As we listened to lectures by distinguished economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Guangdong Institute’s Professor Li Qing at the Confucius Institute last Tuesday, we recalled the words of former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding: “Jamaica is too rich to be poor”.

This first event in the distinguished lecture series organised by the Chinese Cultural Association (CCA) focused on the successful poverty alleviation plans which brought good living conditions to some 800 million citizens.

“I was very lucky to visit China in 1981, so that is 45 years ago, to see the very beginning of China’s extraordinary economic development…I’ve been a witness first-hand to China’s development,” said Sachs, who has been visiting China three or four times annually since then and has consulted with the Government of China. No wonder leaders turn to him — his bestselling book The End of Poverty has gained him a global following.

“Three fundamental kinds of investment have formed the core of China’s very rapid growth,” he shared. “The first and the most important is the investment in Chinese people, especially with young people. There was from 1980 until today, a most stunning increase in the scale and the quality and the depth and the length of education in China…Chinese young people are among the top in the world ratings of reading, science, and mathematics.”

“The second major investment area, of course, was infrastructure, because China invested in infrastructure at a scale which is nearly unimaginable for any other place in the world,” he said. “China just announced the completion of 50,000 kilometres of fast rail… And it is green because it’s electrified. So this is really a remarkable achievement, but it goes along with achievements in the power grid, which is also superlative…and achievements in the digital network.”

He continued: “There has also been an unbelievable growth of cities and quality of life in cities. Last week, I was in Shenzhen, which is the city just north of Hong Kong…Shenzhen, as many of you will know, was a fishing village. In 1980, it had 25,000 people. Today, Shenzhen has 25 million people. It’s three New York cities, and it is filled with the leading companies of the world in electric vehicles, in digital, in batteries, in many of the cutting-edge supply chains.”

Professor Li Qing, director of the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies, outlined the steps taken by her country towards nationwide poverty alleviation: “China underwent a total of five phases of different factors, such as economic development levels and historical conditions,” she noted. “From 1949 to 1977, China adopted a relief-based-on-poverty-alleviation approach to ensure the basic survival, human well-being, and the structural root of rural poverty in the land and laid the foundation for improving living conditions.

“Between 1978 and 1985, poverty alleviation became a significant priority, aimed at reform and open health, raised the household responsibility system, fundamentally boosted agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes, leading to a rapid decline in rural poverty,” she explained. “From 1986 to 2000, development-oriented poverty alleviation was institutionalised, featuring dedicated agencies, special funds, and long-term plans, such as the National 70-Year Poverty Alleviation Plan, with development as a co-solution. During 2001 and 2012, China entered an integrated poverty governance phase, combining development measures with welfare policies.”

She continued: “From 2013 and 2020, China launched poverty alleviation as a consistent battle against absolute poverty, ensuring adequate food, clothing, education, health care…for all the impoverished populations through precise identification and comprehensive policies. By 2020, absolute poverty was fully nationally eradicated and nationalised, fulfilling a major historical commitment.”

What a great roadmap for Jamaica, our little rock of three million. So what is holding us back? In the conversations after the lectures, the crippling factor was identified as unity of purpose. The tribalism and political victimisation practised by both sides have hamstrung our country. We should not use the excuse that China is a communist country so it was easy for them. The Scandinavian countries are democratic socialist countries, and they have made similar strides.

In these uncertain times we are challenged to cast off the party colours and look to our unifying flag. This was a timely event planned by the executive of the CCA: president, Professor Ronald Young; co-founder and past president, Professor Anthony Chen; Vice-President Set Yoon Smith; Treasurer Dalton Yap; Dr Feng, Chinese director, Confucius Institute, and his team; as well as CCA member Dr Christine Fray-Aikens.

Dr Damien King introduced Professor Sachs, relating Sachs’s surprising and immediate acceptance of his invitation 40 years ago to The University of the West Indies, combined with a mini-vacation. Professor Li Qing was introduced by Yang Xiaorong, minister counsellor, Embassy of China.

Flex Time Launch

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2014, Jamaica passed the Employment (Flexible Work Arrangements) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, creating a legal framework for flexible work arrangements.

According to JIS writer, Chris Patterson, “The law strikes a careful and necessary balance, supporting worker well-being while maintaining standards, service standards, and organisational performance. The law facilitates options such as staggered working hours, hybrid work, telecommuting, compressed work week, and banking of hours.”

We adjusted quickly during those lockdown weeks of the pandemic, learning useful management apps, as well as meeting and communicating online. Now most meetings are online or offer hybrid options, sparing us time wasted in traffic. Our companies have compressed most of our hours in the first four workdays, allowing our team members to start the weekend at 2:00 pm on Fridays. For those with family responsibilities, we allow pick-up time for children, then online work to complete their working day, and the same arrangement for those with elderly parents.

Now the minister of efficiency, innovation and digital transformation, Ambassador Audrey Marks, has announced that effective today, the Government will implement flex time in their ministries and other public sector entities on a phased basis. The work times suggested are 6:30 am to 3:00 pm, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, and 10:30 am to 7:00 pm.

Ambassador Marks noted that the initiative is designed to build a public service that is more efficient, accountable, customer-focused, and better equipped to meet the needs of a modern Jamaica.

SDC Assisting Churches

It was good to receive an update from Omar Frith, executive director of the Social Development Commission (SDC). They have been implementing the assistance for churches announced by Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, in addition to meaningful projects in various parishes.

“SDC endorses the minister’s sentiments that churches, in addition to your spiritual outreach, are extremely important to community development,” noted Frith, “and this [St Elizabeth] Parish Council has evidence of your continued availability to support the communities…We have received 176 applications to date. From the five parishes that have been devastated, we have seen 46 from Westmoreland, 41 from St James, 40 from St Elizabeth; we have 30 from Trelawny and 19 from Hanover.”

Officers from the SDC will verify the applications and hand over the allocations. No doubt, the communities served by the churches will benefit from Minister McKenzie’s timely gesture.

Jean Lowrie-Chin is an author and executive chair of PROComm, PRODEV and CCRP. Send comments to lowriechin@aim.com.

Audrey Marks Garfield Robinson

Desmond McKenzie Photo: Garfield Robinson