STATEMENT
BY
MOST HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER CONCERNING THE SITUATION IN IRAQ
TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2003
STATEMENT
BY
MOST HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER CONCERNING THE SITUATION IN IRAQ
TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2003
By now we are all aware of the
ultimatum given by the United States to the Government of Iraq and the rapidly
unfolding situation which has effectively brought us to the brink of war.
For sometime now, we have been
closely following the developments in the international arena concerning the
situation in Iraq. Security Council Resolution 1441 of November 8, 2002, the
latest in a series of resolutions on the matter, essentially ordered the
resumption of UN inspections of Iraqi chemical, biological and nuclear weapons
programme, and mandated compliance by Iraq, failing which it would be deemed to
be in breach of obligations, resulting in “serious consequences.”
Like many other Member States of
the United Nations, Jamaica welcomed and was heartened by the return of the
weapons inspectors and even more so by the positive indications, albeit
incremental, that the disarmament process in Iraq would truly begin. Our
commitment to global disarmament has remained firm.
There were many, even within the
Security Council, who were of the view that the disarmament was finally taking
place and that every effort should be made by all countries to facilitate the
process. The recent months of intense negotiation and diplomatic efforts,
fuelled by the perception on the part of some other states of a lack of adequate
and convincing compliance by Iraq, were aimed at the adoption of a resolution
authorizing further action by the international community.
It is regrettable that in the
face of serious dissensions within the Security Council, those efforts did not
bear fruit.
I want to make it abundantly
clear that Jamaica has been unwavering in its support for a multilateral
approach to a resolution of the situation regarding Iraq. As we have done in
the case of terrorism, we have underscored the role ascribed to the United
Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security and in that
context, in addressing the concerns over the possession and use of weapons of
mass destruction. Convinced that this was not an issue for any State acting
alone, but for the international community, Jamaica, and its sister CARICOM
States, as well as members of the Non-Aligned Movement, stressed that any
unilateral action taken outside of a UN Security Council mandate even with the
support of a number of Member States, would undermine the integrity of the
United Nations and weaken the multilateral approach to peace and security.
We have always supported the
demand that Iraq comply fully with its obligations under UN Security Council
resolutions.
In keeping with our commitment
to the fundamental principles of the non-use of force and respect for
sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and security of all
Member States, we have supported the efforts aimed at peaceful and diplomatic
resolution of the situation.
Given the important progress
which the UN Inspectors confirmed their most recent report to Security Council,
we are not convinced that all diplomatic means to avert war have been exhausted
or that the recourse to the use of military force at this moment is the only way
to achieve our final goal.
Poised as we are at the
threshold of war, I am addressing this Honourable House and the nation in the
face of the inevitable consequences to our nation, our region, on the entire
global community.
a.
There are naturally
immediate concerns over the security of our nationals who are in the Middle
East, those of us at home, as well as nationals in other communities at risk.
b.
We are also concerned at
the impact in the short, medium and long term on the supply and cost of food,
energy and other essential inputs for the functioning of our productive sector
and daily consumer activities.
c.
Naturally, we are
following closely the possible fall out for the travel and tourism industries
and the impact on other vital sectors such as agriculture.
d.
We are acutely aware that
in the face of increasing political instability and economic decline worldwide,
and the impoverishment of many developing countries in an adverse trading
environment, our goals and plans for economic and social development would be
set back over the medium to long term.
e.
The heightened sense of
alert, tension and uncertainty that accompanies war would also erode confidence
in the economy and wipe out anticipated gains from any investment.
We are further clearly aware
that the extent, nature and impact of war could be compounded by its duration
and severity.
I wish to assure you that the
Government is fully seized with the issues and arising out of a meeting of the
Cabinet held yesterday, we have decided to take a number of actions, even as we
continue to monitor the developments in the situation:
1.
A travel advisory has been
issued to Jamaican national in the Middle East region. Our missions overseas,
including honorary consuls in the region have been put on alert to provide
support to our communities.
We are encouraging you at home
to bring to the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
information regarding those who you know to be in the area.
2.
Measures to enhance the
security and integrity of our country, including at all ports of entry, will be
enhanced.
3.
Priority attention will be
focused on ensuring uninterrupted supplies of food and energy
4.
With immediate effect, a
Working Group has been established to monitor developments, assess their impact
and make proposals to minimize or mitigate them. It will comprise the following
departments/entities:
Office of the Prime minister
Ministry of Foreign affairs and
foreign Trade
Ministry of Tourism and Industry
Ministry of National Security
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Commerce, Science
and Technology
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of Development
Jamaica Information Service
Planning Institute of Jamaica
Bank of Jamaica
It will be chaired by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
5.
Ministers have been
alerted to brief their portfolio sectors and will be summoned to meet as the
situation requires.
6.
With our sister countries
in the Caribbean region, we will keep abreast of the impact at regional and
other levels.
