Lok Jack: Crime and squatting inconsistent with 20/20 status

Lok Jack was speaking at the official hand over of the Draft National Strategic Plan and 28 accompanying reports on each of the sectors of development. The report was presented to Prime Minister Patrick Manning at Whitehall.

Manning, in accepting the documents, gave the assurance that they would not be allowed to "sit on shelves, collecting dust." "It would constitute a road map to developed country status by the year 2020," he said, adding: "I can give the assurance that the plan would be implemented."

Lok Jack noted that Manning and his Government had put a lot of political capital in Vision 2020 over the last two and a half years, but he conceded that crime was a problem. He said the sub-committee report on national security and public safety dealt with the measures that needed to be adopted. He cited infrastructural aspects such as the upgrading of the forensic centre, improving detection and securing the borders against guns and drugs.

Lok Jack said all 28 sectoral reports came with "frameworks for action" and there was also a timetable for implementation. He added half-jokingly to the PM that this could be a good yardstick for determining the performance of ministers. Stressing that Government never interfered with the work of the committee, Manning said Government deliberately selected a non-political group to formulate the Vision 2020 document. "Whosoever forms the Government will have this plan available to them and they would be in a position to superimpose on that draft, plan their own political approaches, adjusting the plan so that it is consistent with their own political philosophies," he said.

Manning added that when Government enlisted the services of persons to formulate the Vision 2020 plan, it never asked people what was their political affiliation. "On occasion" members of the Opposition were involved as well as persons who held views in opposition to that of the Government.

The Prime Minister stated that international agencies had been in touch with the Government and Lok Jack, because they (the agencies) felt the approach taken (to Vision 2020) was a novel one.

He said there were a lot of naysayers at the beginning of the Vision 2020 exercise, "but today two and a half years later, we have come to this very important juncture."

He said the 28 sectoral plans would now be given to the relevant ministries.

There were more than 600 persons on the Vision 2020 sub-committee . It held 500 meetings and 81 consultations over the past two and a half years.