Stay and build, come back home and help to build Jamaica, faster, especially given the very strong global winds of protectionism, nationalism, right-wing extremism, anti-immigration-ism, mercantilism, stunted economic growth worldwide, threats of international wars, mushrooming technological advances, postulations of historical repeats and rhymes, prognostications, major global paradigm shifts, uncertainties and opportunities: this was my primary proposition here last Sunday.

Since then I have received some responses, especially from Jamaicans abroad who say that notwithstanding the political, economic and social uncertainties/volatilities in the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), and Canada; and notwithstanding the huge, if not miraculous macroeconomic advances here at home during the last 12 years; and notwithstanding the fact that there is a sizeable reduction in crime, in particular murders — 36 per cent decline since 2025 began, which I outlined here last Sunday; they were staying put overseas and/or were tentative about coming back home to live and/or set up businesses.

I also received feedback from some readers who indicated that they had already decided to return to Jamaica to retire, especially because of the uncertainties overseas. Some readers said they were willing to come back home to live and also set up businesses. And I was pleasantly surprised at the considerable number of readers who said their decision to stay ‘ah yard’ was not a difficult one.

In the main, these readers noted that they were convinced that notwithstanding several long-standing problems, Jamaica had and was making sufficient progress to match their aspirations. Then there were those who responded to say they were staying home, but only for the next four years or so.

In the midst of several global uncertainties, especially to the north of us, which I discussed here last Sunday, and given the considerable economic and social rise of Jamaica, there is now a glorious opportunity for the State to legitimately quadruple efforts to convince especially highly skilled Jamaicans overseas to return. The State should also be redoubling efforts to convince our best and brightest Jamaicans to remain. Opportunity knocks!

Path of Sustained progress

Some readers overseas who definitively said they would not return opined that they did not believe Jamaica’s economic successes, for example, would be sustained. I understand their misgivings.

Years of foolish chop and change with regard to especially economic policies, social directions and political journeys have turned thousands of Jamaicans into permanent doubting Thomases. There is abundant and verifiable proof today that Jamaica is finally on the path of sustained growth and development. Strict legislations regarding how we manage, especially the national purse, for example, were set in place over the last 13 years.

I have argued in this space that it is imperative that we further tighten the guard rails so that those who see Jamaica and her resources as an opportunity to pillage and then flee, and also those who are tempted to manage national affairs with callous disregard and gross incompetence will not be able to do so. I have said here that a constitutional debt brake like that of Germany is vital to our long-term national macroeconomic viability. I stand by that.

That aside, I am happy to tell doubting Thomases that a world-class institution has been set up, this in the form of the Independent Fiscal Commission (IFC), which operates as a permanent agency tasked with assessing the Government’s fiscal policies and performance against macroeconomic objectives.

The IFC and the Fiscal Advisory Committee (FAC) started operations on January 1, 2025 and took on the responsibilities previously held by the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC). The primary objective of the IFC and FAC is the further strengthening of Jamaica’s institutional economic framework.

So the “run wid it”, meaning profligacy, of the past is difficult to resurrect in today’s Jamaica. Of course, there is nothing in this mortal life that is totally bulletproof. That is a global reality. Here are some equally important realities. It was ordinary Jamaicans, the foot soldiers, who sacrificed the most to rescue our economy from the brink of an almighty abyss. Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Peter Phillips, who were faithful to the implementation of the economic recovery programme, albeit under the watchful eye of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), were valorous.

The Administration of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness — first with Dr Nigel Clarke and now with Fayval Williams as the minister of finance and public service — has demonstrated great gallantry. And, of course, the very valiant decisions of Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Finance and Public Service Minister Audley Shaw deserve huge plaudits.

The genesis of Jamaica’s economic recovery programme started with a set of decisive actions in 2010. These included two important domestic debt exchanges.

Lest we forget, “By 2013 Jamaica’s public debt had reached a historic high of about 147 per cent of GDP, making it one of the most-indebted countries in the world.” (IMF). It became tremendously difficult for Jamaica to even “Stop a stale bread cart,” as rural folks brilliantly put it. Some might not agree, but I am sympathetic to all who push sharp needles of verifiable evidence into the effigies of those who caused Jamaica to almost capsize. I will never give those destroyers bouquets and badges.

Birth of new leadership

I will, however, happily decorate with garlands and give earned accolades to those elected, selected, as well as those who otherwise use their influence and/or affluence to help especially ordinary Jamaicans rise to access meaningful opportunities.

“The object of government in peace and in war is not the glory of rulers or of races, but the happiness of the common man,” said renowned British economist and reformer Lord William Beveridge.

