Opposition Leader Mark Golding calls for Marshall Plan for MSMEs devastated by Hurricane Melissa

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has called for the urgent rollout of a Marshall Plan for micro, small and medium enterprises devastated by Hurricane Melissa.

Twenty-two-year-old Constable Patrick Walters was charged with murder.

Reports are that last year June, Graham and Walters had a dispute during which Graham was shot.
He lamented that thousands of businesses across western and central Jamaica remain crippled months after the storm.

Addressing the Small Business Association of Jamaica’s Growth and Resilience Conference yesterday, Mr. Golding said these businesses suffered lasting damage to their productive capacity.

Mr. Golding noted that many small businesses are uninsured and suffered losses to their physical assets and their stock.

He noted that the situation is unfolding in a deteriorating economy.

Mr. Golding pointed out that in a time of economic contraction, a pro-cyclical approach to managing the economy is not ideal.

He cited announcements of programmes for which billions of dollars were budgeted for small business, but has not reached the intended beneficiaries and is returned to the Consolidated Fund.

Mr. Golding called for a nurturing environment across the tax, registration, licensing and permitting systems and for more granular work to ensure that announced policies actually have the desired impact.