Gloomy Jamaica Unfixable Asks The Economist
We know that the picture is not altogether rosy in Jamaica and hasn’t been for some time now…but surely all is not lost as this article seems to suggest especially when compared to many other countries. After all, unemployment in some US cities is close to 20%….
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The analysis of “things getting worse before the better” would be fine if they were the result of a plan in which it was understood that “bwoy we are making these tough choices and it will be hard in the short term but they are for the medium- and long-term good”. We are NOT doing this at all in any major policy areas with the exception of agriculture, kudos to Chris Tufton.
While I do agree that it appears that we are fiddling while Rome burns, perhaps it’s a case of things having to get worse before they get better? As depressing an idea as that may seem, I’ve always maintained that until the “powers that be” take our problems seriously nothing will change. Hopefully Jamaicans with means are less likely to up and migrate like they did in the 70’s & 80’s (US don’t want us anymore anyway)…so hopefully, and this is a big hopefully…we’ll start to focus on our problems like now. It is certainly within our ability to solve our problems if we wish to. But do we wish to really?
Jamaica continues to get worse, while many other countries are improving.
In addition, the governments in many other countries are making positive steps, while ours seem to be dithering around- whither the crime plan (they can’t even debate the almost 2-year old crime bill), whither the casino bill, whither the public sector cutbacks (announced months ago- instead we have yet another committee to do this- more public sector instead of less!)- whither the tax reform- whither the business incentives- whither the Air J divestment- whither the legal proceedings for Dudus- whither the IMF agreement…
Instead we are focusing on ridiculous things- possibly legalizing sodomy in our human rights bill (oh the horror- imagine how bad Jamaica would be then…), kissing the trade unions’ arses, giving Usain Bolt every award known to humans (I rate him still but leave something for the future nuh), “blasting” the ratings agencies (like they care what our gas station manager, i mean minister of finance says), sending ridiculous large delegations of public servants to various overseas functions (52 to local gov conf in Bahamas, Babsy and company in Berlin, Bartlet & co in Russia, etc.), continuing to pay ANY money at all to keep JTI and the JBDC open, 70k chairs, etc…
At the same time three major ratings agencies have downgraded Jamaica, the dollar has started to slip, we have slipped on every international index in the last several years – taxation, ease of doing business, corruption & transperancy, state-sponsored terrorism
THINGS FALL RASS APART!