Impressed with Gov’t forward thinking
Published:Saturday | April 13, 2019 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
As I sat in The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel and listened to Prime Minister Andrew Holness address the gathering at the Mayberry Breakfast Briefing for Wigton Windfarm, I was really moved. He was able to evoke strong emotions of patriotism in me.
When he spoke of generating wealth for the Jamaican people, I could immediately identify with his enthusiasm and optimism for the future. He went on to say that we as Jamaicans can work to make Jamaica a rich nation by creating wealth through the ownership of assets. He, essentially, wants to democratise capitalism and make ownership of government entities like Wigton an inclusive purchase.
I can understand how he sees this working – private companies are held a lot more accountable to their directors or owners or shareholders than are Government agencies.
So what if we switch up the dynamic and have more public companies being privately owned and operated? Won’t we increase accountability and thereby, improve efficiency and profitability?
This is another bold move on the path to public-private partnership. Our resources and assets are not being fully utilised currently. If we, as ordinary Jamaicans, have an actual share, an actual part of the entities, maybe we would be more interested in seeing them succeed. This success would lead to more growth, then higher gross domestic product, then move the economy forward.
Wigton is already a profitable organisation and the only wind- producing entity in the Caribbean. It is not a broke or dilapidated facility that the Government just eagerly wants to get rid of.
I am impressed with the forward thinking of this administration and the interest they are taking not just in asset diversification, but also in cleaner, greener environments and renewables.
I am already jumping on to this ship. Everyone else who wants to see a rich Jamaica should, too!
KING CHARLES