Fixed exchange rate won’t solve Ja’s problem - IMF representative

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Dr Gene Leon, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) senior resident representative to Jamaica, is arguing that discussions on whether Jamaica should go the way of a fixed exchange rate is misplaced. Leon, along with economists Dr Damieon King and Dr André Haughton, who were guests at a Gleaner Editors' Forum yesterday, said Jamaica needs to focus on fixing the fundamentals of its economy, rather than being concerned with the value of the Jamaican dollar. "We focus on the exchange rate as though that exchange rate is anything other than a consequence of where we are," Leon said.