By way of background on Beveridge: “In 1941, the Government commissioned a report into the ways that Britain should be rebuilt after World War Two.” Beveridge was chosen to lead the assignment. He published his report in 1942 and recommended that the Government should find ways of fighting the five ‘Giant Evils’ of ‘Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness’.

In 1945, the Labour Party defeated Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party in the general election. The new prime minister, Clement Attlee, announced he would introduce the welfare state outlined in the 1942 Beveridge Report. This included the establishment of a National Health Service in 1948 with free medical treatment for all. A national system of benefits was also introduced to provide ‘social security’ so that the population would be protected from the ‘cradle to the grave’. The new system was partly built on the national insurance scheme set up by Lloyd George in 1911. People in work still had to make contributions each week, as did employers, but the benefits provided were now much greater.” — The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) 2014

Understand this, the admirable and very necessary social reforms of Prime Minister Michael Manley in the 1970s were almost a facsimile of the reforms set out in the Beveridge report. Foolishly, the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) had maintained for nearly three years that it would not reveal what Jamaica would look like under a future PNP Administration, for fear that the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) would steal its ideas. The PNP is no stranger to copy-taking. The PNP’s constitution was a facsimile of the original British Labour Party constitution. He who comes up with a good idea is not as important as its successful implementation.

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas,” said Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. I agree.

One of the biggest pluses of the economic recovery programme which is not highlighted enough is the reality of the birth of a much more conscientious and mature type of political leadership in this country. Those overseas who are in two minds about coming back home and those on ‘The Rock’ who are itching to leave need to understand the significance of this great leap. There was a time in Jamaica when once the Administration changed, the proverbial baby with the bathwater was thrown out. That era of foolishness caused this country to lose billions of dollars in precious resources. We are still paying for those seasons of great stupidity.

There is now strong and verifiable evidence that we are shedding the terrible skins of those very awful times. For example, when Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness toured the National Identification Systems (NIDS) Enrolment Centre in January, 2022, he said among other things: “I think Jamaica has placed one foot forward into the future in establishing itself as a digital society by moving ahead with the National Identification System. And we will have this fully operational in our 60th year and I’m hoping that by the end of the year we would have a significant portion, if not the majority, of the population properly identified through the National Identification System. It is an achievement 40 years in the making. But as they say, ‘it’s never too late’.” —
RJR News, January 4, 2022.

There is evidence that talk of the need for a national identification system goes back as far as the 70s when Michael Manley was prime minister.

Jamaica is changing rapidly for the better. There are very rational reasons for those abroad to come back home and for those ‘ah yard’ to stay and help build Jamaica, faster. Here is some more evidence.

At the recent commissioning of the Southern Plains Agricultural Development Project, which includes the Parnassus Irrigation System and Agro-Park in Clarendon, Prime Minister Andrew Holness made these most insightful comments:

“Having a strong agricultural sector is a buffer to inflation…You have to see this [the Parnassus Irrigation System and Agro-Park] as an attempt to have a genuine increase in Jamaica’s productivity. And this [increased productivity] is what will have a real impact on inflation. Now, granted, you know farmers, some of the inflation that happens in Jamaica, particularly in the past, happened because of bad government policy. Now we have put bad government policy out of the mix, by putting in place strong institutions, [an] independent central bank, and strong fiscal structures to control government policy, and now we have inflation targeting.”

These are very mighty leaps forward for Jamaica.

In my piece in The Agenda three Sundays ago, I noted, among other things, that the critical factor of rapid and meaningful advances in education enabled China, Singapore, and Rwanda to rise from the ashes of massive economic, social, and political underachievement in less than 50 years. There can be no doubt that massively raising education standards is critical to the future growth and deployments of Jamaica. Universal quality is key.

Recently, Jamaica took a very significant step in this crucial direction. The Senate approved a proposed law that will formally establish the Jamaica Teaching Council, which will regulate the profession and issue licences. Among other things, the Jamaica Teaching Council Bill proposes the introduction of provisions that differentiate between registered teachers, licensed teachers, and authorised instructors. It will also introduce a fit and proper requirement, including criminal background checks to teach.

Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon piloted the Bill. She said approved teachers will be published, similar to lawyers. This is a good look. The Bill heads to the House for debate — next. This Bill has been in abeyance for 21 years, among other things for reasons of barefaced political expediency. It is extremely significant that just months before a general election this very bold leap forward has been made. Jamaica is headed in the right direction, come home and build, stay and help build, faster.

Former Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke speaking in Parliament.

Former Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips making his presentation to the Budget Debate.

There is abundant and verifiable proof today that Jamaica is finally on the path of sustained growth and development.

Former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley. The admirable and very necessary social reforms he implemented in the 1970s were almost a facsimile of the reforms set out in the report submitted by renowned British economist and reformer Lord William Beveridge in 1942.

Garfield Higgins is an educator, and journalist. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com