I call on all of us to be alert
to developments in the near term, to take steps necessary to preserve and
conserve supplied of food and oil, and to support the collective efforts to
address a situation over which we have so little control. Our concerns are
shared by the majority of persons around the globe as the consequences will
extend far beyond the immediate region. It is reared that a disproportionate
burden will be borne by small developing states lie ours in the Caribbean, which
are ill-prepared to cope with the impact of global recession.
This is a time when the entire country must be united around the efforts aimed at ensuring the least possible fallout as a result of what will be a traumatic period ahead. All Jamaicans must be alert for we know not from whence acts of terror will come.
PM SPEAKS ON GOVERNANCE & URGENCY OF ECONOMIC ACTION AT RETREAT
Prime Minister PJ Patterson on
Saturday used the opening session of day two of the economic retreat underway in
Montego Bay to stress his commitment to good governance and highlighted the
urgency of required action on the part of the Government and the private sector
to get expanded economic activity and job creation going.
The Prime Minister reiterated
the Government’s interest and commitment to stamp out corruption. Mr. Patterson
pointed out that this should not confined to the political directorate and
encompassed all levels in the public service including those who serve at
administrative levels and particularly in areas of special sensitivity.
Making the point that the public
and private sector must work to fight corruption, he noted: “While there is a
lot of focus and properly so, on corruption in the public sector, there is also
vast levels of corruption in private business enterprises and in their
relationships with each other as well as with the public sector.”
Turning to the imperative for urgent action to expand the
economy and create jobs, Prime Minister Patterson said he was committed to
ensuring that the time he had remaining as Head of Government was devoted to
getting concrete things done to stimulate economic growth and significant
improvements in living standards.
He said the Government had
indicated in specific terms those projects it would be pursuing including
massive highway construction, housing development, water supply expansion among
other infrastructure works. “We are putting on the table what we are doing. We
want to hear from the people in the private sector what they are going to do,”
said Mr. Patterson.
The Prime Minister pointed to
opportunities for local building industry players to form joint venture
partnerships to bid for major construction projects that now go to international
firms with the capacity and ability to benefit from economies of scale. He noted
that with Highway 2000 projected to open opportunities for industrial parks and
business activities related to nature and culture, the Government was ready to
assist private sector interests with serious business proposals outlining how
the Government could facilitate such ventures.
The Prime Minister disclosed too
that the Government was anxious to see greater private sector initiative in the
agriculture sector not just on small and medium scales but also in terms of
large-scale enterprises. Here, he said, the Government stood ready to make land
available to spur economic activity. He pointed to non-traditional farming as
holding significant potential. Even traditional crops such as banana and sugar
he pointed out, had potential but required new arrangements to ensure greater
productivity and more value added.
Prime Minister Patterson again called for the reduction of
bank lending rates in keeping with the Government having fulfilled calls from
the private sector for cash reserves to be lowered. “We need to have competitive
interest rates,” he said noting that the Government accepted that one of the
factors impeding this was the high level of public borrowing.
Mr. Patterson noted that
proposals to address the issue have been put forward by both the Government and
the Private and will be taken on board by the Administration.
The Prime Minister wants banks
to look at creative ways of facilitating viable productive activities. “We still
have not yet begun to appreciate in a knowledge-based society what is the value
of a creative idea and how it can be used as part of security and collateral,”
Mr. Patterson noted.
Meanwhile, Minister of
Development and Co-chairman of the retreat, Dr. Paul Robertson said the
Government has been making significant headway in improving the investment
climate in Jamaica. He noted that the World Investment Report 2002 showed
Jamaica doing well in a global situation where Foreign Direct Investment flows
is declining.
The Ministry of Development, he
said, has created a focal point for clearing hurdles and expediting investment
processes. There has also been the modernisation, under the Public Sector
Modernisation programme, of a number of business and trade facilitation
agencies. These include the Registrar of Companies, the National Land Agency,
the National Environment and Planning Agency, the Customs Department, the
National Works Agency and Jampro. Improvements to legislation, he pointed out,
have also taken place.
The Minister told private sector representatives on Saturday
that there was a new initiative to ensure ‘Joined up Government’ involving the
intensification of efforts to ensure that government agencies operate based on
the same aims and objectives.
This effort has already given
rise, Dr. Robertson said, to Memoranda of Understanding being between the
Ministries of Health and Agriculture as well as the Ministry of Commerce,
Science & Technology and the Customs Department.
He added that the Government is
now reviewing the incentives regime to ensure consistency and objectivity while
making incentives performance based, measurable and compliant with the rules of
the World Trade Organisation and the impending Free Trade Area of the Americas
agreement. A Government of Jamaica help desk is also being set up to provide
comprehensive information for people doing business with the Government.
Other areas of significant
advance highlighted by the Development Minister includes 8 day reduction in
waiting time at the Office of Registrar of Companies while and 85% of all
subdivision and planning applications being approved within the 90 day deadline.
