From the very moment that Barack Obama launched his prominent presidential campaign, some years ago, he started off as a firm, focused, meticulous, disciplined and pragmatic thinking presidential candidate. And, after being sworn in as president of the United States of America, he learned quite speedily in many areas, and has remained a very strong, intellectual, sagacious, and outspoken president, who is certainly leading his Cabinet and Government from the front. This has enabled him to make a number of important economic and health reforms within the country, and indeed allowed him to victoriously secure an historic second term in the White House’s Oval House.

When he won his first presidential term he extensively travelled the United States informing the citizens what specific measures he will take to address the country’s severe economic meltdown which he inherited from former President George Bush. He has travelled over some key States to discuss his proposed Obamacare health care policy before it was taken to the United States’ House of Representatives.

Within that presidential framework Obama was highly successful during those two tours around the United States and America’s economy is now back on track, and contemporaneously his new health care policy for all Americans is making its way through the process. He duly recognised the utmost importance of speaking closely to the people he governs on those many community and town hall meetings.

Conversely, since the appointment of Portia Simpson Miller as prime minister she has not at all had any form of islandwide meetings with the citizens of this country relating to the specific steps which are needed to address the island’s serious economic problems and the urgent need for there to be a thorough debate with the citizens and in the Parliament regarding taxation, pension and public sector reforms. She has not informed the country in any parish or community meetings about the precise details of the Government’s economic programme and with relation to the International Monetary Fund’s loan agreement and the accompanying economic and fiscal consequences, which equate to a massive indictment on her as prime minister and her seeming modus operandi to conceal herself from the media.

Her handlers are very much harming the prime minister by shielding her and by not allowing her to speak more forcefully and consistently with the media and public. There is the requirement for any prime minister to take the requisite steps to begin to travel around the country, as the leader, and begin to inform the country about the Government’s overall economic plans, programmes and strategies and the inherent sacrifices which will need to be made under those three reforms programmes by the citizens, and of the details of the IMF programme.

Currently, the prime minister is performing way below par and has disappointed the country in some important respects. Although Peter Phillips is the finance and public service minister, the prime minister has a profound duty and responsibility to converse with the Jamaican people and speak with the citizens around the country as Obama did when he won his first presidency that broadly united that country at the time.

The last pension reform in the country was carried out in the 1990s when Eddie Seaga was prime minister and finance minister. It is fundamentally of much import that Minister Phillips proceed to address the need for taxation reform because the Government has been losing billions of dollars, over the years, from a lack of payment by many business owners and private persons across the country who fail to pay their fair share of income and corporate taxes. There is an estimae that some 60 per cent of all persons in and out of business are not paying the correct amount of taxes. This is shameful, and that is why there is the urgent need for taxation reform in the country. Also, the country’s tax laws will have to restructured and upgraded to the level and strictness that obtains in the US’s Internal Revenue Division, which has in place some of the most stringent tax laws within the world. This level of tax levels are very much needed here in this country to ensure that the country has at least a 90 per cent tax compliance rate and allow the Government to collect its amount of taxes to provide the services to the people.

The last pension reform in the country was carried out in the 1990s when Eddie Seaga was prime minister and finance minister. It is fundamentally of much import that Minister Phillips proceed to address the need for taxation reform because the Government has been losing billions of dollars, over the years, from a lack of payment by many business owners and private persons across the country who fail to pay their fair share of income and corporate taxes. There is an estimae that some 60 per cent of all persons in and out of business are not paying the correct amount of taxes. This is shameful, and that is why there is the urgent need for taxation reform in the country. Also, the country’s tax laws will have to restructured and upgraded to the level and strictness that obtains in the US’s Internal Revenue Division, which has in place some of the most stringent tax laws within the world. This level of tax levels are very much needed here in this country to ensure that the country has at least a 90 per cent tax compliance rate and allow the Government to collect its amount of taxes to provide the services to the people.

The country very much needs a firm, calm, thinking and responsible prime minister who will tackle the relevant issues that warrant her attention and she needs to begin to do some productive work as prime minister. So far, she has not accomplished much as head of the country, and she seems to be quite a laid-back, easy, lackadaisical, and inept prime minister who is afraid to address the issues head on as her mentor, Percival Patterson, did when he was head of the government.

Robert Dalley is a corporate business manager in Montego Bay, St James. robertdalley1@hotmail.com