Hylton slams gov’t economic performance

Opposition Spokesperson on Industry, Investment and Global Logistics, Anthony Hylton, has warned that Jamaica's economy is not only stagnating but backsliding.

Speaking in the Sectoral Debates in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Hylton charged that the government has no credible plan to stop the decline.

"Jamaicans deserve more than political theatre," Hylton declared. "They deserve a forward-looking economic strategy rooted in resilience, growth and inclusion, not another cycle of flashy headlines and electioneering."

According to Hylton, after nearly a decade in office, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has presided over entrenched economic stagnation, leaving citizens to shoulder the burden.

"What we need is a clear and coherent strategy," he said. "But instead, we get ribbon cuttings for projects that should have been completed long ago, more PR, less performance."

Citing official data, Hylton highlighted that Jamaica's economy contracted by 0.9 per cent in 2024 - the country's first annual economic decline since the pandemic. More troubling, he noted, was the back-to-back contraction over the last two quarters of the year: a 3.3 per cent fall in the third quarter followed by a further 0.8 per cent drop in the fourth.

"This is not just economic turbulence," Hylton warned. "It is the first back-to-back quarterly contraction since the pandemic. That fact alone should ring alarm bells in the consciousness of every policymaker, every business owner and every Jamaican family."

Calling for a comprehensive, future-ready growth agenda, Hylton stressed the need to revitalise high-potential sectors, strengthen MSME support, and drive bold industrial transformation.

"A nation that does not grow is a nation that stagnates," said Hylton. "And a nation that stagnates cannot feed its people, protect its future or compete globally," he said.