JAMAICA AND theRepublic of Chile havesigned two bilateral agree-ments to boost investmentand regional trade, andenhance sport development. One of the agreementsis a Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU) for technicalcooperation between theGovernment’s investmentagency, Jamaica PromotionsCorporation (JAMPRO),and ProChile, which pro-motes goods and serviceexports from the SouthAmerican country. The other agreementwill facilitate technicalcooperation in sport andculture. Both agreements weresigned during a one-dayofficial working visit toChile on August 30 by a

Jamaican Government dele-gation headed by PrimeMinister the Most Hon.Andrew Holness. Foreign Affairs andForeign Trade Minister,Senator the Hon. KaminaJohnson Smith, who was apart of the delegation andsigned on behalf of theGovernment, welcomed thetechnical cooperation beingforged, particularly in sports. Noting Chile’s expert-ise in gymnastics and tennisand Jamaica’s prowess inathletics, Senator JohnsonSmith indicated that “wewill be working together tosee how we can promoteactivity and physical well-being among our youngpeople as well as, formaltraining in sports and cul-ture.”

The Prime Ministeralso delivered the keynoteaddress at the headquartersof the Economic Commissionfor Latin America and theCaribbean, where he reiter-ated Jamaica’s commitment

to the organisation’s prin-ciples, and endorsed a pro-posal for debt relief forEnglish-speaking Caribbeancountries. The delegation returnedon August 31.

PRIME MINISTERthe Most Hon.Andrew Holness has

urged members of the jointsecurity forces in the Zoneof Special Operation (ZOSO)in Mount Salem, St. James,to refrain from arbitrarilyusing special powers theyhave been granted under thelaw. This, he says, is imper-ative in safeguarding theresidents against abuse,reiterating that measures toprevent this are in the legis-lation governing the ZOSOs’operations. He was speaking at apress briefing at JamaicaHouse on Friday,September 1, during whichhe declared the first Zone ofSpecial Security and Com-munity DevelopmentOperations in the MountSalem community and itsenvirons in St. James underThe Law Reform (Zones ofSocial Operations) (SpecialSecurity and CommunityDevelopment Measures)Act, 2017. The Prime Ministeralso called on residents ofthe community to fullycooperate with the securityforces for the duration of theoperation, emphasising thatno community will beallowed to be a safe havenfor criminals.

The Gazetted Order ofthe declaration is datedFriday, September 1, 2017and the zone will operate fora period of sixty (60) days. Prime Minister Holnesssaid this is a new law ofspecial measures forupholding and preservingthe rule of law, public order,citizen security and publicsafety within certain geo-graphically defined areas ofJamaica. “The rule of law mustbe upheld and preserved inevery nook and cranny ofJamaica. Zone by zone,community by community,square inch by square inch,we will establish andrestore public order, citizen

security and public safety,”he declared. The Prime Ministersaid, in accordance withwritten nominations of theChief of Defence Staff andthe Commissioner of Police,Major Godfrey Sterling of theJamaica Defence Force(JDF) and Mr. Kirk Ricketts,Superintendent of Police ofthe Jamaica ConstabularyForce (JCF) have been des-ignated to be jointly incharge of operations withinthe zone. Mr. Holness alsoannounced that the ManagingDirector of the Jamaica SocialInvestment Fund (JSIF),Omar Sweeny, has beenappointed as Deputy

Chairman of the SocialIntervention Committee thatis to be established withinfive (5) working days. “The National SecurityCouncil took the deliberatedecision to carefullysequence the implementationsteps, as we learned frompast mistakes. We alsowanted to ensure that wecomplied with the legislativerequirements,” said PrimeMinister Holness, explainingwhy a zone was not imme-diately declared after the lawcame into effect on July 14. Chief of Defence Staff,Major General RockyMeade said that a jointforce of the JCF and theJDF was deployed to thezone on Friday morning. Meanwhile, ActingCommissioner of Police,Clifford Blake, said theobjective is to disrupt anddismantle gangs for a safecommunity. Under the law, within thezone, the Joint Commandhas the power to establishcordons and impose curfews. In addition, the NationalSecurity Council will con-vene to receive and considerthe written report of the JointCommand that must besubmitted every ten days. The Prime Ministerwill also update the nationby making a statement toParliament within 14 days.

PM Warns Against Citizen AbuseDuring ZOSOs Jamaica Records 10th Quarter

of Economic Growth

ADVT.

THE PLANNING Insti-tute of Jamaica (PIOJ) isreporting that the countrygrew by an estimated 0.3per cent for the April toJune quarter of the2017/18 fiscal year. It also notes thatJamaica has now recorded10 consecutive quarters ofpositive economic growth. Director General,Dr. Wayne Henry, saidgrowth in the June 2017quarter reflected a 1.2per cent increase in theservices industry, whichoutweighed the goodsproducing industry’s 2.5per cent contraction. Additionally, he saidthe economy grew by0.2 per cent over the firstsix months of the calendaryear, relative to the corres-ponding period in 2016. The Director Generalattributed the calendaryear out-turn to 0.8 percent growth in the serv-ices industry, which out-weighed the goods pro-ducing industry’s 1.7 percent decline over the period. He was speaking atthe PIOJ’s quarterlymedia briefing at theInstitute’s New Kingstonhead office on August 30. Dr. Henry said theservice industry’s out-turn for the June 2017

