PRIME Minister Bruce Golding’s 18-member Cabinet has scored big with several of the country’s business leaders, despite criticisms from some analysts that the executive is top heavy and a smaller Cabinet would be in the best interest of the country.

But yesterday several key interest groups lauded Golding’s move as “futuristic”, “forward thinking” and “unprecedented”.

President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Christopher Zacca told the Observer that the PSOJ was in support of the choices and argued that while there were 18 ministers, there were 14 ministries, as under the Portia Simpson Miller-led administration.

“It is a good mix of people,” said Zacca. “I’m not concerned about the number of appointments in that the number of ministries remain the same. There is a lot of work to be done, so the more good people we have the better, and if the prime minister feels he needs 18 people in the Cabinet I think we should wait and see how they perform and give them all the support we can.”

On the appointment of Don Wehby, chief operating officer of GraceKennedy’s Financial Services Division, as one of two ministers without portfolio in the finance and public service ministry, Zacca said the move was strategic and augured well for public-private sector co-operation.

He said the PSOJ had already requested a meeting with the new prime minister, with a view to “exchanging ideas on how to jump-start the economy and set growth as the number one priority”.

President of the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA) Omar Azan said he, too, did “not have a problem with the size of the Cabinet”.

“A larger one is a little more costly to the taxpayers of the country, but I really don’t have an issue with it,” said Azan.

“I’m sure Mr Golding has his own reasons why he has done it this way and I think we need to allow him to do what he has planned to do and proposed to do for Jamaica and give him a chance to get his feet wet in the job.”

The JMA president said the association was also pleased with the appointment of Karl Samuda as industry and commerce minister and Wehby’s assignment to the finance and public service ministry.

“We have no problems with Mr Samuda being our minister, we are actually looking forward to working along with him and I think in terms of production he will be very good in leading the way; in terms of Mr Wehby, it will be a plus for manufacturers,” he said.

Azan also gave high marks for the appointment of trade unionist Dwight Nelson as minister without portfolio in the finance and public service ministry alongside Wehby.

“I think it goes hand in hand; I think it’s great,” Azan said.

Another senior private sector leader, Mark Myers, president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, also backed Golding’s Cabinet picks.

“I don’t have a major problem with the number of Cabinet members; I would have loved to have seen a smaller government but I believe there is a lot of work to be done, so hopefully the number of people doing it will mean that there is more focus and quicker results,” Myers said.

“In terms of Don Wehby’s appointment, I applaud that. I think it is fantastic that a member of the private sector has been brought in to bring the sort of insight into the management of the public purse and I have every confidence in his ability.

“I do know Dwight (Nelson) has been instrumental in the negotiations with the MOUs over the years. It’s very apt he is part of the team. On the face of it I have no problems with the appointments,” Myers added.

Myers said that with the contentious general elections now over, he hopes the elected representatives will be allowed to get their jobs done and produce results.

Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, executive director of the Jamaica Employers’ Federation, said, “We think it is a favourable Cabinet; a workable Cabinet. There is a mix of youth, experience, gender. It reflects diversity,” she told the Observer.

Coke-Lloyd was also happy with the appointment of Pearnel Charles as the new minister of labour and social security.

“The minister of labour is an experienced person who appreciates and understands both labour and employment issues,” she said. “We see a mix of competence and experience. The combination under the finance portfolio of Don Wehby reflects unprecedented forward thinking. It reflects public-private partnership, it reflects a wider and futuristic thinking of how the private sector and labour movement will work towards bringing economic reform. We will be expecting accountability and execution,” Coke-Lloyd said.