The key speakers in the 2026/27 Budget Debate have now given their presentations. On a whole they were mindful of the difficulties that face the nation, especially since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the most devastating hurricane to hit a country in living memory.

Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding gave an energetic presentation which did not avoid partisan bickering on one level, but sought to offer some recommendations as to how we can deal with making Jamaica stronger and more resilient in the aftermath of the hurricane. There was a greater sobriety in his presentation than we have seen before. He seems to be growing more settled in his role as Opposition leader but even more so as leader of the People’s National Party (PNP).

Dr Andrew Holness, prime minister of Jamaica, delivered what can only be described as a tour de force. I am not one given to idle praise of anyone, least of all politicians who we expect to do their work in the best interest of the people who elected them, but Holness was an exception in this presentation. He went on for four hours, and while I can understand that long speeches can wear a listener down and prove ineffective in the end, what the prime minister had to say merited those four hours.

The nation was expecting him to come with a report on his Government’s plans for the post-Melissa reconstruction of Jamaica, and he delivered with well-crafted strategies supported by authentic drawings of what will be done over the next three years to reposition Jamaica as a country that is not just resilient, but also resurging as it implements the lessons learnt from the hurricane and building on the gains that his Administration has made to date.

As I watched the prime minister, I saw someone who exuded confidence, who seemed comfortable in his own skin, and who, importantly, demonstrated a good grasp of the problems that face the country and what can be done to fix them. The speech showed that his Government had done its homework, especially since people, understandably, were clamouring for news on what its plans were to get the country moving. It was necessary that he spent time spelling out the contours of what could and would be done over the next three years. The important thing is that the funding is available to do the necessary work, given the capital support of over US$6 billion that has been offered by the international financial community. We await the formal introduction of the board of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) that will coordinate the post-disaster recovery while strengthening national resilience. Legislation to this effect has now been laid in Parliament.

The prime minister spoke to a gnawing and sometimes depressive issue that has been a constant reference point in this column — productivity. The chart that he laid out showing the different productivity levels of Jamaica compared to its Caribbean counterparts should fill all well-thinking Jamaicans with concern and motivate all of us to do something about it. It should give us no comfort that we are sitting just five points ahead of Haiti at around eight per cent. Lest you forget, Haiti is easily the economic basket case in the Caribbean, and is unarguably a failed State.

However much we talk about fiscal discipline and the strength of our macroeconomic indices, unless we lift our productivity levels to the high 20s in the very near future, we will continue to be stuck with gross domestic product (GDP) levels not rising above three per cent.

The truth is that we are long on talk but short on action or implementation. We have to re-examine our work ethic which embraces work as a spiritual exercise (notice I did not say religious) which speaks to the depth of the utilisation of our talents in the joy of producing the best we are capable of. We have to recognise that work is more than just turning up on a eight-hour workday from which we expect to collect a salary or payment at the end of the month. I am certainly not denying the importance of the paycheque, but if work is just about collecting this without producing the requisite output or unit of work, then at the end of the day there will be no joy in the task being performed.

Each worker must see his or her work as an expression of his or her best self. He or she must exercise agency over the task that has been assigned. It is not only about self-esteem but also about discovering a sense of personhood and the authentic self in how the task is done. I know that this may sound esoteric and philosophical, but it goes to the depth of the concern for the spiritual value and satisfaction that comes from the task we perform.

I can see that despite the criticisms that the prime minister receives he seems to love what he is doing. Contrary to what some may think, he is not just enjoying the power and perquisites of the office which inevitably makes work a drudgery, but he has a goal and he is motivated by the talents he possesses and wants to make these shine in making the lives of the Jamaican people better.

Believe it or not, properly understood, this is a spiritual goal. If he was not motivated by this, ennui would set in and tasks would become a matter of drudgery. This is the greatest breeding ground for corruption, which comes in many forms.

In saying all this, the workforce has to be trained if we are to achieve our productivity goals. The STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) institutions to be built are steps in the right direction. So too is the support being offered to young people engaged in the HEART/NSTA Trust. I have previously noted in this space that the Government needs to examine, with urgency, the possibility of working with the Indian Government to train young people in the various aspects of the digital space, especially in artificial intelligence (AI).

This would be a necessary complement to the STEM programme. The latter, by itself, cannot train enough of the talent that will be required in the short term to lift our productivity levels. Scores of young people should have already been coming back from training in these programmes in India. I again urge the Government to pursue this initiative, especially given the warm relationship that now exists between Jamaica and India. Over to you, Prime Minister.

As an adjunct to this, we eagerly await a presentation in Parliament from Minister Audrey Marks concerning what is being done and/or recommended to deal with the bureaucratic hurdles, the big elephant in the corn patch. I know it is early days yet, but an interim report would help at least in giving the nation an idea of what is being contemplated.

In the meantime, the nation faces an enormous task which must not be taken for granted. The next three years are decisive years which will test the mettle, patience, judgement, and patriotism of Jamaicans at home and abroad. How we rise to the occasion and derive the benefits of the lessons taught us by Melissa will determine what we will be as a truly independent nation in the next 24 years.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He also hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard