Jamaica Observer

Dear Editor,

Denying people use of bathrooms unless they buy something. Really?

Of course this would happen. This is Jamaica afterall. People charge you to park on land they don't own for crying out loud. Everybody has to maximise earnings, even if it means charging a parent for a soda they didn't even need to let a two-year-old relieve himself in the right place as opposed to in the car.

I'm disgusted!

I was in a popular patty restaurant in New Kingston that will remain nameless, on Wednesday, January 30, 2013. As is customary, you know, seeing that I am human after all, I needed to tinkle. I proceeded to head for the restroom, which was locked. I asked the security guard to open the door, to which he replied, "you haffi buy sum'n fi use the bathroom". I told him I planned to buy something after but needed to relieve myself, and he obliged, after muttering that I was supposed to buy something first. Oh sure, let me eat my patties while urinating.

Anyway, while consuming my patties an odd looking man came in, also desirous of using the freshly bolted restroom facility. Of course, the security gave him the same line (and added a demeaning look, because of said appearance I guess): "you haffi buy sum'n fi use the bathroom". Poor man looked like he could've left some kind of bonus work for the cleaning crew right there in the middle of the place! Of course he had to buy something; maybe a straw, I'm not certain what it was, but after swearing at the guard perhaps and maybe the high cost of living (literally) he was able to go.

The Big Question is, why do they think that this is necessary?

Why should they lock the bathrooms and insist on people spending there before being able to use them? Yes there are places of business, where the aim is to make as much money as possible, but is $10 for perhaps a packet of ketchup so necessary to deny people the use of the restroom? Are they so inhumane that they just want money and don't care about persons relieving themselves? Clearly the heads of these businesses are robots. That must be it. What's worse, the security guards too are so vigilant to enforce this unnecessary evil. Yes I understand that they don't want any hobo (aka Madman in J'can terms) to just come off the street and take residence in there, but is not like there's a sign at the front saying "FREE BATHROOM HERE!"

Most likely, most people who go to any establishment of business, go for whatever business is offered there, not to just do number one or two. I don't have any statistics (perhaps I should do a survey for no reason at all) on how many people go to businesses just to use the restroom. It could be one out of 10 or less, or more. I don't know.

All I'm saying is that it is unnecessary. I understand that whomever (business heads) nuh want no hobo "bung up dem toilet", but you just watch that over sized CEO eat three patties and drink a Tropicana and think he's gonna leave flowers in your bathroom.

Alwayne Allen

Northern Caribbean University

Paying for the use of bathrooms

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Dear Editor,

In a country rife with bigotry like Jamaica is there any hope for peace? Will there ever be a time in which any man can freely traverse the island from one end to the other without fear of persecution because of political, social and other trivial examples of discrimination?

How hard is it for someone as an individual to accept that there is no control over the actions of the persons around you, and even if the the person you once grew with suddenly adopts a new persona/lifestyle is that person any different from the one you knew from before? Listen to your voice of reason!

Is it necessary that we live in a world filled with religious disputes, fights over dispensable and temporary things? It is needless to live our daily lives whilst concerning ourselves with the day to day happenings of out fellow man when we rarely even relay or deliver good thoughts to the other. You speak of prophecies and wonders of your various Gods, yet have any of their messengers or prophets condoned the judging of others? A favourite saying of mine goes "It is better to find a single fault within yourself than a million in others" implying that you need not concern yourselves with the faults or misgivings of others when you blatantly outright ignore the ones in yourselves, which I myself am also a culprit.

We continuously make it our daily mantra to change our fellow man without ever trying to modify ourselves, change is inevitable and nothing can stop progress only inhibit it. You continue to persecute your fellow man imposing upon him the word of God, using only what you see is necessary then ignoring the other essential parts.

A bible verse that I never once before understood has started to take form over the past few years, St Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify thy father which is in heaven." This one verse speaks volumes to the life of others. How can you call yourself a Christian when all you do is persecute and judge, when the bible, the word of God tells you that you must let your light shine?

Light in this form referring to your life, the greatest testimonies of all times the ones that actually reach out and touch the hearts of many are those which speak about living a life for Christ, especially when they at one point were at the edge where most Christians would fall into abyss. Don't be offended when I say that these are at times more realistic and sincere than most of the testimonies that you hear from the persons who are always in church or always on the "mission". Yet even so, these persons who continue to persecute and attack while unnecessarily proclaiming the voice of God and using the Bible to justify their actions forget that the other side knows the Bible as well and even surprisingly in some cases better than their persecutors.

So what to do about this situation you may ask? The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, therefore if you intend to change the world the first step is to change yourself. The first step is always the hardest, that's why the constant persecution of others gets you nowhere. The life you want to live and the life intended for you are two different things. Destiny is nothing more than the constant hopes and beliefs of the persons around us pushing towards a greater goal. Therefore to change the world or even Jamaica, we must continue to press forward despite the elements around us.

Jordn-Micheal McCarthy

jmickmac06@gmail.com

Check yourself before you check others

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Dear Editor,

Granted, there is a time and place for prayer, but it is foolhardy to believe that it is the solution to all of Jamaica's ills. Were that the case there would be no evil in our country today. Over the years, and especially of late, Jamaicans have been encouraged to indulge in praying, praying, praying their lives away. Recent manifestations of this were evident when Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Chairman Robert Montague asked supporters of his party to pray for the current administration in power, and before that at the annual National Prayer Breakfast.

Others elsewhere such as the Chinese, in the meantime, have not been praying any at all or at best very little, but have been busy working, working, working. The result is that the Chinese are flying down the track like Usain Bolt while Jamaica is still scrambling out of the starting blocks. Interestingly, while the Chinese have the baton of industry and commerce firmly in their grasp, we have a begging bowl, which we will be extending to the Chinese seeking a loan, grant, or debt relief somewhere down the road.

The records do not show that Jamaicans are praying less, as the general Christian population is reported to have grown and church services, prayer vigils and crusades etc. are held week in week out right across the length and breadth of the country. I humbly propose a paradigm shift going forward for all Jamaicans. Let us attempt the working, working, working system nine times and if the desired results are not forthcoming we then try the praying, praying, praying once. I strongly suspect that success will be achieved prior to getting to the 10th try.

It would appear that Jamaica is busy rewriting the quote of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which stated, "The heights by great men reached and kept, were not obtained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling (read praying) upward in the night".

There was an outcry not too long ago about a report, which suggested that quite a substantial proportion of Jamaicans qualified as being "mad". Whoever put out that nonsense must have been using as a guideline what some old guy, considered a crackpot in some quarters, once said. He claimed that insanity was essentially doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I believe his name was Albert Einstein or something like that. Is this guy suggesting that the constantly praying cohort in Jamaica, from my Prime Minister right down, are all mad people?

Fitzroy Whyte

Mandeville, Manchester

littled_1969@yahoo.com

Work, work, work ... instead of pray, pray, pray

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Dear Editor,

Michael Manley once said: "We have to learn fast, we better learn fast, or we are doomed."

Jamaicans need to learn, with zeal, the sacrifices required of us for us to recover from the problems we are currently facing. I adamantly say that the solutions are not more IMF capital or loquacious politicians with temporary soul-soothing rhetorical garbage filled with unending promises. The solutions are not temporary short-term band-aid solutions; they emerge from the realms of long-term sustainable self-reliance policies.

Immediately that notion depicts a vivid image of strenuous but necessary sacrifices, which will propel our children into a better future. I anticipate that such changes will cause a certain amount of difficulty and upset, but wherever there's a challenge there's imminent positive change. The reality is that there will be no better Jamaica without some level of immediate temporary sacrifice and challenge, from both politicians and members of civil society.

There will be no fruition from government strategic policies without a collection of leaders with strong backbones, willing to put their political careers on the line by standing up not only to party opposition and unfair capitalistic private-sector hawks, but also to imperialistic agenda-based countries and demand that Jamaica be treated fairly in the international economy on the terms of trade and foreign exchange.

But more importantly, it will take enormous sacrifices by all Jamaicans to bring the country back to a place where our future children and grandchildren will once again enjoy prosperity and security. Some of the most immediate sacrifices include shared tax burdens, longer working hours, less luxury consumption (temporary lower standard of living), among many other things.

To fix our balance of payments account we need to cut back on international consumption and public expenditure. Families do it in times of hardship, so why can't we do it as a country? Globalisation with its hard-nosed consequence of global recession has knocked Jamaica sideways in all sectors. However, there is a resounding trend that reflects our obsession with foreign products and lifestyles. That must change for us to become self-reliant.

Michael Manley in the mid-1970s banned the importation of "gas guzzler-type" vehicles to Jamaica, because he realised that the government could not afford to subsidise gas prices in a country that demanded 97% of its energy from outside oil sources.

That policy saved us millions in liquid dollars that would have otherwise gone to international sources. Why not replicate such a policy, for example?

Secondly, domestic agriculture needs to be the number one development policy strategy in our polity. Revitalise our domestic economy and long-term self-reliance will be the result. We cannot base the solutions to the harsh reality of our current situation on assumptions; we should do so based on factual data and workable policies that will see fruition in the short and long-term future of this country. We cannot base solutions off an idealistic model of the great world powers that underwent centuries of personal sacrifice to develop to the stage they currently enjoy.

Let's learn from our own past to make the necessary sacrifices for a better future. It will require, however, an inherently charismatic and visionary leader with a backbone of steel to successfully get people to believe in the necessary policies for change. The clear-cut reality is that I am yet to see that leader.

