Jamaica is now praised internationally for a fiscal achievement few indebted developing countries have managed. By the end of March, public debt had fallen to 65.6 per cent of GDP, still far below the near-150 per cent burden of about a decade ago though slightly above the previous year’s 62.5 per cent.

To multilateral lenders, this is an impressive macroeconomic story. Yet along the potholed corridors of rural St Andrew, in distressed communities of West Portland, and across Kingston’s overcrowded public passenger vehicles, another Jamaica is speaking.

That contrast raises an uncomfortable question: Has the Government of Jamaica shown greater practical empathy towards corporate capital than towards its poorest citizens?