a community forum at the Port Antonio High School Thursday, Dr. Davies said such co-operation would go a far way in successfully confronting the challenges facing the country and guarantee a good future, as government alone was not able to do everything needed to achieve that objective.
He noted that the recently formed Parish Development Committees (PDCs) were playing a very important role in facilitating that process.
The Finance Minister pointed out that government had embarked on several initiatives over the years to achieve economic growth and development, and that the conditions now existed for the private sector and communities to exploit the advantages being presented by the economic stability resulting from those initiatives.
These initiatives include low inflation, a healthy Net Inter-national Reserve (NIR) and stability in the foreign exchange market.
Dr. Davies noted that the country was in a healthy position in respect of its external debt, and this had resulted from prudent economic policies and programmes being pursued by the government.
He noted, however, that there was an urgent need to reduce the internal debt, adding that one of the ways to address this issue was to prevent the unnecessary and wasteful spending by public sector entities.
The Minister explained that the government would continue to provide the stimulus for economic development, and that he was willing to work with the people of Portland, to bring about the commercial development which the parish required.
Also addressing the meeting was Dr. Donald Rhodd, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture and Member of Parliament for the area.
Dr. Rhodd highlighted a number of developmental programmes being carried out in the parish by the government. He also expressed gratitude on behalf of the people of the parish for the role government has played in stimulating economic development in Portland.
