Western Bureau:

STAKEHOLDERS IN western Jamaica think it will take much more than government, as usual, if the ambitious plan for the 2009-2010 parliamentary year, outlined by Governor General Dr Patrick Allen on Tuesday are to bear the expected fruits.

Lloyd B. Smith, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, who was part of a three-man panel which gathered at The Gleaner's Western Bureau to watch the governor general's presentation of the Throne Speech, believes it was lacking in substance.

"What has been put before us is nothing new, and the irony of the speech is that the governor general stated that extraordinary times demand extraordinary leadership; yet, I do not see anything in the Throne Speech that is extraordinary," Smith said.

According to Smith, he would have been more encouraged if matters such as constitutional reform, plans to make members of parliament more accountable, local government reform and a proper look at a workable social partnership had been advanced.

While applauding the plans outlined in the Throne Speech, Winston Dear, a prominent member of the Montego Bay business community, also believes that the Government's modus operandi must change, especially in regard to corruption.

Corruption

"Corruption is a major crime against good governance and it must be addressed and cover all strata of the society," said Dear. "White-collar crime is just as bad as petty crimes so we must stop covering those in authority who are committing these white-collar crimes.

Another panellist, O. Dave Allen, community activist and head of Community Organisations for Management and Sustainable Development (COMAND), said the time has come to stop paying lip service to the crime problem.

"We cannot grow the economy without first dealing with crime and violence," said Allen. "We need to address the social factors that encourage crime through meaningful social intervention programmes."

Reflecting on the announcement of plans to reform the tax system, Dear said he was fully supportive of them but wants the 50,000 persons now outside the tax net to be captured.

"The inequity in the tax system has to be addressed because, as it is now, it allows the upper echelon of society to get away without paying their taxes, leaving the country to depend on the PAYE to support the capital budget," said Dear.

While he believes the Government does not have the capacity to continue its signature free tuition for students in secondary schools and its no-user-fee policy for the health sector, Allen thinks the proposals for the small business sector are very good.

"I am happy about the emphasis on small business in terms of the provision of capital," he said. "I am also quite pleased about the plans to strengthen NGOs because these will help to bring the issues of marginalised communities to the fore."