The National land agency has also reduced the time for mapping survey plans from
26 to 10 weeks and has surpassed its annual target of 6,000 new titles by over
50% while the Customs Department is still recruiting and training staff as part
of its modernisation process.
Dr. Robertson said that while the Government was committed to even greater efforts to encourage investments, there was a need for the private sector too, to make some fundamental changes to modernise its operations and business processes to enhance competitiveness. He said that while a number of firms were making an effort in this regard, others had some way to go in giving priority to research and development and science and technology application.
GOVERNMENT AND UNIONS MEET TO SETTLE PROBLEMS AT JAMALCO PROJECT
Representatives of the
Government led by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, Minister of Labour and Social
Security, Horace Dalley and the Minister of Development Dr. Paul Robertson met
on Saturday (March 8) with senior officers of the Bustamante Industrial Trade
Union and the National Workers Union to discuss industrial relations problems
that have arisen at JAMALCO and resulted in the stoppage of work at the
company’s mud lake disposal facility in Clarendon.
During the meeting at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay
the issues were fully ventilated following which a number of initiatives were
agreed. It is hoped that these initiatives will result in the resumption of work
on the mud disposal system early in the coming week.
The union officers pledged to work to ensure stability at the facility and to support the expansion programme which is vital to the national effort to achieve economic growth and job creation.
PRIME MINISTER SAYS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY TO PLAY KEY ROLE IN JOB CREATION, ECONOMIC GROWTH
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson is leading an initiative to
have science and technology (S&T) development and application play a greater
role in economic expansion, the stimulation of growth and the creation of
employment. Mr. Patterson told private sector leaders on the second day of their
joint retreat with the Government in Montego Bay on Saturday that the National
Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), which he chairs, needs to be
empowered to act as the catalyst for innovation-based business expansion in
Jamaica. “The solution resides in how a partnership can be established between
the NCST and by extension the entire Science and Technology community, and the
private sector to build a sound knowledge base which can serve both productive
and social purposes on which our economy can be inexorably founded,” Mr.
Patterson said while introducing the discussion on science and technology.
Declaring that science and technology was a
strategic resource underpinning economic growth, the Prime Minister called for
greater private sector funding for the National Foundation for the Development
of Science and Technology, which was established to source and provide financing
in support for S&T activities.
Funding is required to develop science and technology
throughout the country, Mr. Patterson said, adding that emphasis should be
placed on developing projects that deliver value-added products utilising the
intrinsic human qualities and culture of our people. The focus he noted, should
be related to food, agricultural products, music and information technology
highlighting innovation. He added: “The National Commission on Science and
Technology offers a credible way to build a purposeful S&T infrastructure, which
will serve all Jamaica, in both local economic endeavours, as well as in
encouraging foreign investments.”
Pointing out that the success of many developed and newly
industrialised economies has been due to science and technology, Mr. Patterson
issued a call for dialogue between the S&T community and the private sector to
identify existing technologies, services and the type and pattern of
technologies required. “As we pursue socio-economic development in an
environment encompassing a knowledge based society, science and technology is
critical in a world of globalisation, high levels of competition, reduced market
protection and social problems,” the Prime Minister said.
Meanwhile, building on the theme of producing high quality
products for niche markets, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Science and
Technology, Dr. Arnaldo Ventura said an all out effort must be made to identify
such business opportunities, locate innovative talent, and find creative ways to
develop new jobs and production enterprises. “Jamaica has to build a more
knowledge and service oriented economy in order to compete globally,” Dr.
Ventura told a working lunch session of the retreat Saturday.
The answer to many of the country’s socio-economic problems, he said, was to be found in innovation as a fundamental determinant of competition. Proactive business approaches which anticipate consumer demands, invest in product development and which are based on forward market positions, Dr. Ventura noted, could significantly expand the economic activity, create jobs and deliver growth.
PRIME MINISTER EXPRESSES SHOCK, REGRET AT DEATH OF VICTOR ROBINSON
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson
has expressed shock and regret at the death of Montego Bay Attorney and member
of the Board of the National Housing Trust (NHT), Mr. Victor Robinson. He
recalls Mr. Robinson as a leading advocate who practised at the Cornwall Bar.
“We are all saddened to learn of his untimely death,” the Prime Minister said.
He also described Mr. Robinson
as a social advocate who had a deep passion for the development of western
Jamaica and the nation in general. “It was in recognition of his active role in
the community and his strident advocacy for the development of western Jamaica
that Mr. Robinson was appointed as the regional representative on the Board of
the NHT,” the Prime Minister noted.
He added: “At the time of his
death, Mr. Robinson was attending a Retreat of the NHT in Ocho Rios, where he
was integrally involved in a review of the agency’s work and the formulation of
plans for the expansion of housing provision for the people.”
