EVEN as the Andrew Holness Administration points to solid gains from his recent official visit to India, minister with responsibility for information Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon found herself on the defensive on Wednesday as she sought to explain why the nation was not given prior notice.

Usually, the Office of the Prime Minister would indicate Holness’s official trips, but there was no such notice this time around.

Responding to questions from the Jamaica Observer at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House, Morris Dixon accepted that a notice should have been sent out even as she sought to explain why it was not.

“In terms of the PM’s trip to India, this was actually coordinated in a very short period of time, and we would have sent out notifications in relation to travel… we usually do through the Office of the Prime Minister… so if that was an issue in terms of timing that is actually an apology that is necessary there, but it was a trip that was very well-known, especially in the public sector,” said Morris Dixon.

“We were working for several weeks across all the ministries to look at where MOUs (memoranda of understanding) would have been necessary, working with our Attorney General’s Department to ensure that the MOUs were reviewed and so… as you said, it is important that prior to any engagement like this, that we give notification and that is clearly noted,” added Morris Dixon as she pointed out that the State news agency
Jamaica Information Service (JIS) was on the trip and shared information with the local media.

Questions about the lack of prior information about the official visit and what was achieved were raised over last weekend but on Tuesday, in a statement in the House of Representative, Holness pointed out several positive developments for Jamaica.

“As a small-island developing state, forging global partnerships is essential to Jamaica’s development. This official visit to India, the first by a Jamaican prime minister, was a resounding success, and marks the beginning of a new era in Jamaica-India relations.

“India, as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a leader on the global stage, offers Jamaica immense opportunities, and this visit has unlocked the door to deepening our partnership and strengthening our cooperation in the years ahead,” Holness told the House.

“This trip will aid Jamaica’s push to cut the time it takes to conduct financial transactions, the time it takes in the bank lines, or to collect PATH payments or do any business with Government. Our partnerships with India will also result in great training opportunities for our young people in tech, cyber and artificial intelligence,” added Holness.

He pointed out that during the official visit, the delegation met with India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, other Government officials, and business leaders.

“Our discussions touched on a range of issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, health, agriculture, digital transformation, film, education, sports and tourism,” said Holness.

“In the past era in which some still reside, the measure of a successful trip would be a read-out of grants and gifts. It is always good to secure those; however, the era in which this Administration has moved Jamaica is that of seeking our economic independence to secure our growth and prosperity as a nation.

“Jamaica’s growth and prosperity in this era of the fourth Industrial Revolution, of cyber and artificial intelligence, will depend heavily on how fast we can integrate technology, in our economy and society, not only as consumers of technology but also producers of technology,” Holness added.

On Wednesday Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith used the post-Cabinet media briefing to provide even more information on the outcome of the visit.

Johnson Smith pointed out that in addition to the benefits outlined by Holness there were discussions about an air service agreement between Jamaica and India.

“One had been initialled more than a decade ago [and] of course, air service agreements are critical for the movement of people, to trade and investment, to facilitating general engagement both on the people side and the goods and services side.

“So with the anticipated trip of [Tourism] Minister [Edmund] Bartlett later in the year, and having had these discussions, getting it back on the table was important for us, and that has been done, so we hope to make more progress with that this very month,” said Johnson Smith.