Government Senator, Keith Duncan, is supporting a further suspension of the country’s fiscal rules in order to pursue growth-inducing investments post-Hurricane Melissa.

He says while Jamaica’s macroeconomic indicators continue to trend in the right direction, more needs to be done to accelerate their translation into meaningful gains for the average Jamaican.

Duncan was making his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Upper House on Friday.

Chevon Campbell tells us more.

Prime Minister, Dr. Andrew Holness, has signalled a potential further suspension of the country’s fiscal rules to accommodate greater post-Hurricane Melissa expenditure.

Government Senator, Keith Duncan, is backing the call, noting Jamaica’s access to billions of US dollars in potential multilateral support.

The fiscal rules set limits on the fiscal balance.

They can only be suspended in an emergency, such as a natural disaster costing at least 1.5% of GDP.

The rules were last suspended in December 2025, after Hurricane Melissa, which struck the island on October 28.

Senator Duncan argues that the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority, NaRRA, is effectively positioned to support the investments provided by the additional fiscal space, with sufficient oversight.

He’s also confident the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee, JamRROC, will provide that oversight.

However, Senator Duncan argues that much more work need to be done in terms of boosting productivity and financial sector reform.