THE EDITOR, Sir:
AFTER NINE years as the Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies has not gotten the country's finances right and has not demonstrated the proper policies to lead us into meaningful growth to create wealth for all Jamaicans.
The economy is not difficult to manage but politics has crept into all facets of our society. This is so that our power brokers have used their positions to influence the decision-making process, which usually leads to colossal catastrophe for the people of Jamaica to bear the burden of mis-management or mis-use of public funds.
Taxation and high interest rates are not the answer to our current debate Mr. Davies, the answer is to grow the economy out of the mess that the Government has gotten us in. We have not seen enough strategies being formulated to help the struggling manufacturing and agricultural sectors because the Government made huge blunders in the early 90s. The Government accelerated the liberalisation of the economy, not giving these sectors enough time to make the necessary adjustments to cushion the impact of free trade. Then came the collapse of the financial sector in the mid-90s and once again it is the Jamaican people who have to play the penalty of poor management which led us to FINSAC.
THERE IS HOPE
Whatever problems we have faced during the last fourteen years under this Government, irrespective of your political views I firmly believe that there is hope for this island nation no matter who is in power! As Jamaicans we need to buy Jamaican products to build Jamaica and it must be imperative of Dr. Davies and the Government to make the economy conducive for businesses to operate in.
I am, etc.,
DWIGHT BERNARD
McIntyre Villa
Kingston 16