quarter reflected growthin all areas, except Pro-ducers of GovernmentServices, which remainedflat. The top-performingsectors included hotelsand restaurants, up eightper cent; and Financeand Insurance Services,up 1.5 per cent. Additionally, Dr. Henrysaid the manufacturingand construction sectorsemerged the top per-formers, despite thegoods producing industry’scontraction. The manufacturingsector grew by 2.4 percent, while constructionwas up by 1.5 per cent. Dr. Henry said thegrowth prospects for theJuly to September quarterare “generally positive”,based on anticipatedstrengthening in the perfor-mance of most industries. “Despite the slowingin the rate of growth duringthe last two quarters dueto weather-related shocks,it is anticipated that forthe remainder of the fis-cal year, there will be astrengthening in thepace of growth, resultingin a fiscal-year outturnwithin the range of twoto three per cent,” headded.

Jamaica and Chile Strengthening Bilateral Relations

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, dis-cusses regional and hemispheric developments withPresident of the Republic of Chile, Her ExcellencyMichelle Bachelet.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry,Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C.Hutchinson (3rd left), is briefed by National SecurityState Minister, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr.(3rd right), on the proposed inter-ministerial collabo-ration aimed at boosting agricultural production atcorrectional facilities islandwide. The discussion tookplace during a recent tour of the Richmond FarmAdult Correctional Centre in St. Mary. Others listeninginclude: Superintendent in charge of Richmond Farm,Leroy Allen (2nd left); Rural Agricultural DevelopmentAuthority Chief Executive Officer, Peter Thompson(centre); Port Maria Mayor and St. Mary MunicipalCorporation Chairman, Councillor Richard Creary (2ndright); and correctional officers based at Richmond Farm.

Ministries Collaborating toBoost Agriculture

Government Rolling Out Pilot Rural School Bus SystemTHE GOVERNMENTwillbe rolling out a pilot ruralschool bus system inSeptember, for which $200million has been providedfor the first-year of imple-mentation. The initiative aims toprovide safe and affordabletransportation for studentsin rural areas whileimproving attendance inschools where absenteeism,in a number of cases, is ashigh as 20 per centaccording to data from theMinistry of Education,Youth and Information. The project is a collab-oration between the Min-istries of Education, andTransport and Mining, andwill initially target studentson the Programme ofAdvancement through Healthand Education (PATH). Students from 91 pri-mary and secondaryschools in eight parisheswill benefit under the initialphase. These include: St.Thomas, Portland, St. Mary,Clarendon, Manchester, St.

Elizabeth, Hanover andSt. James. Education Minister,Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid,who made the disclosureduring a Jamaica InformationService (JIS) Think Tanklast week, noted that the rateof student absenteeismwas particularly significantamong PATH students. “When you look at therural areas, particularly, the

cost for transportation isextremely high, and weare very certain that it is amain contributory factorto the absenteeism,” henoted. In this regard, SenatorReid said the project “isone that we are very excitedabout” as he believes itwill assist in significantlyimproving student atten-dance in school.

Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator theHon. Ruel Reid (centre), outlines details of the ruralschool bus pilot being rolled out, during a JamaicaInformation Service Think Tank on August 28. Others(from left) are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr.Dean-Roy Bernard, and Chief Education Officer, Dr.Grace McLean.

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (2ndleft), displays the Gazetted Order declaring Mount Salemin St. James as the first Zone of Special Operations(ZOSO). From left are: Minister of Justice, Hon. DelroyChuck; Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifford Blake(partially hidden); and Attorney General, Hon. MarleneMalahoo Forte.

Additional $350M Provided for Exim Bank Loan FacilityTHE TOURISM Enhance-ment Fund (TEF) has allo-cated an additional $350million to the NationalExport-Import (EXIM)Bank of Jamaica to con-tinue loan provisions tothe operators of small andmedium-sized tourism enter-prises (SMTEs). The allocation repre-sents the second trancheof the $1 billion TEF/EXIM Bank Jamaica loanfacility, which was launchedin September 2016 withan initial $300 millioncapital injection by thetourism entity. The facility enables theindustry stakeholders toaccess between $5 millionand $25 million at five percent interest for five years. Among those eligibleare operators involved in spaand wellness; gastronomy– restaurants and food-related businesses; smallaccommodations; shopping

and galleries; attractions;knowledge networks; andsports and entertainment aswell as manufacturers andsuppliers. Speaking at the officialhandover at the TourismMinistry in New Kingstonon August 30, PortfolioMinister, Hon. EdmundBartlett, said the loanfacility was a criticalfinancial lifeline that had

allowed and would enablemore sector stakeholdersto create jobs, generategrowth and facilitate eco-nomic well-being. Additionally, he said itrepresented theGovernment’sacknowledgement of theentities’ integral role inthe tourism value chain.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (left), addressingjournalists during the press briefing on the TourismEnhancement Fund/EXIM Bank Loan facility at theMinistry’s offices in New Kingston on August 30.Looking on is Managing Director, National Export Import(EXIM) Bank of Jamaica, Lisa Bell.

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