Shane McFarlane

shane_jas1@hotmail.com

Self-reliance -- the solution to Jamaica's looming doom

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Dear Editor,

In his article in the Jamaica Observer on Monday, February 4, Mr Javed Jaghai appealed to the public to "stop demonising gays". While we should not treat persons as inferior and unacceptable, it is wisdom - and in some cases, a matter of survival - to perceive certain behaviours as such.

Strategically devoid of statistics, the author fails to mention the ways in which gays [especially men who have sex with men (MSMs)] do harm to their own bodies. Indeed, he is correct in highlighting the significant social and emotional harm suffered by gays and lesbians because of what they do with their bodies. However, one must also note the significant physical and medical harm that is self-inflicted as a result of these same activities.

To the dismay of the factophobic amongst us, in The Gleaner on February 12, 2012, the Ministry of Health reported MSMs as being 20 times more likely to be infected with HIV (32%) than the average Jamaican (1.6%). Surely, there is no one more demonised in our society than prostitutes, whose occupation and daily activities consist of engaging in behaviours that literally put them in the line of fire for HIV infection. Yet MSMs are more than six times as likely to have HIV than the average prostitute (4.9%). It is therefore obvious that demonisation and stereotyping do not pose the greatest threat to the welfare of gays and lesbians in Jamaica.

Stereotyping and verbally and emotionally abusing gays is base and inhumane, and severely infringes on their collective and individual welfare. But let us not forget that their own behaviours (for example, anal penetration) have a profound negative impact on their welfare as well.

In short, all people are equal, but not all behaviours are equal.

If one truly wanted to love members of the LGBTTTIMZ community, one would warn them of the extremely dangerous consequence of their actions, namely the alarmingly high chance of contracting an incurable and potentially fatal disease. Loving and accepting an individual is not the same as endorsing all of his or her behaviours; in fact, it is unloving to encourage behaviours that have already been proven to be medically unsafe. Instead, let us respectfully and humbly learn about the temptations, struggles and unique personal stories of our gay and lesbian neighbours, as we lovingly encourage them to live lives of sexual purity, and subsequently, sexual health.

Onyka Thompson

Love March Movement

Warn gays of their actions

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Dear Editor,

Having read the article dated Monday February 4, 2013, on former ACP Les Green, I am inclined to say I wholeheartedly agree with his claims. It is common knowledge that Jamaica does have a rather antiquated system that is being used to fight modern crimes, and the work ethic described in the report is, in fact, institutionalised. This laid-back mentality is not confined to the JCF and the sad part is that many Jamaicans revel in this mindset and attitude and would even consider it an admirable trait.

The JCF really is a "step back in time". Have you ever wondered why at some police stations you would find bars, staffed by police personnel? Have you ever stopped to question why police officers drink in their uniforms? Have we ever stopped to question their operational code of conduct, or lack of it? Ohhhh, this is Jamaica, mon, no problem, everiting irie. Bribe taking is normalised, among many other ills of the profession. We still have a police force and not a police service. Hence, we embrace the colonial-era paramilitary unit that was put in place to suppress poor black people. That mentality has not changed in 2013.

I have had to ask myself several times, "Do these men and women who swore to protect, serve and reassure really know what those words mean?" Protecting and serving is really about apprehending and NOT executing, which seems to be what is done mostly by the JCF. So much so, that they have started to execute their own members. I vehemently believe it is high time that we, as a people, stop accepting mediocrity. We will always sit back and allow outsiders to come and point out to us our dirty deeds. Did you realise that we didn't order our artistes to produce 'clean' lyrics until the international markets imposed bans and sanctions? We are much too caught up playing hypocrites who all wished that our nastiness stay hidden, rather than cleansing ourselves of the grime and slime we have got so accustomed to.

Jamaica does have some great men and women, even in the JCF. However, we are not united in our cause and that simple fact is what is tearing the nation to shreds. As a youth, I do not wish to keep silent. I believe we all need to stop broadcasting great messages from the rooftops and roll up our sleeves to get our hands involved in purging this nation of unwanted elements. No need to worry, when we are proud to embrace things that paint a negative light, as in the VW advertisement "... you're 3 minutes late", "cho boss, everiting irie mon..."

We are in too much of a sad state, but there is still hope.

Dei-Rasi Freckleton

Chairman of the Clarendon Youth and Child Protection Committee

deidibomma@yahoo.com

I agree with Les Green

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Dear Editor,

I disagree with the author of the letter headlined "Gays should be treated fairly", that the buggery law is about viewing and treating gay Jamaicans as criminals in their own country.

The law applies to both homosexuals and heterosexuals and does not deny anyone, including those with same-sex attraction and identity, the protections and rights in the recently passed Charter of Rights.

The law addresses intimate behaviour and underpins the philosophy that all behaviours are not "normal and positive." Further, the "Buggery Law" anticipates the fundamental re-socialisation which will occur if all intimate behaviours are considered to be "normal and positive".

With respect to Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) the "Buggery Law" makes all activities, including but not limited to, fisting, felching, rimming, "farming", chariot racing, scat and anal penetration criminal.

The fundamental questions before Jamaican citizens and lawmakers is whether or not such behaviours should be regarded as "normal and positive aspects of sexual behaviour" and whether or not the Jamaican society should be re-organised to reflect and embrace these values.

Wayne West

Kingston 6

More on the buggery law

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Dear Editor,

(This is an open letter to the Prime Minister of Jamaica)

I have always been a strong advocate for the independence of Jamaica and I hope that I will live to see the day when Jamaica becomes a free and independent country.

Soon after you became Prime Minister in 2012, you declared to the Jamaican people that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is to be removed as Head of State. Is this is an admission that Jamaica is not an independent country? Your declaration is not the first. Several of your predecessors have made similar statements. Yet, each one lacked the political will to make the necessary constitutional changes.

Since 1962 - the year of so-called independence - Jamaicans have been celebrating Jamaica's independence in the month of August every year. How long must we continue under this political deception? The present Constitution appears to have been hastily drafted at a time when England was losing its control over the colonies. It gives Her Majesty the Queen and her representative, the Governor General, executive authority over the elected representatives of the Jamaican people. This amounts to nothing more than a neo-colonial subjugation of the Jamaican people.

I call your attention to one of the many provisions in the Constitution which gives the Queen executive authority.

The Constitution, Section 60 -(1), Page 94 - "Assent to Bills" states: "A Bill shall not become law until the Governor-General has assented thereto in Her Majesty's name and

on Her Majesty's behalf and has signed it in token of such assent."

Madam Prime Minister, the argument for Independence is not purely political. Attention must be given to the economic objectives and other valuable human resources. During the past 50 years of neo-colonial government, Jamaica has accumulated a national debt that presently stands at $1.6 trillion and rising, and the Government continues to borrow from international funding agencies and foreign governments. Unemployment is in the double digit. The percentage of imports is on the increase. The national revenue and productivity are low. The social infrastructure is challenged with criminal behaviour. It is time to stop, look and ask, Where is Jamaica heading? It is clear that the neo-colonial government has failed.

Jamaica needs a new Constitution that clearly articulates its independence, democratic principles, economic values, cultural norms, and national aspirations. This cannot be achieved by any one political party in a divided Parliament. For too long, our politicians have not learned to work together - a legacy of the colonial era. It is full time for all parties to put away their political differences and the neo-colonial prejudices that divide us and unite in their efforts to build a strong and independent Jamaica.

Parliament should seek the opinions of Jamaicans with the appointment of a National Reconstruction and Developmental Committee from the Private Sector.

The Government should communicate more with Jamaicans in the Diaspora. Many Jamaicans who have emigrated to foreign countries in search of a better livelihood have done well and are anxious to return to an independent Jamaica where they can contribute to nation building.

Jamaica's independence is not a colonial privilege, neither is nation-building. It is part of our human rights. Begin the process now!

Donald G Morgan

President, Jamaica Volunteers Association, Inc.

Calling for an independent Jamaica

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Dear Editor,

As we move to reform the public sector, let us as a nation not be deceived into believing that cutting cost, by any means, will automatically translate into greater efficiency.

Cost must not be looked upon as an absolute; instead, let us view cost in the context of its correlation to net output. In that way, the public sector can be re-calibrated so as to achieve a greater level of productivity. If such level of productivity is to be reached, two things are of paramount importance:

1) There needs to be a realignment of qualifications with job responsibility within the public sector. Competent people need to be elevated to top slots where strategic decisions are taken, and such vacancies should not be reserved for senior employees — as is the case with most government agencies. Future succession plans must be based on merits and not on length of employment or political affiliation.

2) A more efficient and effective process of collecting, organising and analysing primary data must be put in place. Statistical information is the basis of quality management and process improvement. Most managers within the public sector are too complacent to expend long hours scouring data, searching for trends and patterns. A manager devoid of empirical evidence is equally devoid of solution to our low productivity problems.

Urgently, the public sector is in dire need of a radical transformation.

Oniel Edwards

Oniel_rohan@yahoo.com

Urgent public sector reform needed

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Dear Editor,

While it is good that mining minister Philip Paulwell is pushing for Jamaica to start the process of developing its rare earth industry, I cannot help but wonder why is it that we seem forever stuck in this cycle of thinking inside the box.

Nothing is wrong with the attempt of the Government to extract rare earths from our red mud. Indeed, this effort of the government must be commended. However, if Jamaica is to truly develop, we have to start thinking outside of the box.

The primary focus of Minister Paulwell seems to be to get the project to a stage where we can export rare earths in commercial quantities. Again, nothing is wrong here. But why don't we look at ways to develop our own industrial base with these rare earth minerals?

We are now hoping to export these minerals to Japan. What does Japan plan to do with these minerals? They plan to develop their own advanced electronic industries. Why can't we also begin to think like this? Why must we always be willing to supply the minerals that others use to develop their own industries, while we suffer?

We did the same with bauxite, and now we are about to do the same with these rare earth minerals. When will we ever learn?

One of the reasons why there is such a global shortage of these rare earths is because China, the world's largest exporter, is curtailing its exports. It is not just because they want to save what they have left for their own future generations — it's also because they want to start developing their own advanced industries as well.

Exporting these minerals is a good thing, but I was hoping that the minister would be thinking outside of the box and look at how we can develop our own industrial base with these minerals as well.

Think bigger, Mr Paulwell.

Michael A Dingwall

michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com

Think bigger, Minister Paulwell

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Dear Editor,

A lot of controversy has been swirling on social media about the Volkswagen Super Bowl advertisement featuring a white male American office worker with a Jamaican accent.

In viewing the advertisement one will be reminded of the Jamaican proverb which says "wi lickle but wi tallawah". For a major automobile manufacturer such as the German carmaker Volkswagen to use our dialect in a major advertisement it speaks volumes of Jamaica's greatness and influence, despite her relatively small size on the map. Like any controversial topic, there are arguments for both sides of the debate. Those who object to the advertisement argue that the advertisement is racist and offensive to Jamaica and Jamaicans. However, we tend to forget that although the majority of Jamaicans are black, and are of African heritage, Jamaica is a pluralistic society with many ethnic groups represented. There are Chinese Jamaicans; Jamaicans of Indian descent, and of course, white Jamaicans. Additionally, there are also Jews in Jamaica and Muslims, all in keeping with Jamaica's motto "Out Of Many One People".

What if Volkswagen had used a white Jamaican to play the main character in the advertisement? Would we be having this discussion about the ad being racist? Clearly we would not.

Racism is the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others. We clearly need to answer the question of when did Jamaica become a race?

I found it rather interesting and disturbing to have watched the Today Show on NBC last week during which a white female American advertising expert was asked by Matt Lauer to comment on the Volkswagen advertisement. This so-called expert said that the advertisement was offensive to Jamaicans. How can someone who is not Jamaican speak so about what offends us as a people? Clearly she spoke in ignorance, like all those who are of the view that the advertisement is racist. Those who speak without the required knowledge clearly need to do their research and get their facts correct. Jamaica is more diverse and complex than many of us would like to believe.

The Super Bowl has become a main staple for the American culture and landscape, and within the last few years the Super Bowl has had a viewership of over one hundred million persons in the United States of America alone. The well-respected leader in market research, The Nielson Company, reported that the 2011 Super Bowl had over 111 million viewers, making it the most watched programme ever.

I urge the Jamaica Tourist Board to capitalise on this moment and the exposure that no doubt 'brand Jamaica' will get from this Volkswagen advertisement.

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com

Volkswagen ad, a positive for Jamaica

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Dear Editor,

Every well-thinking Jamaican appreciates the development projects being done by the Government through its business deals with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). However, since 2010 the company has operated under a cloud of secrecy in a situation where the Jamaican people will have to pay back some US$400 million in Chinese loan funds being paid to the company by the Government through the National Works Agency. The PNP which was so loud when in Opposition is now silent on issues concerning CHEC.

Some projects being done by CHEC, including Fern Gully and roads like King Street and Cornwall Court in Montego Bay, are nightmares. Sub-contractors and service providers including truckers have to be constantly protesting against the company.

We look forward to the planned North-South Highway, but CHEC's communication with the people who live in the proposed path of the needed highway is poor and non-existent, showing complete disregard by the Chinese contractors for the Jamaican people. It would be shameful if this is a sign of how they will behave for the 50 years that they will own and operate the highway.

As reported by the Jamaica Observer, the PAAC of Parliament should summon China Harbour to answer to the people of Jamaica.

Don Brown

dondbrown68@yahoo.com

Summon China Harbour

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Dear Editor,

To many Jamaicans, the Super Bowl VW commercial appears humorous and innocent. However, when you live in a racialised society where your culture is only validated through ridicule and stereotypes, the VW advertisement takes on a much deeper meaning.

Attending school in Toronto, Canada, in the late 1970s and 1980s, to speak Jamaican wasn't "cool". In fact, having a Jamaican accent meant articulation difficulty or it was assessed as a learning disability that would likely land you in a special education or a remedial class. Once you were placed in these classes, your chances of graduating on to tertiary education were very slim.

As an educator, I note that this reality has not changed much today. The tendency to streamline Caribbean students into these types of classes has been one of the factors in the high dropout rates among black youth in the Canadian high schools. Moreover, one of the many stereotypes that North Americans have associated with the Jamaican accent and culture is "carefree".

In Disney's 1989 film, The Little Mermaid, Sebastian, the Jamaican-sounding crab, teaches Ariel that life is better "Under the Sea," because living underwater you don't have to worry about getting a job. In many ways, I see this commercial subtly reinforcing the "lazy", "shiftless", and "carefree" Jamaican which is not much different from the Disney representation of the Jamaican who enjoys living underwater because he does not have to work.

