Gov’t criticised for not engaging local stakeholders on multilateral agreements
By Halshane Burke
The government has come in for criticism over the level of consultations with local stakeholders regarding bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Opposition Member of Parliament Anthony Hylton says given the scope and scale of agreements being entered into by the government, there needs to be more engagement with a broad cross section of the society.
Mr. Hylton argues that the agreements have far-reaching implications for the trajectory of growth for the country.
“We have to do more because what is being asked of us are some binding arrangements that go deep into the domestic arrangements. So I really would like to see us get to a stage where the preparations are much wider, much deeper and meaningful because they will help us in our implementation,” he suggested.
Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said while the ministry has a consultation process, participation is less than ideal.
“I continue to work with the team to see how best we achieve the balance in terms of who we reach and also to ensure that we have attendance at the appropriate levels because part of the challenge is that you reach out and you invite but the attendance, because there are often very technical issues, is not necessarily optimal,” she explained.
“We have been reaching out more to the business sector and to the other stakeholders to have them understand the importance of these issues. For example, deepening our engagement with the Chamber of Commerce and the JMEA (Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association), PSOJ (Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and these new generations of leaders and CEOs, etc.,” said Minister Johnson Smith.
Both she and MP Hylton were addressing Wednesday’s meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament.
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