Livingstone Thompson, Guest Columnist
THE GOVERNMENT must take responsibility for allowing its presentations in the Budget Debate to be overshadowed by the issue of the exchange rate regime, which was raised by the Leader of the Opposition.
The Opposition Leader seemed to have stepped into a vacuum created by the failure of the Government to articulate with clarity, coherence and conviction, the economic direction in which the country is headed, and the rationale for the direction. So, as we speak, we do not know the main features of the Government's economic policy, nor are we aware of the political philosophy on which it is based. But we need to know.
The unfortunate thing about the discussion about the exchange rate is not just that it is speculative but, more importantly, it is happening in a manner that excludes the average Jamaican. It is good to know that academic studies have been done on this matter, as indeed on a host of other economic issues. It is also great to know that our leaders read these studies. However, I am not sure of the value of imposing the technicalities on the unlearned. With the proposition that the fixed exchanged rate is by far more effective, we have to assume that those who do not pursue this model are either dumb or do not want their economy to do well. This is so preposterous! I am alarmed at the way in which it has been seized upon, especially on the Breakfast Club, as if we are hearing, 'for the first time at last', the sole gospel for our economic salvation. The discussion has become alienating and sterile.
ECONOMIC MODEL
If we are not careful, the Budget this year could be seen to revolve around issues with which the people are not familiar, or with which they cannot immediately identify. It may well be that Hugh Small does not compare with the Davies' and the Seagas, as a Finance Minister. I do not have the competence to judge him. However, one of the things I recall was the clarity of his presentations and his attempt to make clear the basic outline of the economic model his Government was pursuing. One did not have to agree with it, but at least one heard the position with clarity. In these days, we are long on information and counter-information but short on clarity of political philosophy and economic model.
The point, then, is that the Government should be clear about what it wishes to do and present it in a way that people can share the vision. One of the weaknesses of this generation of political leaders is their lack of conviction and, consequently, their inability to motivate. It is not enough that we must wait for the time of general election to see attempts to capture the interest of the public.
LACK OF CLARITY
One way in which the lack of clarity expresses itself is in the area of education. We have heard a lot of talk about the amount of the education sector is getting, but we do not have clarity about the main educational priorities. Churches like the Moravian Church which has been involved in education since 1823, and which remain committed to education for social and economic transformation, are stake-holders in education. However, we do not know what the Government wants to accomplish in the next five or so years and how we can be a part of it. What we see is a measure of suffocation because the Government cannot finance certain programmes. Even with that, however, it is not abundantly clear what the Government wants to achieve with the limited resources it has to spend.
Another evidence of lack of clarity in Government is its desire to move the country in different directions at the same time. We have heard a lot of talk about values, attitudes and work ethic, as indeed we have heard about the need to expand the gambling industry. The Government wants the church to be its partner in helping to fashion a society, the core values of which will guarantee its well-being and prosperity. However, the Government is insistent on the expansion of gambling, as part of its economic strategy, which is most surely counter-productive to its interest in the creation of a sustainable economy. Gambling is of no benefit to the masses of the nation. It transfers money from the poor to those who are more financially secure. Gambling is a bad habit of people who have money to throw away. It is the panacea that Government falls on when they lust after quick money but has no idea of how to create wealth in a sustainable way. The Government which prides itself in the inculcation of high values, should be ashamed for allowing the country to be overrun by this blight. This is yet again evidence that the Government needs to think further on its economic policies.
The recent debates in the House of Representative were conducted as if those on one side of the House are simply addressing people on the other side. They show the need to score points and to prove that the other side has faulted. The point of the debates is not to communicate to voters in any case, fewer and fewer people listen to them. Now that the debate in the House has ended, so to speak, I hope that the conversation with the masses will begin.
Rev Dr. Livingstone Thompson is president of the Executive Board of the Moravian Church in Jamaica.