On behalf of the Government the Prime Minister expressed appreciation for Mr. Robinson’s contribution to regional and national development. Prime Minister Patterson has expressed condolences to Mr. Robinson’s family including his mother and children, other relatives and friends.
PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES/SECURITY PERSONNEL TO DECLARE ASSETS, INCOME AND LIABILITIES
Public sector employees who fall
outside the Parliamentary (Integrity of Members) Act and whose total emoluments
are $2 Million per annum or more, as well as members of the security forces,
will as of this year be required to declare their assets, liabilities and income
to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. This was disclosed on
Tuesday (Mar. 11), at the launch of the Commission at the Jamaica Conference
Centre in Kingston.
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson
who delivered the keynote address at Tuesday’s launch, said the Commission was
another tool in an already expansive system of safeguarding national integrity.
He noted that the economic consequences of corruption were enormous, and
included the fact that taxpayers and consumers were faced with higher costs for
goods and services as bribery, extortion, fraud and embezzlement pushed up the
cost of goods and services.
The Prime Minister said also
that the requirement that members of the security forces should make
declarations to the Commission was important, as their integrity was central to
the effectiveness of any anti-corruption measure.
He stressed that the Commission
was not being established in order to gain international acclaim, but rather
that the country was “doing it for ourselves so that we can have an honest
society,” Mr. Patterson said.
Prime Minister Patterson said
the Commission required the full support of the political directorate and the
public to survive, as well as adequate resources for it to undertake its
functions. He said that as Prime Minister, he would ensure that the political
will was not only expressed, but that tangible support was also in place.
Mr. Patterson said the
Commission should be seen as a direct invitation to all Jamaicans who was aware
of any act of corruption, to speak up, stand up and help the nation stamp out
corruption.
In addition to receiving
declarations from public sector employees, the Commission for the Prevention of
Corruption has been granted the power to conduct investigations into acts of
corruption on its own initiative, where there are reasonable grounds to suspect
that corruption has occurred. The Commission may also request any public
servant or category of public servants to make submissions either by written
notification or by a notice published in the gazette.
The Commission is chaired by Retired Supreme Court Senior Puisne Judge, Mr. Chester Orr and has as its members, Mr. Adrian Strachan, Auditor General; Mrs. Rosemarie Vernon, Principal of the Alpha Primary School and former president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association; Mr. William Chin See, Chairman of Caymanas Track Limited and Rev. Canon Weeville Gordon, Custos of Kingston.
GOVT, PRIVATE SECTOR IN NEW PUSH FOR JOBS & GROWTH
The Government will be looking primarily to developments in the tourism,
construction, agriculture and service sectors to accelerate the provision
of jobs and spur sustainable levels of economic growth. This was disclosed
by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson as he addressed the opening session of a
three-day retreat with private sector leaders at the Ritz Carlton hotel in
Montego Bay this morning (Friday, March 7).
Noting that
the tourism industry was beginning to bounce back, the Prime Minister pointed
out that growth in this sector would be aided by the room and infrastructure
capacity that has been built up over the years as well as the high standard of
the tourism product in Jamaica. He added that tourism’s significant potential
also stemmed from the linkages with other sectors such as agriculture.
On
agriculture, Prime Minister Patterson said the prospects of job creation and
growth could not be overlooked. He highlighted the fact that the sector holds
great economic potential while being an area of significant social concern.
While, “there has been a tendency for many countries as they move into new
areas, to turn their back on agriculture, we do not intend to do so in Jamaica,”
he said, stressing however, that crucial areas of the agriculture sector such as
the sugar industry, had to undergo major restructuring.
Prime
Minister Patterson made it clear to the business leaders that in the quest for
the much needed employment creation, the government by itself, could not
directly provide the number of jobs required to reduce unemployment to
acceptable levels. “To do so it (the Government) would have to add to the size
of the bureaucracy at greater public cost or engage in the provision of
makeshift jobs and I think everybody feels that we should be going in the
opposite direction certainly in reducing the size of the bureaucracy and
refraining from engaging in makeshift job provision,” Mr. Patterson said.
He added
that while the Government had the primary responsibility for creating the
enabling environment and providing the required infrastructure, in a market
economy, the private sector had to be the main engine of economic growth and the
principal source of investment. Added the Prime Minister: “This places on the
private sector a great responsibility which it cannot shirk in discharging its
role to provide jobs within the enabling environment.”
Special
emphasis, Prime Minister Patterson said, will have to be placed on increasing
productivity through the application of science and technology, while attention
also has to be given to economically viable service provision in areas such as
health.
In
outlining the challenges facing the country as the Government pushed ahead in
the quest for economic growth and jobs, the Prime Minister said the
international environment held many uncertainties even as oil prices continue to
impact negatively on the local economy.
