After a lifetime in politics and two years in office, Bruce is at the starting gate of our economic miracle. The pieces are in place, mistakes are behind us and the race for growth is on! Bruce, you must now give us a reason to vote for you in 2012 – it’s in your hands. If you succeed, we succeed! You dropped the JDX axe on investors. I would have used a tax like Gordon Brown’s 50 per cent special tax on the City as we all know taxes. Your veiled threat wrapped in the flag is tricky! Where else will you use it? Man to man, Bruce, time is against me, I may not reach Coyaba with you guys, so here’s some advice for the journey. But remember, do not stick to the old script, you can rewrite it! Here goes:

*You must switch from fixing the nation’s reputation to fixing the nation. It is right to help Haiti, but it is wrong to make an unaffordable commitment for image sake.

*Stop being an airbrushed bureaucrat and free up your inner missionary – only believe!

*Change the ministers who are past their “sell-by” date. Stop rewarding past services and take risks for future glory. We have talent and you must inspire and draft it into service! Be the prototype of the new politics and use the best the nation has!

*Do Civil Service transformation wisely. We have five types of ministry – Infrastructure, Regulation, Representation, Services, and Production. Think of them as such and you will see the scope to merge and downsize. Production ministers are to be tasked with growth. Services are both economic and social – you need two good ministers for these. For Regulation, you must find the 13 priority areas to be regulated for success and focus resources. Use experts. The Civil Service is loyal but you must sell them the vision of a “Fast-track” government that cares for people. Now, here’s a wild card.

*Remove all obstacles and ask banks to open accounts freely. Give people $50 to open one, ban “cash” cheques and prescribe cheque or card for payments of $1,000 and over. This is brutal, but bank turnover will soar. Transparency will benefit and money now off the radar will enter our system for the first time. All state cheques must be lodged to a bank account and large withdrawals flagged. The IMF loan does not change the fundamentals of our economy. Since the 4th, we have US$1.3b more debt to pay.

Inevitability is not a law of nature, society or economics, so things won’t get better because your New Year’s card said so. In 1962 we did not imagine we would be poor in 2010. They said the British were stifling progress so we pulled down the Union Jack and hoisted the Black, Green and Gold with pride. We “run tings” so prosperity is inevitable; peace and justice too – a cruel joke! They said better must come – it has not. We even beg others to pay for our donation to Haiti. Caricom, where art thou? Thank God, we have PJ to beg for them. Obama uses Bush abroad and Bruce should also use PJ – the region’s most recognised and respected statesman – in matters abroad. We “cut off our nose to spite our face” because of divisive politics, and Bruce should change this foolishness and use the best people. Begin the new political order! We can be better than we think we can be.

Our success does not depend on the IMF, but on how we produce, cut expenses and increase export. Winning starts at Gordon House. A Cabinet spend of $600b plus is good fuel for our growth. If we spend it here we grow; if we import, then people abroad grow. Bruce must manage the process by giving each minister targets. We cannot fix everything in three years but we need targets to assess our progress as a nation.

Our production ministers are Tufton, Robertson, Samuda, Bartlett, Grange. Their job is to grow the national cake. Bartlett has an easy ride as tourism is on auto pilot, driven by cold winters, cheap packages and our global icons. We must demand his plans for sport, heritage, health, nature, poverty tourism and the projected footfall and revenue. Does Minister Grange’s culture, fashion, artistes add anything to our GDP and FX? We need yield figures and her plan under the NES to convert expos, trips, etc, into income and tax. These ministers set and meet targets in their own firms, so they know what is required!

Minister Samuda’s NES (export strategy) is a good read, but it must be decanted for use by small business, or it will be just a “coffee table” book – his “crustaceans and molluscs” we call “swims” and oysters. As a small nation, we often promise what we can’t deliver. Grace supply the world because they source globally. We can’t meet their needs. We are niche producers, so let’s work the niches. So what should production ministers do?

*Minister Tufton should publish detailed export intel; crops (yam, etc), farmers must grow; the market (US and UK are two Customs areas but have over 85 markets), indicative volume, price, quality, etc, or these data for local produce buyers. Local food farmers need intel on demand, supply, timing of planting, harvest, etc, and Min Tufton must provide these to avoid glut and shortage, or pay farmers when they have to dump produce.

*Minister Samuda to publish detailed export intel on manufactures (paper clips, etc) and services with the same data as for crops, and Minister Robertson must do the same for each mineral. The NES must be broken down by crop, service or industrial product, and Cabinet must invest in market studies for these so we know where to invest. Data are keys to Bruce’s success and credibility. So, domestic crops grew by 33.5 per cent in the last quarter of 2009. What does this mean? How far off the national target are we? What’s the impact on food imports? We need these metrics. We and producers have a right to be told how well or badly they are doing against targets, take pride in success or raise their game. Investors need access to data. Look at Obama’s data.gov. We need a gateway, www.data.ja.gov to give access to data in all departments. Bruce must get this portal in place soon; name the minister responsible and targets for each crop, product or service. Bruce also needs our prayers and a generous helping of luck! Let’s keep up the pressure as we will judge him and his minister righteously in 2012. Let’s get to work, Jamaica! Stay conscious!

Dr Franklin Johnston is an international project manager with Teape-Johnston Consultants, currently on assignment in the UK.

franklinjohnston@hotmail.com