Audley Shaw, Opposition Spokesman on Finance, issued a strong plea Tuesday on behalf of Jamaica's poor, urging the government to do more to protect them from the worst effects of the current economic downturn.
In his contribution to the 2013/2014 buddget debate, Mr. Shaw, finance minister in the last government, proclaimed that "fathers and mothers are struggling to keep food on the table and send their children to school. Farmers are trying their best with high prices for inputs, unpredictable weather and low prices for their produce and the Taxi man can’t make ends meet."
He highlighted the annecdotal experience of a taxi operator who, according to him, earns J$6,000 per day, of which he spends $3,500 for gasoline, remits $2,000 to the owner of the car, leaving himself with only $500.00.
The value of grants to PATH (Programme of Advancement through Health & education) beneficiaries was shrinking with devaluation, he said. "People are hurting and reeling from punishing price increases from downtown to uptown. These punishing price increases across all sectors is marginalising the middle and working class and making the poorest of the poor more poor" he said.
The unemployment rate in Jamaica was rising again, Mr. Shaw warned, pointing out that it had reached 13.7 percent at the end of October 2012 versus 13 percent when the Jamaica Labour Party left office in January 2012.
"This is moving in the wrong direction despite this government’s promise of JEEP (Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme)" he said.
Furthermore, Mr. Shaw, said, the unemployment rate among young people was 35.3 percent in October 2012, 4.2 percentage points higher than the 31.1 percent reported for October 2011.
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