The importance of maintaining hope

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer - WHATEVER the prime minister and her finance minister tell the nation later today, we can be very certain that it will require even more sacrifice and hardship. We already know that an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme — deemed by economic experts as absolutely necessary if Jamaica is to stabilise its economy and ultimately achieve sustainable economic growth — will demand more cost cutting. All of us will feel the pinch, but we suggest that it is the poorest among us — many of whom are already virtually submerged — who will be the most adversely affected.