Had the VW character been depicted as being more productive, it would perhaps not have been so offensive for some. Indeed, this carefree and shiftless representation of Jamaicans can be detrimental to black youth who represent the highest rate of unemployment in the city. Coincidentally, just last week I lectured a course on how images have been used to distort a people's history (looking specifically at Arabs, Africans, and indigenous peoples). This commercial no doubt reinforces these stereotypical images of Black people as the lazy Sambo who wants to do nothing but play all day.

While the advertisement might seem to embrace Jamaican culture, we need to look at the broader picture and reexamine the historical iconography constructed around blackness and how they are used in North America to maintain racial hegemony.

Dr Lisa Tomlinson

Toronto, Canada

The VW ad's real meaning

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Dear Editor,

With all the talk of crime and violence in our society, when will adults learn to do right? Since it is said that we are products of our environment, then it simply means that we are to make our environment more positive to impact our children.

We need to begin by starting to highlight the things that make us "good", so to speak, and reinforce these. How about getting our children to practise social graces and use common courtesies like "please,""excuse me", and "thank you?"

Even more so, let us get them to set high expectations for themselves. This can be done by simply valuing who they are, and in turn get them to value themselves.

We should allow our children to know that apart from God they are the most important persons in their world. Similarly, we need them to understand that they are responsible for their actions. Then, they will begin to see the bigger picture.

One way to do this is to teach our children "character education." Let us start somewhere. If we begin in our homes, schools and churches to choose a character trait and teach this trait for a month, at the end of the year our children will at least learn 12 guiding principles. These will guide them throughout their lifetime. I believe that the character trait for the month of January is LOVE, followed with FORGIVENESS in February.

Dalrine McCauley

Guidance Counsellor/Teacher

mdalrine@ymail.com

Our children need character education

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Dear Editor,

It is time for a reality check. That VW Superbowl ad could indeed work out positively for Jamaica in some ways, but as to the hyperbole by some Jamaicans about Jamaica being a cultural 'superpower' because of the ad, that is sheer nonsense.

One thing we can and ought to adapt from modern American culture, is the emergence of the objective, data-driven "fact check" by disinterested professionals. Anybody can say anything they want in a democracy, but what is the truth? This can be ascertained from research. We have suffered more political and/or social strife from uncritically accepted folk tales, and skewed "true lies" than necessary, because of reality checks often enough, or with enough due diligence.

In this case, The VW ad was a creative idea intended to pull car buyers to the showrooms using island humour, and it is a veritable godsend for the tourism sector, since the estimated audience was in the region of 90 million or so, and from scanning the blogs, it gave a little ego boost to Jamericans in the USA. I think that the smart businessmen of the Sandals Group hierarchy rose to the occasion quickly, and re-spoofed with the Germaican hitback, thus prolonging the fun and longevity of the concept of the VW ad.

The fact check is that everybody knows that the island persona, as depicted, cannot be effective in a serious situation such as a boardroom where company survival is at stake. So Americans watching will no doubt applaud the creativity, but treat it just as they would, say, the Beverly Hills Hillbillys.

Secondly, the "don't worry about a thing" depiction cannot even be real in Jamaica, where the per capita murder rate is consistently in the top three worldwide.

Next, the poverty rate is obvious to any tourist, and so on. Jamaicans must come to grips with standard English, regardless of the opinions of those 'well-spoken' naysayers, and this ad should not be used as a naive ploy to try to justify patois.

Any person, Jamaican or not, who cannot speak standard English to an accepted level, will be at a disadvantage and unable to obtain or hold a top job, VW ad or no.

Cathy Brown

cathy291181@yahoo.com

Jamaica could benefit positively

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Dear Editor,

I am not outraged by Les Green's criticism of the Jamaican police force. What I am outraged about is that his criticism obscures the reality of the situation in Jamaica. Firstly, his characterisation obscures reality through the racialisation of the police system and his failure to recognise the regional elements of crime and violence within the island.

Green racialises the police force because he suggests, incorrectly of course, that the local mistrust of police has something to do with the colour of one's skin. The problem with his characterisation is in part a result of his ignorance of the social and cultural history of the island and its people's mistrust of the policing institutions.

Jamaicans do not simply mistrust the police because they are black, but because of the poor institutional structure of the justice system typically viewed by locals as corrupt. He also fails to point to the fact that Jamaica's crime problem is largely confined to particular sections of the Corporate Area, and violence does not pervade the entire city. I am by no means suggesting that crime exists only in one area, but the magnitude of crime described is characteristic of certain areas of Jamaica, particularly sections of Kingston and Montego Bay.

The real problem, as I understand it, is that we give too much credence to Les Green's criticism when the people of Jamaica have in fact been very vocal about the flaws of the justice and the policing system. Secondarily, what Green didn't say is probably more important than what he did say. After all, he was not sent to the island to be a passive, objective observer. No, his purpose of visiting the island was, in part, to improve the well documented institutional flaws of the policing system.

What we as a community need to do is be critical of Les Green the man himself. In his eight years on the island, how did he attempt to improve the situation or lobby to have the situation improved? Or did he, like the Jamaican police, sit passively and collect a pay cheque?

Denieca Daniels

deniecaalexia@gmail.com

Green's criticism obscures the reality

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Dear Editor,

The Volkswagen advertisement is not racist. It may encourage Americans and others to buy such a car and drive blissfully around like Jamaicans. But it is very wrong in its characterisation of Jamaicans as so happy amidst all the violence and poverty we have to endure.

The perception is that the average Jamaican lies around all day soaking up the sun, smoking ganja and awaiting the next remittance cheque. When we are thirsty we pick coconuts from the trees, when we are hungry we pick fruits that abound and when we get sick we get health care with no user fee. But this definitely isn't true. Many of us want to turn the frown around but unfortunately we can't.

Forbes Magazine tells us that the most prosperous countries enjoy stable political institutions, a strong civil society with freedom of expression, good education and health care, personal freedom, and a feeling of being safe and secure. These are primarily what determine which countries are among the happiest. The happiest people in the world are in Norway, followed by Denmark and Sweden, Australia, New Zealand. The saddest country on the Prosperity Index, is the Central African Republic, Congo, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Haiti.

Both Mrs Simpson-Miller and Mr Andrew Holness exhibit behaviour unbecoming of leaders when giving speeches. They both seem angry, abrasive, hateful, and strident. They need more than any of us to turn that frown around.

When Mrs Simpson Miller uttered those terrible words after narrowly losing the 2007 General Elections, "I will be your worst nightmare," it was shocking and incredible. But no one likened that outburst to her being an enemy of the State.

Both leaders are taking us back to a time that we would want to forget -- the days when the stridency of Michael Manley and Edward Seaga and their rhetoric resulted in their supporters wreaking havoc on the country. Then came PJ Patterson, who realised that you needed water to fight fire and severely neutralised Seaga.

The prime minister's aversion to criticisms exposes serious weaknesses and the leader of the Opposition screams that those who disagree with him must go, is just as bad. They both need to tone it down, we have more serious things to consider -- the IMF deal that will increase our debt to GDP, Dr Fenton Ferguson's determination to reinstate user fees, Derrick Kellier is planning to scale back PATH, a punishing drought, etc.

Unless they can both show us a path to prosperity and happiness, and decide whether stimulus or austerity will work, I fear that both may be labelled, fittingly, enemies of the State.

Mark Clarke

Siloah, St Elizabeth

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com

Wrong to look at Jamaicans that way

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Dear Editor,

Please allow me to respond to one of the questions asked by Mr Butch Stewart in his article in the Jamaica Observer dated February 7, 2013. He asked: "When did we become a country with a will to export, to a country that is dependent on borrowing"? He was giving reasons why we should not be depending solely on the IMF deal should it go sour, but return to export to save the country.

Let me remind Mr Stewart and all of Jamaica and especially callers who asked this very question on various talk shows why we now borrow so much and have little or no export.

In 1989 when the PNP government came to power, within months they liberalised the dollar without the support of funds to back that movement. Because of the rigid system that was enforced by the previous JLP government using the auction system to determine the exchange rate and very limited US dollars for travelling pursposes, the US dollar took flight. All the hoarders and buyers of US dollars came out of the closet and droves of the precious bills left our shores.

In a very short time, interest rates began to climb, to the point where the banks had to seek alternatives and ventured into real estate and other non-banking situations. In tandem with this, the government had to find ways to bring in some well-needed foreign funds, thus the genesis of the 'Paper Investments'. CDs, treasury bills, bonds etc, were put on the market at very high interest rates to attract Investors who very readily converted US dollars to buy into these very attractive rates of interest, and by the way these were short-term investments.

Scores of foreigners were magnetted into the ring of this method of investment and within 3-6 months drew down on their interest and principals, which was quickly converted back into US$ and left the Jamaican shores once again.

Government did not have the funds to fullfill their obligations, so guess what they did? Yes, they printed money! And this went on for a number of years, manufactorers began to smarten up, invested in paper for a higher yield/return rather than having to bother with a labour force, and the more paper became popular the more Jamaica became poorer. The borrowing stage began. Businesses which had previously borrowed at extremely low rates of interest were now forced to absorb the high interest rate regime at up to 70-80 per cent and found that they could not honour their payments as that rate of interest was 'knamming' them to the bones.

An example of let's say someone borrowed J$1M at 15% soon discovered they were owing J$3. This was the advent of dear old 'FINSAC' and I believe everyone else should know the rest, thus the will to export went on the back burner while the government of the 90s were cyclical in printing money, mopping up liquidity and borrowing till this very day and thats the legacy of the PNP government, Jamaica!

