Prime Minister Bruce Golding has endorsed the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan, which seeks to put the country in a position to achieve its full potential and achieve developed country status in 23 years.

Mr. Golding, who officially launched the plan at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Wednesday, said the long-term development strategy was the beginning of a process that must achieve, early in its gestation, a shared vision.

Mistaken belief

"There was a time when we made the mistake of believing that the vision and the plan to achieve that vision was the property of the Government, and various governments have come to office believing that the mandate that they received from the people was sufficient authority to proceed on a plan," the Prime Minister said. "The mandate may give you the statutory authority to implement, but the mandate doesn't give you the power to inspire."

Mr. Golding further said that, "experience teaches us that if we don't find a way to establish broad areas of commonality, find a way to determine what are the things that are going to transcend competitive politics, what are the things that are going to be sustained beyond changes of political administration, we are going to continue running around the mulberry bush".

Dr. Wesley Hughes, director general of the Planning Institute of Jamaica, which led and facilitated the preparation of the development plan, said it was important to have short-term plans and programmes, related to the long-term strategy for the country's development.

He said a deadline of mid-2008 has been set to complete the first draft of the policy, to be taken to Parliament for discussion and for the country to become more engaged in wider consultation.