Gre e ting s Mr. Spe a ke r, Ho no ura b le Me mb e rs, d isting - PDF document

JAMAICA: G O ING FO R G RO WT H AND DEVEL O PMENT - UNL EASHING O UR PO T ENT IAL 2013- 14 Budg e t Pre se nta tion By Prime Ministe r Po rtia Simpson Mille r, O .N., M.P. T ue sda y, April 30, 2013 Gre e ting s Mr. Spe a ke r, Ho no ura b le Me mb e rs, d isting uishe d Me mb e rs o f the Diplo ma tic a nd Co nsula r Co rps, Me mb e rs o f I nte rna tio na l Org a nisa tio ns, F e llo w Ja ma ic a ns. I tha nk the Almig hty, fo r his lo ve a nd kind ne ss to wa rd s me . I pra y tha t he will c o ntinue to g uid e my pa th a nd b le ss o ur na tio n. I pa use a t the b e g inning o f this pre se nta tio n to e xpre ss my g ra titud e to my e na b ling te a m a t ho me , my b e st frie nd a nd husb a nd , E rrald a nd the o the r me mb e rs o f my fa mily, inc lud ing Ma rva . I also wish to tha nk me mb e rs o f my Ca b ine t a s we ll a s the me mb e rs o f the Pub lic Se rvic e , Ministrie s a nd Ag e nc ie s. I must spe c ia lly tha nk my Co unc illo rs fo r the supp o rt a nd the c o nstitue nts o f So uth We st St. And re w fo r allo wing me the privile g e to se rve fo r the se ma ny ye a rs. I am g ra te ful fo r the ir lo ving suppo rt a nd und e rsta nd ing o f the c halle ng e s tha t c o me with b e ing the Pre sid e nt o f a Po litic a l Pa rty, Me mb e r o f Pa rliame nt a nd He a d o f Go ve rnme nt. Mr. Spe a ke r, the c hild re n ha ve b e e n a n e nd uring so urc e o f inspira tio n to me . T he y a re o ur future le a d e rs. I am g ra te ful to a ll Ja ma ic a ns, a t ho me a nd a b ro a d , who c o nsta ntly pra y fo r me a nd o ffe r the ir e nc o ura g e me nt a nd suppo rt. Mr Spe a ke r, I pa use to pa y trib ute to so me o utsta nd ing Ja ma ic a ns ha ve ma d e the ir tra nsitio n in the pa st ye a r, a mo ng the m - the Ho n. Ma uric e F a c e y, OJ; Dr. the Ho n. Olive L e win, OJ, CD; Mr. Arthur H. Williams, OD; Mr Ge o rg e K e rr, OD; Ho n. Ja me s d e Ro ux CD; a nd Mr T o ny L a ing . 1

Pe rmit me , Mr Spe a ke r to sing le -o ut a no the r o utsta nd ing Ja ma ic a n o ne fro m a mo ng us in this Pa rlia me nt – fo rme r Se na to r, Ministe r o f Sta te , Pre sid e nt o f the Ja ma ic a T e a c he r's Asso c ia tio n, sc ho o l princ ipal, Ministe r o f the Mo ra via n Churc h, a nd c o mmunity a c tivist. I spe a k o f the la te No e l Mo nte ith. We ho no ur the ir wo rk a nd c o ntrib utio n. Intr oduc tion Mr. Spe a ke r, All o f us in this Ho use , if we a re true re p re se nta tive s o f the pe o ple must a d mit tha t the re is a se g me nt o f o ur so c ie ty, pre se nt a nd visib le in e a c h o f o ur c o nstitue nc ie s whic h is hurting . Mr. Spe a ke r, I spe a k o f the rura l po o r o r tho se in the inne r c itie s who e xist o n the fring e s o f the so c ie ty a nd a re in d e spe ra te ne e d o f spe c ia l a tte ntio n a nd o ur suppo rt. T he stra in o n the e c o no my a nd the p re ssure o n the d o lla r c a use d b y the pe rsisting re c e ssio n, ha ve ha d a d ire c t impa c t o n fo o d a nd c o mmo d ity pric e s. T o tho se me mb e rs o f the Ja ma ic a n fa mily, I sa y to yo u this a fte rno o n - ‘ I kno w it is ha rd a nd I kno w it is d iffic ult b ut yo u ha ve no t b e e n fo rg o tte n.’ T he a d ministra tio n tha t I le a d is e nsuring tha t a n a ppro pria te mix o f po lic ie s a nd pro g ra mme s is d e sig ne d to b ring g re a te r se c urity to yo ur live s a nd to e nsure tha t yo ur situa tio n is impro ve d . As a na tio n we have c o me to o fa r a nd wo rke d to o ha rd to se e the ste ps to wa rd s pro g re ss re ve rse d . As we d id with JE E P, a uniq ue c o mb inatio n o f pro je c ts will b e d e ve lo pe d to pro vid e so c ia l a nd e c o no mic pro te c tio n a nd se c urity fo r yo u a nd yo ur fa milie s. Amo ng the first to p a rtic ip a te in the re d e sig ne d Rural E c o no mic De ve lo pme nt I nitia tive s (RE DI) a nd the PAT H Ste p to Wo rk Pro g ra mme will b e tho se a t g re a te st risk. T his stra te g y will e nsure tha t tho se o f o ur wo me n who a re mo st vulne ra ble a nd pla c e d a t g re a te st risk b y rural a nd inne r-c ity po ve rty, will ha ve a c c e ss to a ppro pria te tra ining a nd fina nc ing to pa rtic ipa te a s sha re ho ld e rs in c o tta g e ind ustrie s. 2

