NEW YEAR’S WISH LIST

PATSY EDWARDS HENRY

President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ)

The year 2021 was one of great uncertainty, anxiety and dread, yet at some point there was hope and optimism that this dreaded pandemic would come to an end and life as we knew it would return.

As we enter 2022, I remain optimistic that this dreaded pandemic will disappear as suddenly as it appeared, and that we, with the lessons learnt, can move forward to having our schools reopened for face-to-face teaching and learning; that the economy will rebound; that those who have lost their jobs will be gainfully employed again; and that there be a significant reduction in crime and violence against women and children.

There is much talk of a fourth wave with the arrival of the omicron variant, and my wish is that healthcare workers, especially nurses, will be spared the onslaught of the increase in admissions and overcrowded health facilities with severely ill patients and death, as was experienced with the third wave.

As the economy recovers, I wish that nurses in Jamaica will be seen and appreciated for their work and worth. That the Government of Jamaica will call us to the negotiation table early to complete and implement the long-outstanding Compensation Review, which I hope will give nurses a liveable wage.

For Jamaica, land we love, on behalf of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, I wish for all hope, peace, happiness and, above all, God’s richest blessings for 2022 and beyond.

RICHARD BYLES

Governor of the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ)

The year 2022 promises continued economic recovery to pre-COVID levels of growth and employment in Jamaica. Our foreign exchange reserves are strong, our current account balance is sustainable and the financial system remains well capitalised. 2022 also promises to see the introduction of Jamaica’s central bank digital currency.

However, inflation is a major challenge facing Jamaica. Much of it is caused by the direct impact of rising international commodity prices (like grains and energy) and elevated shipping costs. But some inflation is domestically generated when prices like housing rental rates, transportation costs and wages rise in response to concerns about imported inflation. It is also generated when businesses set prices of imported products based on their expectations for exchange rates which far exceed the current rate. If this chain of events continues, it can get out of control and become a vicious cycle that persists even when international prices return to normal.

Bank of Jamaica is fighting this domestic inflation by raising interest rates and tightening Jamaican dollar liquidity available to banks, making saving in local currency more attractive and borrowing more expensive. This reduces purchasing power in the economy and, therefore, the pressure on prices.

BOJ also participates in the foreign exchange market to temper any unwarranted depreciation of the Jamaican dollar.

With these efforts, Bank of Jamaica expects that we will see inflation return to the target range of four to six per cent per annum by the second half of 2022. Jamaica’s long-term economic growth is best built on a platform of low and stable inflation. Our best wishes to every Jamaican in 2022. We look forward to continuing to serve you.

LINVERN WRIGHT

President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS)

First, I wish for greater focus on educating the souls, hearts and minds of our children and our people. Our syllabi and curricula need to be revised to teach, assess and report on student values, spirituality and social responsibility. Equally, our social structures and institutions outside of education need to reinforce these values. Our children need to be addressed in terms of such things as forgiveness, compassion, patience, diligence, kindness, selflessness, empathy, respect, initiative, among others. If we do this well, we should be on our way to becoming a kinder and more responsible people.

Second, we need to see the kind of investments requisite for early childhood and primary education to lay a proper foundation for our children to become socially responsible, critical minded and economically successful.

And third, I wish to see a Jamaica serious about regard for law and order demonstrated by fair, firm and consistent application of the law to all persons who breach, whether in small or significant ways.

BRIANA WILLIAMS

Olympian

For 2022, I wish for life to get back to normal and for us to be able to gather again and have crowd support at track events. It’s always nice to have fans in the stands.

For my professional career, I aim to stay healthy all season, make the final at Worlds, and lower my personal best. Hopefully, I go sub-10.90 this season.

KEITH DUNCAN

President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ)

Tribal politics has accounted for a substantial part of our underdevelopment. The immediate priority areas that we must seek national and bipartisan consensus on are social, community and education transformation which should drive sustainable crime reduction.