I will respond in another letter one way to help bring in more people in the tax net.

Luci Emanuel

luci_emanuel@hotmail.com

Here's why we borrow so much

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Dear Editor,

This is open letter to the prime minister and the JEEP secretariat.

Madam Prime Minister, like you, I have embarked on a path of working, working, working and less talking, lest I talk myself into oblivion.

Regardless of the fact that I am not employed, I planned a litany of events for my birthday — January 20, 2013 — without any clear path or course of action.

On January 18, I journeyed to St Ann where I saw some of my friends and relatives. Being that I had not seen them in little over a year, around the same time you took office, I deem this visit a success befitting JEEP designation.

Then, on January 19, I was out of cash, so I could not get onto the Internet to wish my favourite entertainment personality, Dolly Parton, happy birthday. This little bump put a damper in my quest to be JEEP-certified. But given that the JEEP is not properly thought out and planned, I figured they would not be too quick to penalise me for that one little hiccup.

On the night of January 19, I journeyed back to St James, where I reluctantly reside at the moment, and in the dead of night I started my preparation for the day ahead. I broke, husked, washed, grated, and squeezed coconuts, then peeled, washed, and grated sweet potatoes in anticipation of baking some succulent puddings.

When the clock struck midnight I was up, busier than a bee, and it dawned on me that I am getting old with nothing to show. However, in a split second I was once again upbeat as I remembered that I still had my youth and that Jamaica is 50 years as an Independent country with very little to show in the way of progressive development of industries such as, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, agri-processing, tourism, and other economic staples to keep the country afloat and from becoming the bastard cousin at the 'World Fair' that no one wants to sit beside.

At 1:45 am, I decided to call it quits, as I know that a good night's rest is essential to staying young. So I went to bed, but awoke at 6:40 am sharp to continue my journey of events that I hope the JEEP Secretariat would consider worthy of their designation.

At 10:00 am I arrived at a friend's house where we baked an oven full of goodies to include cornmeal and sweet potato puddings. At the end of the day, we had a successful baking, and to think that most of it was unplanned; we could not help but think like the JEEP that muddles along and takes onto itself various existing projects and rebrand them; our day was no different from that of what a JEEP employee would experience on any given day.

Then, on Monday, January 21 I embarked on yet another piece of work — labouring over a bath of dirty laundry — that I feel should be considered a JEEP project.

That too was a massive success, or at least in my mind. If that wasn't enough, I took on the task of marking some test papers for a friend. On reflection, I would say my weekend escapade of unplanned, unthought-of, ill-conceived activities is much like anything that is currently being branded JEEP project.

While something is being done, there are no real plans to say this is how it will be approached and this is the expected result I am looking for. The good thing, though, is that nothing turned out to be catastrophic, even though I just went along like a blind man feeling his way through a crowded street.

So here I am, making an appeal to the JEEP Secretariat and my prime minister, the Most Hon Portia Simpson Miller, to please come and certify my weekend of working, working, working.

Just in case you are wondering how that is going to be done when all activities have already taken place, I have got pictures to show.

Wayne White

Montego Bay, St James

wayne2white@gmail.com

Dear Prime Minister...

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Dear Editor,

I find it funny how the country is sliding into a great recession, yet Her Majesty's loyal servant has found time to label the leader of the Opposition as an enemy of the State. Young people are wondering about their future, the working poor is been pushed into poverty and the private sector is looking overseas for options.

We need a leader who understands the issues, one who can deal with the affairs of the nation and not political rhetoric, especially when she is among the raucous crowd of PNP partisans. I am tired of her "cussing out" anyone barely critical of her. One could hear her temper rising as her breathing became unsteady. It's unbecoming of her. The PNP needs to rein her in and spare the country further embarrassment. (I am suggesting that Mr Paulwell could be appointed PM in the interim)

I pity the PM as I think she really knows no better. I do not believe she could truly understand the magnitude of the label "enemy of the State" and so casually refers to the Opposition leader as such.

Repeatedly the PM has proven that she is not able to deal with the pressure that comes with the office she was so eager to hold. She has also proven time and again that once she lifts her head to stop reading from her prepared script, she is no longer capable of controlling what leaves her mouth. She needs anger-management classes as well as lessons in diplomacy. I shudder to imagine just how her contemporaries around the region really see her. God help Jamaica.

I will readily admit that actions of many past and current politicians have proven injurious to the welfare of the State, but to label the individual as an enemy of the State is a grave designation to which none should be so tarnished, especially from the prime minister of a country.

I recommend that the prime minister should spend some time with the private sector creating some real jobs, cut the side-of-the-wall unit/breakfront to that of a productive Cabinet and meet with the IMF to try and learn something useful.

My God man!

Ziggy Effion Lewis

effionlewis@ymail.com

The PM should control herself

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