PM hits back at criticisms regarding state of economy

 

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has hit back at critics of the state of the economy. 

 

Prime Minister Holness says some have blasted the government for the lack of prosperity, which was promised by the Jamaica Labour Party as it wooed the electorate. 

 

Dr. Holness says there are many who confuse prosperity with pleasure, describing it as a process. 

 

"It is the constant progress of impactful and positive transformation of the lives of the people. It is a journey. There are moments on the journey where you will gain some pleasure, but you will also encounter some distress, some hurt, some unhappiness, but it is in the conquest of these things that you develop the mindset of being successful and prosperous. And what we have done as a government is to place the country on the journey of prosperity. Lest we forget, before 2015, the mantra and indeed the theme of the country was about poverty. The last thing we have heard about poverty is that absolute poverty in Jamaica has been cut in half," he declared. 

 

Dr. Holness was speaking on Wednesday at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Wakefield Mews Palm Housing Development in St. Catherine. 

 

In the meantime, Prime Minister Holness said, improving the housing conditions of the most needy and vulnerable in the society will result in a dip in criminal activity.

 

"We will reduce the number of households out of which criminals come, out of which people who act in antisocial ways come, out of which people who practice unhealthy lifestyles come. So it is by improving housing that we support the reduction of crime," he reasoned.