As it relates to social and community transformation, our children were not born criminals. Collectively, we must take responsibility for being in the top five murder capitals of the world over the past two decades. Hundreds of billions of dollars have largely been wasted on social programmes through inefficient application of resources in many marginalised, depressed communities. Many studies have been done over decades, including one currently under way by the Dr Maureen Samms-Vaughan-chaired Violence Prevention Commission.

Education is in need of a radical overhaul. Expenditure on education is comparable to our Caribbean peers and within international benchmarks but we are not getting the outcomes or value for money.

The Educational Transformation Committee headed by Orlando Patterson report is due and the World Bank has completed an expenditure review of education.

Jamaica has had enough studies and task forces over decades examining education, social transformation and crime reduction. 2022 is the year in which the Government of Jamaica must lead the way in engaging our collective minds to efficiently focus Jamaica’s resources on a bipartisan, holistic and comprehensive transformation of education, social and community development which should cross-cut political administrations. This transformation plan could be monitored and evaluated through Jamaica’s National Partnership Council.

EMPREZZ GOLDING

Youth Advocate

I want to wish the youth of Jamaica a happy New Year. May 2022 be a year of vision, hope, faith and purpose. So many of you are carrying a heavy load, but don’t let that heavy load break you. Instead, every day do one thing intentionally that will make you grow stronger.

Every day you must commit to being brave and resilient. Let us commit to inspire each other with the principles of unity, self-determination, purpose and creativity.

When it comes to work and opportunities for you in 2022, I suggest you show up presenting at your best. You may not be able to see the opportunities immediately but I assure you that if you present well, with the right attitude mixed with gratitude, the opportunity will see you.

I have seen too many young people in 2021 miss a great opportunity because they were late more than once, weren’t team players or were just unable to take instruction or advice from those who were wiser and had more experience. Youth, you need to work on being humble and accepting that you don’t know it all.

Try everything, even if it is not what you want to do right now for your career, and know that it is not about instant gratification but an investment into your future. Every lesson, every network, every experience makes you greater and stronger. Don’t be afraid to branch out and step out of your comfort zone; just go for it.

To the youth who are better off, I am asking you to commit to mentoring a young person who is less fortunate than you are.

PROFESSOR TREVOR MUNROE

Principal Director of the National Integrity Action (NIA)

My New Year’s wishes are that all of us Jamaicans, especially our men of all ages, be less violent, more respectful in how we deal with one another, particularly in how we treat our women and children. That there be less inequality, particularly in income and in the enforcement of law, in more progress towards ensuring one law for all, the big and the small, towards curtailing white-collar crime as much as gun crime.

I also wish that many more of us comply with the anti-COVID protocols, get vaccinated or tested so that Jamaicans may begin to resume more normal lives – particularly in our educational institutions and business enterprises.

For 2022, during our 60th year of independence, I would like to see the following accomplished:

• The Government modify its legislation programme to strengthen transparency in the provisions of the Integrity Commission Act.

• The Government give priority to passing anti-crime and anti-corruption measures to which it committed itself in the Crime Monitoring and Oversight Committee, particularly the institution of Unexplained Wealth Orders and the Enhanced Security Measures Act.

• The prime minister reactivating the National Partnership Council in which the Government should lead in urgently putting forward proposals to develop a national consensus on a ‘vax or tax’ policy.

• The completion of the Clansman trial and maximum punishment given to those found guilty; and that the corruption trial of former minister Ruel Reid commence and proceed expeditiously.

• The finalisation of the new compensation system for public officers, whereby pay scale will be improved to match value of work done; and at the same time, those guilty of spending hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money wastefully or corruptly be surcharged to pay back or otherwise be punished in accordance with the law.

These and other accomplishments shall require increased advocacy, not only on the part of civil society bodies like NIA but closer collaboration among political leadership, public servants of integrity, a more assertive citizenry and Jamaica’s international development partners.