Meanwhile,
in her opening statement to the retreat, President of the Private Sector
Organisation of Jamaica, Mrs. Beverly Lopez said the private sector was
interested in a constructive conversation with the Government to move the
country forward. She highlighted the need for a greater push to raise education
levels as well as advance health care delivery to maximise the human resource
potential within the nation.
She added
that the PSOJ has signaled its support for the Government’s Urban renewal
programme and would be putting forward its own suggestions on the matter of
widening tax collection.
International firm, Price WaterHouse Coopers are facilitators for the three-day
retreat which ends on Sunday.
JOINT STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR ON THE OUTCOME OF THEIR
RETREAT HELD AT THE RITZ CARLTON ROSEHALL HOTEL, MONTEGO BAY, MARCH 7-9, 2003
The Government and the Private Sector confirmed that their three day retreat
ended with a number of positive agreements as to areas which would lead to job
creation, investment and growth. Of significance was the agreement by the Prime
Minister to include private sector representation on the Development Council, so
as to ensure a direct involvement in the development planning process.
The
discussions covered a number of areas that spanned various sectors and would
therefore require additional dialogue with other interest groups including
labour and civil society. An action plan was built around two primary
conditions. The first continues to be the issue of the reduction of crime,
violence and praedial larceny as one of major importance in stimulating
expansion in the local economy and by extension increasing jobs. The Minister of
National Security, Dr. Hon. Peter Phillips, outlined to the meeting a number of
initiatives aimed at curbing the incidence of crime in the short term. The
Private Sector representatives were supportive of these plans and committed
their ongoing support in the fight against crime. Consideration was given to the
issue of corruption and the Government and the private sector agreed on the need
to continue efforts to have greater levels of integrity and accountability in
the public and private sectors.
The second
primary condition is the need to reduce the cost of capital and it was accepted
that further mechanisms needed to be developed to lower interest rates in order
to facilitate the expansion of existing projects and stimulate real sector
investments.
Specific
areas identified are Tourism, Information Technology, Manufacturing and
Construction. In the area of Tourism special focus was placed on Sports and
Entertainment, Eco-Tourism and Convention Tourism. The private sector again
raised the issue of Casino gambling and it was agreed that the economic benefits
and social implications should be the subject of a further study.
Discussions
on Information Technology included the possibility of producing phone cards and
also the refurbishing of cellular phones for the export market.
In the area
of construction, emphasis was placed on Highway 2000 whereby lands would be
opened up to facilitate industrial parks, tourism products, new towns and
linkages for distribution.
To engender
growth in today’s modern global environment, the need for sustainable science
and technology policy was agreed by all.
Agriculture
was highlighted specifically in the area of value added products and processing
and the development of orchard crops.
Significant
focus was also placed on the current fiscal imperatives and agreement was
achieved on the following:
-
containment
of debt as a percentage of GDP
-
the need
for lower interest rates
-
elimination
of the deficit over three years
Other
issues discussed included the need for a wage containment policy and a request
for the Government to revisit the 80% parity for the civil service.
In
addition, it was agreed in principle to broaden the tax net and the need for
additional taxation considering the current challenges. The Energy Conservation
Policy was also identified for review and public awareness.
It was also
widely agreed that efforts must be made to embrace the wider Jamaican Diaspora
to generate additional partnerships in business development.
It was
agreed to have quarterly meetings between both parties to monitor progress and
implementation of the key initiatives discussed.
The Prime
Minister stressed the need to proceed with urgency and decisiveness as demanded
by the national interest.
OPENING OF PARLIAMENT SET FOR APRIL 3
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson
has advised the Governor General His Excellency Sir Howard Cooke that the
current session of Parliament be prorogued on Saturday, March 29.
The ceremonial opening of Parliament for the new parliamentary year will be on Thursday, April 3. On that day, the Throne Speech will be delivered by the Governor General and the Estimates of Expenditure for the new financial year 2003-2004 will be tabled in the House.
GOVERNMENT & PRIVATE SECTOR HOLD WEEKEND RETREAT ON JOB CREATION, ECONOMIC GROWTH
As the Government and the private sector embark on a new phase of
collaboration and joint problem solving in the interest of advancing job
creation, economic growth and national development, the Government led by Prime
Minister P.J. Patterson will hold a three-day retreat with private sector
leaders in Montego Bay starting Friday, March 7.
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson
said in a statement on Thursday that the workshop/retreat which ends on Sunday
at the Ritz Carlton Rose Hall hotel is an important event in the ongoing
dialogue between the Government and the private sector. The Prime Minister said,
"Our adherence to the market economy model reserves a special place for the
private sector as the engine of economic growth. But we believe that the private
sector and the Government must work together to ensure that the growth and
development we both seek take place."
Private sector leaders are also
looking forward to the discussions on the economy.
