IMF Chief stands firm on devaluation - "All Angles" interview

On June 28, during her high visibility visit to Jamaica, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde granted an exclusive interview to Dionne Jackson Miller for Television Jamaica’s current affairs show, “All Angles.”

The first portion of the interview focused significantly on the devaluation of the Jamaican currency, which is one of the measures being pursued as part of the programme under the current four-year Extended Fund Facility, which Jamaica negotiated with the IMF.

Lagarde was firm in her position that the Jamaican dollar had been “wrongly valued… significantly over-valued relative to the state of the economy.” That state of affairs, she said, had been “accentuated by the fact that there was high inflation.”

She made it clear, however, that the current emphasis on “right valuation” of the Jamaican dollar was not a dogmatic position, in perpetuity, but one that was predicated on the expectation that, with the success of the mix of policy measures being pursued, “then it migh very well mean appreciation of the Jamaican currency.”

Nor did she give any credence to the Opposition’s call for fixing the exchange rate, for a while. “You cannot continue having an economy where the currency is largely over-valued, because if you do that, you have to continuously sell reserves, and the reserves of the country are critically important for it to operate.”

CLICK ON THE ARROW ABOVE TO ACCESS AUDIO OF PART ONE OF THE INTERVIEW

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IMF Chief stands firm on devaluation - "All Angles" interview

Samuel Rosenberg: The worst things you can do on a job interview

Samuel Rosenberg

NEW YORK, United States, Thursday July 3, 2014 – Once you know about all the worst things you can do during a job interview, you can plan and prepare properly so that you can commit to an excellent employment interview which will rapidly increase your chances of landing the job and increasing your financial reserves.

You would have heard that it is vital to make a good first impression when you go on a first date with a potential new partner because, according to experts, you make up your mind about somebody during the first five minutes when you meet them. Interviewers, even subconsciously will be using that same first five minutes to decide whether they are likely to employ you or not, so you need to plan to make a positive impact during the entire interviewing process.

You will know that it is wrong to turn up for an interview as a bank manager, dressed like you have just left the gym, because if you are not extremely presentable and wearing smart clean clothes, you may start your interview by providing a very poor first impression.

Even if the job doesn’t require you to be dressed smartly, it will still pay you to present yourself beyond the standards required during your interview. Dressing smartly, yet flamboyantly, may also prove off putting for the interviewer.

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You will be asked, at some stage during the interview, why you want the job. If you fail to answer the question with enthusiasm and conviction, the interviewer will know that you have not prepared an answer for the easiest question they will ask.

There are a range of questions you should ask and others that you should avoid at this early stage as they will only become valid if it is likely that you are to be offered the position.

Telling the interviewer which days you don’t want to work or asking how much holiday time is available, will make you sound as though you are bothered more about the time you’re not going to be at work, than when you are there.

Although you may wish to take your potential boss’s place in the next few years, it won’t help your application when you offend or threaten the interviewer’s own job.

When you are asked if you have any questions, the worst thing you can say is; “no”. This shows that you are not interested in the job, the company or the people involved. You should have at least three good questions ready to ask your interviewer so that even if they have already covered one answer for you, you still have two in reserve.

You can prepare questions to ask specific information about the job to show your level of interest. By asking about the immediate needs in your new workplace, they will understand that you wish to know about the challenges ahead of you. It is permissible to ask why the position has become available as this will let you know if a problem existed before that you can overcome or whether a new position is being opened at this time. By asking questions about the company, you will have proved that you have taken the time and effort to do your homework about the business.

People like to talk about themselves, so asking a little about your new manager’s background will give them the opportunity to talk while you weigh up whether you want to work with this person.

By asking about the next steps in the process, they will understand your level of interest in the position.

Leave your cell phone off during the interview, giving it no chance to ring, bleep or vibrate. Leaving it on will embarrass you and will show the interviewer that you haven’t prepared properly.

One of the ways that you can create a great first impression, is to follow up with your interviewer as soon as you can, by sending them an email to thank them for the meeting and to provide them with any positive points you forgot to mention, to correct any mistakes that you are sure they will have noticed and to highlight your major skills and applications. You won’t get every job you apply for, but you must learn how to make the best from your errors so that your next interview gives you a
better chance of being successful.

The writer is the founder and CEO of Axcel Finance Ltd., the leading regional microfinance institution. Share your thoughts and email your questions to srosenberg@axcelfinance.com

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Samuel Rosenberg: The worst things you can do on a job interview

Portia Simpson Miller — The 40th anniversary interview

History, it can be argued, never makes a mistake in appointing human beings to their special places in life.

Why, for example, was Portia Lucretia Simpson chosen to become Jamaica’s first woman prime minister? She was not to the manor born, nor was she the most educated Jamaican woman.

She did not have the powers of articulation attributed to her predecessors Norman Manley, Michael Manley and P J Patterson. But Portia Simpson Miller became prime minister for the right reason. She was the overwhelming choice of the hungry masses, the poor and indigent, the voiceless and forgotten, the far descendants of beaten slaves whose only power was to elect themselves a political saviour and rest in her their impatient hope for even temporary relief. History, indeed, does not err.

