Letter of the Day | EPOC-type arrangement needed for social transformation

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Howard Mitchell’s recent reminder of the need to reconstruct Jamaica’s social fabric deserves serious attention. Speaking at the launch of the Heart of Jamaicans Survey conducted by Market Research Services Limited, he argued that while the country has made significant progress in stabilising its public finances through fiscal consolidation, it has lagged in implementing the sweeping social reforms needed to complement its economic turnaround over the past 15 years.

I agree wholeheartedly and would go further. Jamaica needs a broad-based, multi-stakeholder mechanism capable of building national consensus on the kind of society we aspire to create —much like the now-defunct Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), which successfully monitored the country’s economic reform programme across successive administrations between 2013 and 2024.

The EPOC model has been widely regarded as effective and internationally recognised as best practice. Similar frameworks have been applied in other areas, including education, through the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC), and crime, via the Crime Monitoring and Oversight Committee (CMOC).

However, an EPOC-type arrangement for social transformation would be different. The development of new societal norms is a long-term undertaking, likely to span decades. This must be a sustained, generational effort aimed at reshaping Jamaica into a markedly improved society within 20 to 30 years. It should also be institutionalised, supported by technical expertise in social policy.

Crucially, such an initiative requires bipartisan political support. Previous attempts to instil positive values and attitudes in society faltered because of partisan resistance. Jamaica continues to grapple with persistent social challenges that have been discussed repeatedly in public forums. Had there been a concerted, unified effort to pursue social transformation decades ago, the country might already be benefiting from tangible results. The urgency now is to begin without further delay.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding underscored in his budget presentation that a country’s value extends beyond its macroeconomic standing. When EPOC was established, stakeholders from government, business, labour, academia and civil society came together in recognition that decades of underperformance could no longer continue.

Jamaica has achieved macroeconomic stability. Indicators such as inflation, debt and unemployment are no longer discussed with the same concern as before. The challenge now is to replicate this success on the social front.

Without decisive action, Jamaica risks perpetuating long-standing issues and revisiting the same conversations in years to come.

– Keenan Falconer