“The private sector, as has been
its tradition, looks forward to collaborating with the Government on issues of
national importance. We therefore come to the table willing to share ideas and
thoughts on these issues and hope that practical solutions will be found to
engender the growth that we need so badly,” said, Private Sector Organisation of
Jamaica (PSOJ) President, Mrs. Beverly Lopez.
The retreat will be addressed on
Friday by Prime Minister Patterson, Mrs. Lopez the PSOJ President and Minister
of Development, Dr. Paul Robertson. On the opening day too, Minister of Finance
and Planning Dr. Omar Davies will present a fiscal review highlighting
perspectives and imperatives of the current economic situation, while National
Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips will present a report on the national
anti-crime initiative.
Saturday's
discussion will focus on strategies for promoting investment, job creation and
growth with presentations by the Minister of Development as well as the Advisor
to the Prime Minister on Science and Technology, Dr. Arnaldo Ventura. An action
plan will be arrived at and presented on Sunday, when the Prime Minister and the
PSOJ president are slated to deliver their closing remarks.
PATTERSON CALLS FOR REFORM OF NAM FOR POLTICAL & ECONOMIC GAIN
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson
says the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is as relevant today as it was at its
formation 48 years ago but told fellow leaders at their 13th summit
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday (February 25) that the movement required
urgent restructuring and re-branding to deal with current political and economic
realities. Declaring that the movement offered the only counter force of reason,
balance and objectivity in the post Cold War era where there is no longer a
contest for unswerving allegiance between contending superpowers, Mr. Patterson
said, “Today there is only one. But the Non-Aligned nations should not bow under
the sway of a single dominion”.
He suggested that the
Non-Aligned Movement take on a new more positive, more assertive and less
reactive image and speak with unison and moral authority while being the
critical ‘neighbourhood watch’ to halt the virulent advance of a single
hegemonic power that now threatens the global community and plunges the world in
crisis. Said Mr. Patterson: “We can be supine and submit; some may even be
tempted to collaborate. But by neither will we be true to our people; true to
ourselves or to future generations.”
On the current political crisis
surrounding Iraq, Prime Minister Patterson made it clear that Jamaica could not
endorse the justification of any unilateral decision to engage in military
action, which he said is bound to result in the death of defenceless women,
children and innocent citizens. He called on Iraq to comply immediately with
Resolution 1441 of the United Nations Security Council in accordance with the
obligation of all nations to comply with resolutions of that body.
The Prime Minister also spoke
out strongly against terrorism noting that, “Acts of terrorism that target, or
are indifferent to, the lives of innocent men, women and children are not
justified by even the most grievous wrongs.” Those who commit them, he said, do
not advance the cause they seek to serve.
He urged the NAM to clearly
state not just what it is against but also that for which it stands. These
principles, the Prime Minister said should embrace peace, justice and an
equitable world; multilateralism and international cooperation; the rule of law
worldwide; global survival through collective human security; the supremacy of
the UN system, reformed to fulfil the principles and precepts of its Charter; a
global economic system that responds to the needs of all the world’s people; and
fairness in sharing the planet’s resources.
The case for restructuring the
NAM in the economic sphere, Mr. Patterson said, was compelling. He urged
decisive action by the organisation to ensure the implementation of the
development goals set at the Millennium Summit in Havana in 2000. He proposed
the establishment of Ministerial contact groups within the ambit of the group of
77 with specific mandates to drive the process for development and economic gain
for developing countries specifically in the areas of money, finance and trade.
The groups would be mandated to
clarify priority issues for co-operation and joint action together with the
strategies and approaches that should be followed for pursuing them; and consult
and interact with developed countries individually and in groups on the matters
being pursued. The groups would also remain in touch over the course of specific
negotiations and agree on the action to advocate common positions and raise
international public awareness of them; as well as enlist the support of the
non-governmental community in building up pressure concerning issues selected as
well as in negotiating proposals emanating from them.
Noting that the decisions
emanating from the World Trade Organisation for the negotiations after the Doha
Ministerial meeting to constitute a development round had not yet been realised,
Mr. Patterson said developing countries had to press their case vigorously on
agriculture, non-tariff barriers, special and differential treatment; a
programme of action for small developing countries, dumping and subsidies, trade
in services and regional agreements.
The restructuring of the
movement must also acknowledge the empowerment of the world’s people, Prime
Minister Patterson emphasized, pointing out that the people of all countries are
allies in the cause of the NAM. Said Mr. Patterson: “In all the regions of the
South, we have to ask ourselves for how much longer can our poor, hungry and
sick, be expected to remain at their gates without convincing prospects of
betterment?”
He stressed that the time for
talking was over and that decisive action had to be the exclusive pre-occupation
of the Non-Aligned Movement to make a reality the textual consensus reached at
the millennium summit on eradicating hunger and poverty. “Timing is of the
essence to spur development and tackle poverty as a top global priority,” the
Prime Minister said, noting that there was the danger of the current
international political situation leading to the abandonment of critical
development efforts.
