Opposition Spokesman on Finance Dr Peter Phillips is of the view that the Jamaican economy will not achieve high rates of economic growth unless the country addresses the problems stemming from social and economic inequality.
In his presentation to the Budget Debate in Gordon House yesterday, Phillips acknowledged that the requisite levels of growth in the economy would be difficult to accomplish if the hundreds of thousands of citizens who have been living on the margins of the society are not brought into the mainstream of the social and economic life of the country.
According to him, the Government should complete the reform of the education system to ensure that the 50 per cent of students who are being left behind each year after leaving school are adequately prepared for the job market.
“We will have to modernise our security forces to effectively control crime and anti-social behaviour,” the spokesman added.
He called for the Government to pursue three critical initiatives to confront poverty and inequality in Jamaica: a new deal for agriculture, land titling and housing.
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