Year: 2013
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PNP, IMF – year one
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The first year of this new People's National Party (PNP) administration has been a mixed bag. Among the things under its control, there (have) been spectacular lows, but no spectacular highs. There have been promises kept and pledges broken. There has been talk on specific issues but no commensurate action and, as the world knows by now,…
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PM says brace for harsh conditions
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has acknowledged the reality of harsh conditions that may accompany an International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement expected to be finalised during this New Year. “This new year will bring stark realities into focus, Jamaicans are capable and we must live up to the challenges, our people have what it takes to…
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Haiti’s Long Road
On the eve of the third anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010, the country remains in a fragile state. Billions of dollars in aid and lofty promises to “build back better” have brought it only so far. A recent article by Deborah Sontag of The Times showed, in disheartening detail, the distance between hope and reality.…
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Year of Environment declared in Haiti
President Michel Martelly on Tuesday declared 2013 as Haiti's Year of Environment and called on citizens to join government efforts to preserve the country's ecosystem. Speaking at a ceremony in northern Haiti to commemorate the 209th anniversary of Haitian Independence, Martelly also urged every Haitian to plant a tree this year. Haiti is currently in an “ecological catastrophe,” according to…
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Fiscal consolidation inevitable in the Caribbean – says IMF
WASHINGTON, CMC – An International Monetary Fund (IMF) working paper says since growth in the current global economic environment is “virtually nonexistent,” significant fiscal consolidation is inevitable in the region. The paper, dubbed “The Challenges of Fiscal Consolidation and Debt Reduction in the Caribbean,” examines debt dynamics in the Caribbean and discusses policy options for reducing the high debt levels.…
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