PM slams preachers of doom and gloom, pointing to economic growth… Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says that despite the purveyors of doom and gloom within the country, the Jamaican economy is continuing its strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and other external shocks.

Speaking at the handing-over of a house under the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) in Aberley district in South West St Ann on Friday, Holness pushed back at critics of his Administration’s stewardship of the economy.

“I am saying this to you that in spite of the purveyors of doom and gloom – those people who can only thrive by breaking down Jamaica and making everything look bad – this economy, your country, is recovering nicely and showing resilience,” he declared.

He cited Thursday’s disclosure by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) that the country’s economy grew by an estimated 5.7 per cent during the April to June 2022 quarter as an example of the economy’s resilience amid global crisis.

“In the midst of crisis when all the negative people saying things are bad, the economy is projected to grow this quarter, as the PIOJ (Planning Institute of Jamaica) has pointed out, by over five per cent.

“My God! When has that ever happened that in a time of crisis where everybody saying recession looming, our economy is still showing strong signs of recovery?” Holness questioned.

While admitting that times are hard due to the economic onslaught brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the geopolitical tensions in Europe, the prime minister said steady leadership of the country is required to create the right balance between the management of the economy and providing social support.

This, he said, the Government has managed to achieve.

“I am here to say to you, ‘Yes, times are hard, things rough, inflation a beat all a wi, fuel and food prices moving like crazy’, and there are those who would say to you, ‘Give up hope and blame the Government and create chaos’. That not going work!” Holness insisted.

“In these difficult times what you want is steady management, steady leadership, you want a Government that can see beyond the crisis and ensure that we don’t do things in our economy that will destroy it.

“In the midst of crisis, the Government’s steady handling of the economy has resulted in unemployment going down,” he stated.

Though the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) and some citizens have been clamouring for the Government to hand out more social safety net support, Holness said his Administration has, in fact, done so.

“We put social safety net support on electricity for those people who consume below a certain threshold… We give food packages through the CDF (Constituency Development Fund) and that is helping,” he said, adding that special support has also been given to the transport sector, small businesses and the entertainment sector.

However, he opined that “the biggest help” that every independent Jamaican would want in a time of crisis is “if you are not employed and you don’t have (an) income, the best thing for you is to get a job and get some income.

“… And that is what this Government is doing. The critics don’t want you to hear that! They don’t want you to remember that we have brought down unemployment from the highs of 13 per cent. Unemployment is now down to its lowest ever (at) six per cent, and it’s going to go even lower.

“So the best protection against inflation and crisis, (and) the best social safety net that a Government can give to anybody is a job,” Holness insisted.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said the state is moving at pace with the construction of more social houses under the NSHP.

“I am very satisfied with how the programme is working and very soon we will be able to do 500 (houses) a year, and then we can increase that up to a 1,000 a year,” Holness stated.

“Within 10 years, if the programme continues, we should be able to address this housing situation affecting the worse, but the situation will get better as the economy grows and people get employed and they don’t have to rely on social housing,” he indicated.

In the meantime, Holness said the challenges that are being faced by many Jamaicans, including lack of proper housing, can be resolved, as the Government has “the resources and the strength and the will to overcome them.

“… And we are going to do it if it is even one house at a time, one job at a time, one new road at a time, we are going to continue to do it.

“I want you to keep on the side of the positive, keep on the side of the hopeful, (and) keep on the side of the progressive, because if you listen to the negatives, then they become self-fulfilling prophecies,” urged Holness.

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