SHAW
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I HAVE STEADFASTLY resisted the urge to respond to your weekly and often tiresome articles by Professor Don Robotham, whose expertise, I am informed, is in the field of anthropology.
However, in the public interest, I will not allow Dr. Robotham or any one else to mislead the people, regardless of their own selfish or political motives.
I will comment on two issues. His selective use of the history of fiscal deficits in the 1980s and his erroneous assertion that I have accepted Dr. Omar Davies' economic model.
On several occasions, Dr. Robotham has mentioned the year 1985, when the fiscal deficit under the JLP Government was 13 per cent.
He keeps repeating this in his various articles while he wilfully ignores the fact that the JLP inherited a fiscal deficit from the PNP in 1980, that was in excess of 18 per cent.
He also conveniently ignores the fact that during the eight years of the JLP administration of the 1980s, the deficit was reduced and a small surplus was generated by the end of the administration, along with record job creation (30,000 new jobs per year between 1986 and 1988), and economic growth averaging six per cent per annum between 1986 and 1990. Incontestable Professor.
DISINGENUOUS SUGGESTION
In fact, Robotham's good friend from the 'halcyon" socialist days, Dr. Omar Davies, has not been able to achieve a 2.8 per cent growth in any one year of his stewardship, although this was the JLP's worst year of performance in that period between 1986 and when they demitted office in 1989.
The suggestion by Dr. Robotham that the JLP has accepted Davies' economic model is disingenuous.
First of all, setting prudent macroeconomic targets are not to be confused with 'a model'.
The fact that the JLP's targets may coincide with that of the Government's is indicative of universally accepted standards of good fiscal management.
What constantly eludes Drs. Davies and Robotham is the minister's consistent inability to achieve the critical targets that make a Government successful.
TARGETS FOR GROWTH.
Take Dr. Davies' annual targets for growth. For the past 13 years of his stewardship, he has targeted, cumulatively, growth of close to 40 per cent (that is, had he met his targets over the years, this is what would have been achieved).
But what was the outturn? a mere 0.6 per cent per year or a cumulative growth of a shameful 8.5 per cent over 13 years.
The JLP as recently as the last Budget Debate has rejected the Omar Davies model of debt expansion and has instead put forward a model that is based on using creative debt reduction strategies while putting in place aggressive investment promotion strategies to put idle Jamaicans to work, increase productivity levels, and give every Jamaican a chance to create his/her own wealth in Jamaica.
We have put forward specific solutions that require a government that is going to have to be hands-on in cutting bureaucracy and laying out an environment in which the Jamaican private sector can grow and flourish and the economy can expand beyond tourism and bauxite.
Dr. Robotham, I invite you to read my last three budget speeches as well as other interventions on my website at www.audleyshawjamaica.com
I also issue a public invitation to debate you and Dr. Davies at a time and place of your choice - inside Jamaica, of course.
I am, etc.,
AUDLEY SHAW, MP
Opposition Spokesman on Finance
and the Public Service
fitzalbert_2@yahoo.com
Christiana,
Manchester
