Mottley calls for fiscal space to help Jamaica bounce back from Melissa
Published:Tuesday | November 18, 2025 | 12:10 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has called for urgent international support to ensure Jamaica gets the fiscal breathing room it needs to rebuild after Hurricane Melissa.
Mottley made the appeal during a CARICOM leaders’ tour of hard-hit communities in Westmoreland on Monday, warning that Jamaica’s revenue losses and extensive infrastructure damage require immediate global intervention to avoid slowing the country’s recovery.
“Jamaica must know that it does not walk alone in this moment,” she said. “This year, it is Jamaica. Next year, it will be one of us. And it is important that we retain that solidarity.”
Mottley said the destruction in five parishes, combined with the likely loss of government revenue over the coming months, requires decisive intervention from the international community. She expressed hope that Jamaica’s partners would help create an environment where Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness’ administration can focus entirely on rebuilding without fiscal constraints.
“We must create an opportunity where your government can focus purely on rebuilding,” she said. “And also bridge the loss of revenue that will obviously take place for the next nine months, two years – however long it may be. The biggest contribution we can make is to work with the international community to give you the elbow room, the fiscal space you need.”
CONFIDENT IN RECOVERY
The Barbadian leader noted that Jamaica had been on track to reach its fiscal anchor of 60 per cent debt-to-GDP before the storm, but said Melissa’s impact will inevitably alter that trajectory. She compared the moment to the economic upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced Barbados to reset but ultimately recover.
“We went through the same thing during COVID,” she said. “We recovered from it, and I have every confidence that Jamaica will recover from this moment.”
Mottley confirmed that Barbados has already dispatched a field hospital to support displaced residents. She emphasised the scale of Jamaica’s crisis, noting that the number of people left without shelter exceeds three times Barbados’ entire population.
In addition to medical support, Barbados is sending further relief, including garbage compactor trucks, tarpaulins, generators and immediate food supplies sourced from Trinidad. She said the region must respond quickly, describing disaster recovery as a continuous “race against time” to restore normalcy to affected communities.
Mottley also praised the broader CARICOM response, pointing to Guyana’s decision to deploy Guyana Defence Force engineers to repair 200 roofs in Westmoreland and Antigua and Barbuda’s commitment to the relief effort. She said the moment reflects the essence of regional cooperation.
“This is why we are a community,” she said. “Because in times like these, the community draws strength from each other and supports each other.”
She endorsed Holness’ goal of getting families under some form of shelter before Christmas, saying the experience of surviving such a disaster often deepens a community’s resolve to rebuild stronger and better.
“I believe the individuals who have gone through this will now have a greater passion for why they must work together to make their communities and their country the best it can be,” she said.