A growth czar will be a central figure in a future Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government, Andrew Holness has pledged.

That, the Opposition and JLP leader pointed out, is a significant difference in his party’s approach to economic development compared to that of the current People’s National Party (PNP) Government.

Holness spoke to the issue in a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer during which he was asked why Jamaicans should vote for his party in the upcoming general election.

“You will have a growth driver; that is someone who is an activist executive of the Government, ensuring that there is co-ordination with all the critical agencies and actors for growth,” Holness responded, after stating that voters could feel comfortable that the JLP would provide the country with good governance.

“Currently, if you were to look at the PNP to identify where the political energy is coming from for growth, you would be hard-pressed to identify it. Certainly you could not identify the minister of industry, investment and commerce,” Holness said.

“Certainly, and I’m not saying this in a glib way, but [finance minister] Peter Phillips is not the minister of growth. Peter Phillips has turned out to be the fiscal conservative who really does not understand how economies work. His goal, as he has stated clearly and publicly, is to reduce debt by increasing taxes. That’s the sum total of his economic policy,” the Opposition leader argued.

He suggested that the country could not look to the prime minister for political direction in relation to growth, as she would direct any such enquiries to Phillips.

“So let’s be clear, you’re not seeing the political direction for growth, and we’re saying, the structure of our Government will have a growth czar,” Holness emphasised.

“All the countries that have exhibited growth have had the political momentum behind it, whether it is Rwanda, whether it is Panama, whether it is China, The Philippines, all the countries that have had growth have had the political impetus behind it,” he argued.

Holness framed his comments against his party’s continued criticism of the Government’s economic policy, which, the JLP insists, has resulted in an average growth of 0.2 per cent over the Administration’s first three full years in office.

The JLP’s spokesman on finance, Audley Shaw, had earlier told the Observer that the lack of growth is at the root of many of the problems being experienced by the country.

“Ask the average businessman; their backs are against the wall, and part of this is because the Government is virtually sucking the economy dry with taxation. Meanwhile, the purchasing power of the average man on the street has been savaged by a 40 per cent devaluation of the Jamaican dollar,” Shaw had said.

Picking up on Shaw’s comments, Holness said that his party’s philosophy has never changed as it relates to the importance of business driving growth.

“That has always been a fundamental principle of the Jamaica Labour Party,” he said.

A Government led by him, he said, would ensure that markets are working well, particularly the credit market in order that people doing business will have access to resources to get things done.

“My intention is to move Jamaica from poverty to prosperity,” Holness said, reiterating his campaign slogan.

“We’re not ashamed of prosperity, we’re not afraid of prosperity. For too long the country has been basically anchored in poverty. The Labour Party is about wealth creation. We do, however, balance that because we acknowledge the history of our country, which means that we have to be activists in ensuring that our people are educated, healthy, and secure,” he said.

“Those are three social priorities that are necessary for the reinforcement of the economy; so we will structure our expenditure and our budget in such a way to ensure that those priorities are maintained and that they reinforce economic growth and development,” he vowed.

“We will give you good governance — governance that is accountable, accessible and transparent. We will make a difference in this country, and you will be proud of the Jamaica Labour Party Government,” Holness said.