Government should not approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help without having a home-grown “programme” to strengthen its negotiations.
And if the authorities open talks with the Fund, they should ensure that Barbados’ “most vulnerable” citizens have access to a strong social safety net.
That’s the advice Devon Rowe, one of the architects of and enforcers of Jamaica’s economic recovery programme with the IMF, has for Barbados.
In an interview with the Sunday Sun, Rowe, who was financial secretary in Jamaica’s Ministry of Finance and Planning for about four years before retiring last year, said while the IMF “can fill you with dread”, Jamaica’s engagement with that multi-lateral institution helped pull the country back from “a crisis”. (SC)
Please read the full story in today’s Sunday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.
