Errol Hewitt, Contributor"Be diligent to know the state of your flocks and look well to your herds." - Proverbs 27: 23.
THERE HAS been much in the media recently reflecting the nation's deepening concerns about our economic circumstance and the urgency for poverty reduction measures to alleviate the reality of the situation. This is further exacerbated by the frustration and embarrassment as well of Jamaica's comparative lower rate of economic growth (and per capita GDP) when compared with the majority of countries in the Caribbean. What is certain among a myriad of irritants is the deep dissatisfaction with the spiralling and vicious crime; the corruption in government and politics; the depth of unemployment among youths and females; the increasing un-affordableness of the utilities; the heightened sense of hopelessness; the belief that no one is either in charge or there to ensure that our interests are protected and the seeming absence of any structured way forward.
THREE-WAY 'DISCUSSION'
Much of the ongoing confusion is highlighted by the recent three-way 'discussion' between Mr. Robert Buddan, Dr. Wesley Hughes and Dr. Jaslin Salmon as to whether to reduce poverty effectively we need a specialised executive agency or a ministry. Like much of the discussions so far, some of the conclusions have been inconsistent and illogical. We no longer see things from a holistic perspective but rather endeavour to effect national development through a few personalities.
At the centre of any national development strategy and inescapably so, must be the reduction of poverty and the improvement of the quality of life of all our people. These are inseparable imbedded goals in any worthwhile and serious development effort. It is also obvious that promoting broad-based development is an essential prerequisite to tackle poverty and the pathway of development has to be planned and guided in order to ensure the required focus, efficiency, cost effectiveness and critically, civic society's input and thereby, support. Poverty, like development, is pervasive and has to be addressed as such in all geographic areas and sectors of the economy.
We need not restate here the social, economic and political reasons why the government must be reduced, except to say that this is agreed to by almost everyone, apart from the Government which understandably, is hesitant to apply anything 'sacrificial' to itself.
The fact is that there is already a sparse and underused Ministry of Development which ideally, is centrally located in the Prime Minister's Office. In an imaginative government, serious about development and eager to improve the standard of living of the majority of its population, this ministry should be the spearhead of development, applying to it the authority of the Prime Minister and accommodating in its portfolio all the pervasive 'cross sectoral' institutions - e.g. Jampro, SRC, National Land Agency, and the Statistical Institute - including bodies to implement and measure the impact of poverty alleviation strategies - needed to achieve this goal.
This would include a [real] planning institute which, among other things, is entrusted with the responsibility of preparing a long-term national vision including a series of participatory-oriented five-year national strategic plans; and coordinating the preparation of five-year sector plans prepared and owned by each sector e.g. agriculture, education, commerce and integrated into the national plan. There would need to be implementing agencies with responsibility for carrying out relevant aspects of the national plan, such as investment promotion, scientific, technological and socioeconomic research and information and communication technology (ICT) development.
MAXIMISING LOCAL EARNING OPPORTUNITIES
The national plan must, among other things, maximise local earning opportunities, for example furniture and food in the (low wages) tourism industry; it must place great emphasis on research, innovation, small businesses; while low-income industries might initially increase employment, the emphasis must be on higher value-added jobs. The entire music industry for example, must be seriously approached professionally and from a commercial perspective.
It is crucial that both education/training and government be designed to deliver the goals of the national plan. A properly 'architectured' plan will in itself facilitate the expansion of the middle class - so important an influence for development and social stability; it would broaden the effort to reduce crime and corruption and provide a framework to focus the required nationwide effort.
It is obvious that the fact of an agreed long-term vision and development plan with a focus on poverty reduction would go a far way towards political harmony and strong unified support for national development. The current approach of development by personality is clearly insufficient.
A central thrust of the Development Ministry ought to be to explore and exploit all sector and cross-sector linkages - e.g. agriculture/ manufacturing and tourism - which would result in broadening, accelerating and economising the developmental effort with the intent of empowering the citizen.
Experience tells us that international and bilateral agencies are much more supportive of a nationally-agreed plan with functional implementing agencies and long-term unified political support. It would also be of great benefit to potential investors both local and foreign based.
THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION
The existence of such a comprehensive national plan would better direct the thrust and focus of our education/training programme; heighten the importance of innovation so crucial to our development; enhance production and productivity; facilitate the preparation of a proper national budget and, hopefully, induce the rationalising of the structure of government and implement effective governance.
With such a plan in place, ICT can be more pointedly utilised and at last be better, more economically and effectively integrated to facilitate the realisation of the planned goals. The national plan would also serve as a means of assessing government's performance at all levels.
The way forward requires our urgent recognition of the basic requirements of a development plan; the capacity to implement as well as decisive leadership capability; not wavering indecisiveness as demonstrated by a recent West Indies captain who kept resetting the field after each boundary instead of addressing the bowler's problem. Undergirding the national plan must be a resolve for an unselfish commitment to nation building. What is particularly disheartening is the absence of discussion on these foundational issues in the leadership debates in either of the two major political parties.
Errol Hewitt is an information and communication technology planning consultant with the United Nations and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