He urged greater levels of practical co-operation among countries of the South as multilateralism alone would not suffice. Mr. Patterson concluded: “The Challenge that confronts us is massive; the forces ranged against us are formidable. It will not be enough to respond with scattered resistance. Our solidarity must be more sustained, more structured, more coherent, better organised. Let us in Kuala Lumpur launch a serious process of restructuring and re-branding. Let us issue a mandatory injunction for action now. It may be our last chance to do so in our time.”
JAMAICAN AND MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENTS SIGN LETTER OF INTENT FOR MoBAY BYPASS
KUALA
LUMPUR, Feb. 25 (JIS):
A Letter of Intent for the financing and construction of a bypass road for
Montego Bay was signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by representatives of the
Jamaican Government and Malaysia’s construction industry authority on Tuesday
(Feb. 25).
Prime Minister P. J. Patterson who spoke at the signing ceremony, said the 12
kilometre toll road was necessary to complement segments I and II of the North
Coast Highway development and to solve the problem of traffic congestion in the
resort city. He said the project was in keeping with other major initiatives
linking the cruise ship port and the Sangster International Airport as part of
the home porting development being contemplated for the city.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Dr. Alwyn Hayles
signed on behalf of the Jamaican Government, while Hamzah B. Hasan, Chief
Executive Officer of the state run Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB)
signed on behalf of the CIDB-Ranhill Consortium, which will implement the
project. The signing was witnessed by Malaysia’s Minister of Works, Sammy Vellu
and Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, K. D. Knight.
The Malaysians are expected to provide about 60 per cent of the US$70 million to
build the bypass road.
Hailing the deal as an example of meaningful South-South co-operation, Prime
Minister Patterson noted that he and Malaysia’s Prime Minister,
Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad shared a conviction that developing
countries should collaborate with each other to improve the lives of their
people, rather than have their future determined by the developed countries of
the North.
“By this signing we are opening a new chapter of co-operation between the
Governments and people of Malaysia and Jamaica. We value this partnership with
Malaysia that combines the commitment of my Government to continue the
development of Jamaica’s infrastructure, with the visionary approach of the
Malaysian Government to this kind of South-South co-operation,” Mr. Patterson
added.
The Prime said that based on the complexity of the project and the fact that it
was being undertaken, not just for the present but also for succeeding
generations, more technical studies, costing and design work as well as the
accompanying land acquisitions would have to be undertaken. The current
indicative timetable, he said, called for the project to be started within 12
months.
Prime Minister
Patterson expressed appreciation on behalf of the Government and people of
Jamaica to the Government of Malaysia for their involvement in the project. He
noted that the proposal for the financing and construction of the Montego Bay
bypass road came out of the September 2001 visit to Jamaica by the Malaysian
Works Minister, who he said, had devoted much time and energy to the preliminary
work and ensured its approval by the Malaysian Government.
The project has been
spearheaded by the Development Bank of Jamaica, led by its Managing Director,
Kingsley Thomas, who also attended the signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
Prime Minister Patterson highlighted the existing co-operation between Jamaica’s
newly created National Works Agency (NWA) and the Malaysian Highway Authority.
He pointed to the pattern of heavy rainfall which was common to Jamaica and
Malaysia and expressed the view that the NWA had a lot to learn from the
expertise of the Malaysians in the areas of road maintenance and drainage.
Also present at the signing were Member of Parliament for North West
St. James, Dr.
Horace Chang; Government Senator and Chairman of the Greater Montego Bay
Redevelopment Committee, Noel Sloley; and NWA Head, Ivan Anderson.
JAMAICA, MALAYSIA REVIEW COOPERATION,
AGREE TO STRENGTHEN EDUCATION TIES
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 22 (JIS):
Prime Minister P.J.
Patterson on Saturday (February 22) held bilateral talks with his Malaysian
counterpart, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad ahead of the 13th summit of the
Non-Aligned Movement being held in Kuala Lumpur on Monday and Tuesday (February
24-25). The leaders discussed a range of political and economic issues including
the existing cooperation agreement between the countries.
Prime Minister Patterson thanked the Government of Malaysia for providing
technical assistance through the Malaysia Highway Authority to improve the
management and supervision capability of the National Works Agency and to assist
with the evaluation of tenders for Highway 2000, the first phase of which is to
be completed this year.
Mr. Patterson described the relationship between Malaysia and Jamaica as a model
for South-South cooperation and one, which had the potential for further
development. “Jamaica appreciates this assistance which has been of tremendous
benefit to us particularly in light of significant damage done to the island’s
road network by heavy rains and repeated flooding over a short period of time,”
the Jamaican Prime Minister said.
