Moses

PRIVATE SECTOR Association of Jamaica (PSOJ) President Peter Moses, has been named chairman of the broad-based committee constituted by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to examine the gas price hike and recommend adjustments.

His deputy is Independent Senator, Dr. Trevor Munroe, Ed Bailey of the Civil Service Association, Rev. Stanley Clarke, Francia Edwards and representatives of Youth, Students and Community Organisations to be named.

In a statement in Parliament yesterday, Mr. Patterson said the Committee is to report its recommendations by Sunday, April 25 so that they can be discussed by the Cabinet on Monday, April 26.

Interested individuals and organisations can make submissions to the Committee through the Office of the Prime Minister.

According to Mr. Patterson the Committee's decision and recommendations will have an effect on the Budget. It may find that there are other ways of raising the revenue; mitigating the impact, consolidating various subsidies and rolling back the gas price increase accordingly, or cutting the budget. But the $2.8 billion gap was real and had to be dealt with, he said.

The Committee will look at everything, and it will have the technocrats in the Government to assist it.

"What the country needs urgently is not a conditional suspension of protest but a complete cessation," Mr. Patterson said.

He said the Government "has heard very clearly the voices of many people over the last three days, not only in respect of the tax on petroleum products, but in calling for jobs, for better community sanitation and access to justice and to greater access to and communication with Government and closer contact and dialogue with me."

He said it was time for business and life to return to normal.

One effect of the work of the Committee is to put back the debate on the Budget for a week, so that Opposition spokesman on Finance Audley Shaw, is now down to speak next Tuesday instead.

Yesterday, it was expected that Mr. Shaw would speak, but he was absent again, as he was on Tuesday.

The House did not sit until 3.20 p.m. There were 23 Members on the Government benches and two on the Opposition side.