THE OPPOSITION Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is pledging to take action through Parliament to force Government to reveal the true state of the nation's fiscal deficit.
Audley Shaw, Opposition spokesman on finance, told The Gleaner yesterday that the JLP will be "using the processes of Parliament" in seeking answers from the Finance Minister.
"The information about the fiscal deficit is very critical to any proposed plan for the economy," he said.
Mr. Shaw was reiterating the position taken by Opposition Leader Edward Seaga on Tuesday at a press conference to highlight the outcome of the party's two-day retreat last weekend.
While noting that a pre-budget briefing was slated for February 17, the Opposition spokesman said the JLP would be trying to "unearth whatever we can before that."
"Whatever is outstanding we will put on the table then (in February)," he added.
But last night Dr. Omar Davies, the Minister of Finance and Planning, while being interviewed on news and current affairs programme Nationwide aired on Power 106, refused to answer questions on the deficit which the JLP claims will round out the year at about 10 per cent, well above the programmed 5-6 per cent.
The Minister sidestepped questions on whether he was holding to his initial target, noting that the update would be given next month in Parliament.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shaw also noted that the Opposition had a "good" meeting yesterday with a delegation from the private sector-led 'Partnership for Progress'.
"But we're not at a stage yet where we are going to make a formal comment on it because there is still information that we have to get," he said. The JLP, he added, has agreed to continue talks with the private sector group.
"They accorded us respect," he told The Gleaner.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued late yesterday, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) noted that "the position put forward by the group was received attentively by the Opposition."
The JLP, it added, was appreciative of the detailed material which was presented and the quality of the work which had been done.
PSOJ president Beverley Lopez refused further comment last night, noting that the partnership talks on the economy had become too prominent in the press.
During Tuesday's press conference, Mr. Seaga had suggested that the Partnership's proposals were most likely not in line with the JLP's.
