I have said repeatedly in this column that there has to be a real alignment between strong macroeconomic indices and the enhanced productivity of the Jamaican people. It is not enough to meet our macro targets, as important as this is, and not get the people productively engaged in taking the country to the next level of economic growth.

Now that the 2024/2025 Budget Debate has ended, I am left with the good feeling that the Government and the Opposition together are well seized of this urgency, especially as far as the inclusion of our young people in this process is concerned. And I emphasize the young people.

Demographic statistics have repeatedly shown that Jamaica has a sizeable youth population. It is estimated that over 60 per cent of the population is under 35 years. To the extent that this is so, I believe that this is a plus for any Government that wants to harness the entrepreneurial energy of the youth for increased production in the economy. Here we have a population that can be trained to enhance its skills for national development. Our young people must see themselves as important stakeholders in getting their piece of the pie, making their lives better, and making their contribution to a vibrant and well-managed society.

Any Government that is worth its salt would jump at the opportunities this state of affairs presents. But a great humbug is the trainable capacity of this potential workforce. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in his budget presentation, was spot on in recognising this important reality and spelt out how his Administration would engage the youth in enhancing their training, especially through the HEART/NSTA Trust.

He spoke to the need to give those who want to be trained stipendiary assistance to upscale their skills. And this assistance is necessary. Just inviting young people to get trained is not going to cut it. A Government has to be willing to give certain incentives to the young, recognising that many of them who would want to take advantage of the training opportunities do not have the economic wherewithal to do so. So it was important that the suite of help that the prime minister announced was done.

But I got a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach when I asked myself: How many of these young people to be targeted are literate and numerate enough to take advantage of these training programmes? Statistics have borne out that a sizeable portion of graduates from our primary schools are barely literate. This is an issue that has to be addressed, starting from the early childhood level.

The Reform of Education in Jamaica, 2021 report on the overhaul of the education system recognises this and has made recommendations for primary literacy to be at the forefront of our educational efforts. But the Government will have to capture and work with those who are ready to be trained and see what remedial work can be done with those who are very serious about moving forward.

As I listened to the budget presentations, I got the strong feeling that the country is on the cusp of transformational change. When you really look at it dispassionately, there is not a great deal of difference between the Government and the Opposition about the need for fiscal prudence and that of eschewing “run wid it” schemes that can sabotage the economic progress we have made.

There may be nuances in the approach, and I am not 100 per cent convinced that the Opposition has set aside its socialist proclivities or its penchant for borrowing. Frankly, Opposition Leader Mark Golding has not been tested in this regard. But I get the distinct feeling that the great ideological divide that has pit both political tribes in sometimes bloody gladiatorial confrontation against each other is becoming a thing of the past. I hope I am right.

The country is clearly at an inflection point and Prime Minister Holness stands at the very apex of it. He is the man on the bridge who could harness the energies of the moment to set the country on a radical, transformational path to greatness. A significant part of this is the radical overhaul of our system of governance. You got it. I am talking about constitutional reform. Understandably, there was no space in the laborious presentation to entertain this subject, and it is not one to be treated with the kind of scant regard that presently obtains. It is a subject to which he has to return with vigour, but with greater respect for the Jamaican people.

Presently, there is not a great deal of respect being shown for the people of Jamaica in the elitist posture that has been adopted by the Constitutional Reform Committee. That must change, and we the people will not stand idly by to see anything rushed through to facilitate a general election agenda.

The prime minister can do a great deal by using his bully pulpit to insist that things are done right. We the people will not settle for cosmetic changes that merely swap the King of England for a king of Jamaica; that has a Government that does not have leadership at the prime ministerial or presidential level voted for directly by the people; that has a Cabinet chosen from a political tribe when there are so many other qualified people in the country to be chosen. Members of Parliament must serve their constituents and not be elevated to ministerial fiefdoms in which they neglect the needs of their constituents. No Government should be allowed to set its own salary. This should be independently done, outside of the political directorate.

I could go on, but you get my drift. I am talking about the disaggregation of power and putting the people of Jamaica at the very centre of political decision-making and not on the periphery so that mere political tribes, quarrelling over scarce spoils and benefits, do not get to decide among themselves how the people’s resources are spent without the requisite scrutiny. With sound governance in the hands of the people for the first time and strong economic growth, Jamaica can become a beacon to the world. There is a strong correlation between a growing, vibrant economy and sound political governance. I believe we are almost on the cusp of this change, if only we could get our governance structure right.

A lot is in the hands of the prime minister, which is why I averred that he is the man on the bridge at this time. Prime Minister Holness, this is not the time for timidity or your legendary caution. You must seize the moment! If you win the next general election, you would have been given a mandate to pursue this transformational change for the country. What would you do with it? Do you have the necessary boldness that is required to meet this mandate?

While we are at it, the Government and the Opposition must be told categorically that we do not have the appetite or the stomach for vitriolic partisan politics. The triviality and petulance that we saw in the people’s Parliament recently regarding the Speaker of the House and the unprecedented walkout by the Government in a budget presentation must be eschewed and never allowed to happen again. There are many of us who have no interest in such theatrics, only what is good for Jamaica.

While I am on this, let me say that the Speaker of the House, Juliet Holness, is well within her right and remit to be Speaker. She is one of 63 Members of Parliament who was elected to be there. Being the prime minister’s wife is of no import here. Opposition to her on this basis not only smacks of misogyny but serves to titillate the bigoted among us.

There is work to be done in building Jamaica into a great country. Let us not lose the moment that has been presented to us. If we lose it, we may never regain it.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.