For Desmond Allen’s compelling interview with the prime minister, read this Wednesday’s (February 5) edition of the Jamaica Observer, marking the 40th anniversary of her entry into representational politics.

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Portia Simpson Miller — The 40th anniversary interview

Attorney says tapes of Asafa"s interview were not "seized"

News

Friday, July 26, 2013 | 10:17 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Milton Samuda, attorney-at-law for Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson has denied “confiscating” or “seizing” tapes at an interview with the athletes conducted earlier this week.According to Samuda, journalists participating in the interview were told up-front that the questions would be restricted. “That was the basis on which the journalists agreed to participate. I did not select the journalists who participated,” Samuda said in a statement Friday. “At no time were the tapes ‘seized’ or ‘confiscated and certainly no ‘equipment’ was,” he said.“The fact that other questions were posed was the basis on which the journalists were asked for the tapes so as to remove those questions and the answers. “I made the request on the basis of the restoration of trust and the fulfillment of their agreement. The journalits acted honourably and complied with my request,” Samuda said, adding that his primary duty is to protect his clients’ interests. Samuda, who is also chairman of TVJ and a director of Radio Jamaica, said that at no time did he try to suggest to any media house what to publish or carry.“I do believe in, and fully support freedom of the press but I also appreciate that that freedom is based on integrity and the honouring of one’s word. Freedom of the press should not be pursued at the expense of honour. I applaud the forthright treatment of the matter by TVJ News, clearly demonstarting the fierce independence of that newsroom,” the attorney said.On Wednesday the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) chided Samuda for allegedly taking tapes from the journalists and editing the contents.Speaking on the PAJ’s question of conflict of interest Sanuda said, “I do not tolerate conflict of interest, but it cannot be that those of us who hold several different positions in society are ipso facto prevented from acting decisively in any.”

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Attorney says tapes of Asafa"s interview were not "seized"

Attorney says tapes of Asafa"s interview were not "seized"

News

Friday, July 26, 2013 | 10:17 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Milton Samuda, attorney-at-law for Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson has denied “confiscating” or “seizing” tapes at an interview with the athletes conducted earlier this week.According to Samuda, journalists participating in the interview were told up-front that the questions would be restricted. “That was the basis on which the journalists agreed to participate. I did not select the journalists who participated,” Samuda said in a statement Friday. “At no time were the tapes ‘seized’ or ‘confiscated and certainly no ‘equipment’ was,” he said.“The fact that other questions were posed was the basis on which the journalists were asked for the tapes so as to remove those questions and the answers. “I made the request on the basis of the restoration of trust and the fulfillment of their agreement. The journalits acted honourably and complied with my request,” Samuda said, adding that his primary duty is to protect his clients’ interests. Samuda, who is also chairman of TVJ and a director of Radio Jamaica, said that at no time did he try to suggest to any media house what to publish or carry.“I do believe in, and fully support freedom of the press but I also appreciate that that freedom is based on integrity and the honouring of one’s word. Freedom of the press should not be pursued at the expense of honour. I applaud the forthright treatment of the matter by TVJ News, clearly demonstarting the fierce independence of that newsroom,” the attorney said.On Wednesday the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) chided Samuda for allegedly taking tapes from the journalists and editing the contents.Speaking on the PAJ’s question of conflict of interest Sanuda said, “I do not tolerate conflict of interest, but it cannot be that those of us who hold several different positions in society are ipso facto prevented from acting decisively in any.”

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2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

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5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

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Attorney says tapes of Asafa"s interview were not "seized"

Attorney says tapes of Asafa"s interview were not "seized"

News

Friday, July 26, 2013 | 10:17 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Milton Samuda, attorney-at-law for Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson has denied “confiscating” or “seizing” tapes at an interview with the athletes conducted earlier this week.According to Samuda, journalists participating in the interview were told up-front that the questions would be restricted. “That was the basis on which the journalists agreed to participate. I did not select the journalists who participated,” Samuda said in a statement Friday. “At no time were the tapes ‘seized’ or ‘confiscated and certainly no ‘equipment’ was,” he said.“The fact that other questions were posed was the basis on which the journalists were asked for the tapes so as to remove those questions and the answers. “I made the request on the basis of the restoration of trust and the fulfillment of their agreement. The journalits acted honourably and complied with my request,” Samuda said, adding that his primary duty is to protect his clients’ interests. Samuda, who is also chairman of TVJ and a director of Radio Jamaica, said that at no time did he try to suggest to any media house what to publish or carry.“I do believe in, and fully support freedom of the press but I also appreciate that that freedom is based on integrity and the honouring of one’s word. Freedom of the press should not be pursued at the expense of honour. I applaud the forthright treatment of the matter by TVJ News, clearly demonstarting the fierce independence of that newsroom,” the attorney said.On Wednesday the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) chided Samuda for allegedly taking tapes from the journalists and editing the contents.Speaking on the PAJ’s question of conflict of interest Sanuda said, “I do not tolerate conflict of interest, but it cannot be that those of us who hold several different positions in society are ipso facto prevented from acting decisively in any.”

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

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Attorney says tapes of Asafa"s interview were not "seized"