By Byron McDaniel, Gleaner WriterFORMER PRESIDENTS of the Board of Directors of the Manchester Co-operative Credit Union (1977) Ltd., Ivan Harris and Ivan Green, share more than a common Christian name. They are both calling for a merger of the island's credit unions.
Speaking at a meeting of the Board held recently at the Christiana Branch of the Credit Union, Mr. Harris said: "The credit union movement must think of merging and having a central unit. It is most needed in the central region, because if we don't merge we are going to perish down the road."
He added that: "The whole world is changing and if we continue along this same path, we are going to suffer for it. Look around you and see what is happening to the financial institutions right here in Jamaica. A lot of us sat down and allowed people from abroad to come and hug it up and are making billions of dollars from what we saved. I urge the Manchester Credit Union to continue the process by starting to negotiate with credit unions in the region about merging. Don't wait, the time is now."
"It is something that we probably may not get away from and we have to be proactive instead of waiting for it to come upon us. We may have to plan it so that it will be done orderly and with the full knowledge and consent of all the people concerned," Mr. Green said.