He also expressed the Government’s appreciation for the offer from the Malaysian
Government to assist with the design, construction and financing of the 12
kilometres Montego Bay Bypass Road, which he said was critical to easing the
traffic problems in that city. A letter of intent for the project is to be
signed in Kuala Lumpur between the Jamaican Government and the Malaysian
Construction Industry Development Board next week.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Mahathir expressed an interest in exploring new areas
of cooperation with Jamaica including technology. Prime Minister Patterson
pointed to an existing university exchange programme between the two countries,
which he said could be enhanced. Said Mr. Patterson: “We welcome this form of
bilateral co-operation and we want to encourage it. Educational advancement is
not only the key to the future, but also a way of bringing our people closer.”
The two leaders agreed on the need for associations of developing countries such
as the Non-Aligned Movement, the G15 and the Group of 77 to devote more
attention to international economic issues in the course of globalisation and
the need for follow-up mechanism to advance work programmes.
Prime Ministers Mahathir and Patterson reiterated their commitment to
multilateralism and the resolution of political conflict without aggression.
They also expressed total and unequivocal rejection of terrorism and oppression
of any kind.
SENIOR OFFICIALS MEET IN MALAYSIA TO DRAFT NON-ALIGNED POSITIONS
Kuala Lumpur, February 20:
Representatives of the Jamaican Government are participating in a two-day
senior officials meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which opened at the
Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday (February 20).
The senior officials' meeting is being held before the summit of Heads of
Government of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday and Tuesday
February 24-25. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson is leading Jamaica’s delegation to
the summit, while Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade K.D. Knight is
expected to head Jamaica’s participation in Ministerial talks among NAM members
on Saturday (February 22).
In the meetings on Thursday and Friday senior officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade are meeting with delegates from 113 other member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement. They will consider the draft document stating the movement’s position on a range of political, economic and social issues to be reflected in the official Kuala Lumpur Declaration to be agreed on and released at the end of the summit.
Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Mrs. Charmaine Constantine; Director of the International Organisations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Mrs. Sheila Sealy Montieth; Communication Consultant to the Prime Minister, Huntley Medley and Opposition Member of Parliament Dr. Horace Chang – who is a member of Jamaica’s delegation to the summit – attended the opening session of the meeting on Thursday.
The OPM and Foreign Ministry officials are
expected to be joined on Friday by Jamaica’s Permanent Representative to the
United Nations, Ambassador Stafford Neil in ensuring that the views of the
Jamaican Government are adequately reflected in the final document to be
presented to the leaders of the NAM when they meet. The senior officials will
work through a committee dealing with political matters, another looking at
social and economic issues and a working group on the situation regarding Iraq,
which is a member state of the NAM.
VALUES AND ATTITUDES – THE 2003 PHASE TO BE INTRODUCED
The new thrust in the Values and Attitudes Programme, to be known as Values and Attitudes – the 2003 Phase, will be introduced at a ceremony at the Northern Caribbean University on Wednesday morning, February 26th.
The Honourable Burchell Whiteman, Minister of Information, who has portfolio responsibility for Values and Attitudes – the 2003 Phase, will formally outline the Statement of Purpose for the Programme.
The Statement of Purpose will be followed by the inaugural address by the Chairman of the National Steering Committee of the Programme, the Reverend Marjorie Lewis of the United Church of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Mr. Whiteman has said that Values and Attitudes – the 2003 Phase is “to get the country to unite around a common vision and a common strategy to encourage values and attitudes that will have a positive impact on our behaviour as a nation and improve the quality of all our lives but especially the lives of our children.”
Minister Whiteman said that Mandeville was selected to introduce the new thrust because by going to the centre of Jamaica the intention was to send a symbolic message that even if the Government had a role to play, the Values and Attitudes Programme was not a government programme and Kingston was not Jamaica.
He said that he was aware of several groups and institutions in Mandeville expressing a real desire to help to fashion a new Jamaica. He said that people in central and southern Jamaica have shown great enthusiasm about the Programme. “However the function could have been held in virtually any other town outside of Kingston,” Minister Whiteman said.
Mr. Whiteman conceded that some in leadership positions may not necessarily have led by example in the matter of positive values and attitudes and said, “no matter what sphere of work we are involved in we need to reflect the values and attitudes campaign in our own lives.”
“Let us proceed with the campaign, let us engage our politicians, leaders in the public sector, leaders in the private sector, heads of households, workers and professionals; let us engage everybody because no matter where you are in society, there is a contribution you must make if we are to return to civility, understanding, tolerance and respect for each other,” the Minister said.
Other highlights of the introduction ceremony include messages of endorsement of the Values and Attitudes Programme from the Prime Minister, the Most Honourable P.J. Patterson and the Jamaica Council of Churches.
There will also be expressions of commitment from the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, the Ministers’ Fraternal and the youth programme, JAMVAT. Students and other young people will also be participating in the programme.
The event will be chaired by Dr. Herbert Thompson, President of NCU. It starts at 10:30 a.m., is open to the public and will be broadcast nationally.