GIVEN THE rumours and uncertainties swirling through the financial sector and a general sense of unease in the society in anticipation of the forthcoming budget exercise, one thinks that the primary mandate of the just concluded Government and private sector retreat in Montego Bay, would have been to clear the air. What the nation needed was a detailed and comprehensive picture of what is expected to be the result of such high-level brainstorming.
The Prime Minister might have made a Churchillian speech which, in the strength of its conviction, could have generated a sense of unity and hope, assuming that this was in fact achieved, as well as demonstrating that since the destiny of the people is involved, the people were being taken into the confidence of their elected representatives. Even if there was politically embarrassing news, going back to the IMF, for example, this should have been shared with the people.
What was new coming out of the conference was insignificant and what was significant was not new. In advance of the retreat it would not have been difficult to predict that tourism would have been a special area of emphasis, as also information technology, agriculture and manufacturing. We welcome the decision to revisit casino gambling but why no mention of the vital importance of early childhood education if we are serious about producing a literate workforce.
Coming up with general recommendations is one thing; implementing them in a realistic time frame is another. Our system of governance is mired in obstacles to consensus which cannot be exorcised by the shibboleths of a final communiqué. Any bold initiative for economic growth will have to find its way through a labyrinth of legislation designed to protect against a single trespasser rather than promote robust enterprise. New commitments are likely to be thwarted by civil service inertia. Renewed trade union militancy does not augur well for job creation. Corruption separates the morally sensitive from the ethically challenged.
One significant decision coming out of the retreat is for the inclusion of a private sector representative to be a member of the Development Council. If the private sector is to be the engine of growth in the economy and not a scapegoat for failed Government economic policies, the Government must assume responsibility for keeping in close touch with private sector players especially those companies quoted on the Stock Exchange. In the Ministry of Commerce there should be cadet civil servants with degrees in management or accounting, each assigned to keep track of 10 private sector companies so that the Minister is kept fully briefed on their performance and problems.
Private sector practitioners are not specialists. Their great talent is an intuitive capitalist spirit which they find difficult to get across to those who do not share the same matrix. It remains to be seen if the retreat can bridge this gap.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
