Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller says the government’s approach in securing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is very serious and the discussions are advanced and ongoing.

She was speaking at the first in a series of parish meetings aimed at providing the public with information on key aspects of national development at the Jose Marti Technical High School, Twickenham Park, St. Catherine on Wednesday.

Simpson Miller said an agreement with the IMF was necessary in order to get support from multilaterals and bilateral institutions, build business confidence and keep the economy stable, according to a release.

She underscored government’s commitment to tax reform, pension reform and public sector reform as part of such a programme.

Also speaking at the forum, Minister of Justice, Mark Golding pointed out that the IMF has accepted Jamaica’s medium term programme as a basis for negotiations on the related issues.

“What is now being sorted out are the other details as to how we will stick to the programme to which we are committing ourselves,” the release quoted Golding as saying.

Simpson Miller said that while it was government’s intention to increase employment through initiatives like the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme, “we will only be able to solve the unemployment issue when the economy begins to grow in a sustainable manner.”

In appealing for support from the citizenry and every sector in society to tackle the crime problem, she said that “you cannot have a female prime minister and feel that you must just abuse women and children.”

She added that “we are working seriously on several pieces of legislation to address the problem.”

The Prime Minister also urged everyone to take the necessary precautions to rid their homes and communities of breeding sites of mosquitoes in order to eliminate the incidences of dengue fever.

Government, she said, has stepped up its dengue public education programme and there is increased fogging and treatment of a number of breeding sites for mosquitoes in communities across the country.

The forum also provided an opportunity for residents to air local development concerns affecting communities in St. Catherine.

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