Mr. Spe a ke r, in a ye a r o f suc h fisc a l c o nstra ints – we ha ve ha d to wo rk with le ss re so urc e s tha n we d id last ye a r. T his a d ministra tio n is d uty b o und to e xe rc ise the g re a te st c a re tha t e ve ry d o lla r is wise ly spe nt thro ug h b e tte r c o o rd ina tio n a nd ta rg e te d inte rve ntio n to pro te c t the mo st vulne ra ble me mb e rs o f the Ja ma ic a n fa mily. Our wo me n, pe rso ns with d isa b ilitie s, the yo ung a nd the e ld e rly a re pa rtic ula rly vulne ra ble to po ve rty in time s like the se . It is the y who g ive me the impe tus e a c h d a y to d o a ll tha t I c a n to ma ke the ir live s b e tte r. Mr. Spe a ke r, I am po sitive a b o ut Ja ma ic a a nd o ur future . It is with the kno wle d g e tha t Ja ma ic a ha s e me rg e d with o ne o f the stro ng e st a nd mo st re c o g niza ble na tio na l b ra nd s tha t I wa ke up e ve ry d a y d e te rmine d to put thing s rig ht. It is with the kno wle d g e tha t, a ll o ve r the wo rld , c o mpanie s a re se e king to c a pita lize o n ‘ Bra nd Ja ma ic a ’ , inc lud ing o ur na tio na l symb o ls, o ur music , o ur la ng ua g e , o ur fo o d s a nd o ur a thle te s – tha t I kno w tha t we ha ve within us, tha t spirit a nd d e te rmina tio n to suc c e e d . Mr. Spe a ke r, a s a c o untry we ha ve e nd ure d o il c rise s, fre q ue nt a nd se ve re na tura l d isa ste rs a nd c o ntinue to fa c e the mo st se rio us re c e ssio n in mo re tha n 60 ye a rs. Ye t, in this o ur fifty-first ye a r a s a p o litic a lly ind e pe nd e nt na tio n, we sta nd stro ng a nd pro ud , re silie nt a nd fo c usse d o n c re a ting the future we wa nt fo r all Ja ma ic a ns. It is the re fo re with c o nfid e nc e tha t we c o nfro nt the c urre nt so c io -e c o no mic pre ssure s. We a re d e te rmine d a s a pe o ple to suc c e e d , to a c hie ve De ve lo pe d Co untry Sta tus a nd c re a te a g o o d q ua lity o f life fo r a ll o ur c itize ns. Our jo urne y a s a na tio n ha s b e e n c ha ra c te rize d b y ma ny twists a nd turns. We ha ve ha d o ur ups a nd d o wns. We ha ve fa c e d ma ny c halle ng e s a nd ha ve ha d ma ny d iffic ult p e rio d s b ut we ha ve ne ve r surre nd e re d . I ha ve a n a b id ing fa ith in o ur pe o ple , c o nfid e nc e in o ur pro g ra mme s a nd o p timism a b o ut o ur future . 3

T he se c o nsid e ra tio ns will g uid e us a s we pre ss fo rwa rd – Go ing fo r Gro wth and De ve lo pme nt, Unle ashing o ur F ull Po te ntial. Mr. Spe a ke r, T he me a sure s re q uire d to ta ke o ur na tio n fo rwa rd ha ve ma d e life d iffic ult fo r ma ny. I und e rsta nd the pa in a nd pre ssure s b e ing fa c e d b y mo st o f o ur pe o ple . We will ho we ve r c o ntinue to d o e ve rything we c a n to mitig a te the e ffe c t o f the d iffic ult me a sure s we ha ve ha d to ta ke , in o rd e r to put rig ht, a n e c o no my g o ne wro ng . T he Ministe r o f F ina nc e ha s d e sc rib e d the c halle ng e s fa c ing o ur e c o no my. He ha s o utline d the ne c e ssa ry me a sure s whic h we a re ta king to a d d re ss the se c halle ng e s, re sto re ma c ro -e c o no mic sta b ility a nd re d uc e o ur d e b t. It wo uld ha ve b e e n mo re d iffic ult to survive the la st 16 mo nths witho ut the invo lve me nt a nd c o mmitme nt o f o ur sta ke ho ld e rs. T he b usine ss a nd fina nc ial se c to rs a nd d e po sito rs ha ve b e e n ve ry impo rta nt pa rtne rs in this re g a rd . I n a sho w o f pa trio tic c o mmitme nt the y pa rtic ipa te d in the Na tio na l De b t E xc ha ng e a nd he lpe d sta b ilize the a iling e c o no my tha t we inhe rite d . I salute the m fo r the ir c o ntrib utio n. Our public se rva nts a nd the pub lic se c to r T ra d e Unio ns ha ve a lso ma d e tre me nd o us sa c rific e s. T he y ha ve pa rtne re d with us a nd ha ve , o nc e a g a in, a g re e d to wa g e re stra ints. Whe the r the y a re te a c he rs, po lic e o r so ld ie rs, he alth pro fe ssio na ls, a c c o unta nts o r so c ial wo rke rs, te c hnic al o r e xe c utive pro fe ssio na ls, a dministra to rs, c le ric al, a nc illa ry wo rke rs o r d rive rs; this c o untry c o uld no t o pe ra te witho ut o ur c o mmitte d a nd d e d ic a te d public se rva nts. T ime a nd time a g a in, the y ha ve ‘ ste ppe d up to the pla te ’ to he lp Jama ic a . We o we the m a hug e d e b t o f g ra titud e . 4