PM Holness heaps praises on outgoing Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke

By Kimone Witter    

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has heaped praises on outgoing Minister of Finance Dr. Nigel Clarke who demits office at midnight Tuesday.

 

Mr. Holness says during his tenure, Dr. Clarke provided sound critical skills in the management of the economic affairs of the country and the transformation of its economic prospects.

 

Addressing the Area One Council Meeting of the Jamaica Labour Party in St. Andrew North Western on Monday night, Mr. Holness said he was under no illusion that Dr. Clarke's stint as Finance Minister would have been lengthy. 

 

"It was always my view, and I'm certain quietly held by Nigel, that once a critical element of the mission is achieved, then that incredible talent and skill needs to be made available, not just to Jamaica, but to the world. I consider it a complement for Jamaica, a distinct honour paid to us, that one of ours and a member of the Jamaica Labour Party, that the outlook and perspective is such that it is required to be used on the international stage. We are, yes, losing our Minister of Finance, but we are gaining so much more from where he will be in the International Monetary Fund," said the Prime Minister. 

 

Dr. Clarke is set to assume the post of Deputy Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund, come Thursday.

 

Meanwhile, taking a jab at the People's National Party, Prime Minister Holness declared that he will not allow what he termed "PNPism" to return in Jamaica.

 

"There is a kind of thinking in Jamaica that can only be described as PNPism. It is a sense of entitlement, entitlement to the point that it yields a great level of badmind. It is a kind of thinking that says anything you want, we can gi it to you, and you don't have to work for it. It's called freeness mentality; a disconnection between how we make people better and how we use our labour to create wealth. Much of the challenges that we face in the society today can be traced back to PNPism," he argued. 

 

Mr. Holness said a Jamaica Labour Party administration will continue to lead the country on the path to economic independence.