Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller gets a hug from Dennis Lalor after she presented him with his Past President Award at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) 30th Anniversary Banquet last Thursday at the Hilton Kingston hotel in New Kingston. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
PRIME MINISTER Portia Simpson Miller says that she is committed to working with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) by fostering a business-friendly climate.
Mrs Simpson Miller was the guest speaker for the 30th Anniversary and Awards Banquet of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) held at the Hilton Kingston hotel on Thursday, 20th.
Commending the PSOJ for its 30 years of service to national development, the Prime Minister congratulated president Beverley Lopez for her leadership in creating a strong partnership with the Government on the issues of tackling crime and encouraging job creation. She mentioned particularly the PSOJ's long-standing Crime Stop programme and Stand For Jamaica rally last year, as well as the role of the PSOJ's monthly Job Creation Awards programme in honouring those small businesses which create jobs.
Referring to the proposed draft national Memorandum of Understanding to create a social partnership between the Government, private sector and union movement called the "Partnership for Progress', she welcomed the fact that the Opposition was now part of the process.
GETTING AHEAD
Arguing that unless Jamaicans "put party politics aside, we will never get anywhere as a people", she called for Government, Opposition, and civil society to work together to allow Jamaica to come together as a country so "every Jamaican child would be able to live her dreams right here in Jamaica".
She urged the PSOJ president to do everything in her power to conclude the proposed Social Partnership Agreement before Mrs. Lopez demits office in September. The Prime Minister confirmed that the Government negotiating team would be led by Finance Minister Omar Davies, and her support for the Opposition's full participation.
The Prime Minister advised her audience that she wanted to join the private sector by becoming Jamaica's number one salesman, and committed herself to creating the right environment for business to prosper through removing the bottlenecks holding Jamaica back. She commended the many private sector entities, some of whose representatives were there, whose products and services had contributed to creating "Brand Jamaica" in the international marketplace.
The awards ceremony portion of the event honoured five of the PSOJ's long serving employees, the longest serving of whom, Ms. Annemarie Hendricks, had served 26 years at the PSOJ. The event also honoured some of the PSOJ's major corporate sponsors, Digicel and Grace, with the award for "outstanding innovation and creativity" and "outstanding community support" respectively. The Prime Minister herself gave out the awards honouring four of the PSOJ's past presidents : Avis Henriques (1981-1983), Roy Collister (1983-1984), Denis Lalor (1990 -1992) and Douglas Orane (1992-1994).
KC
