Dear Editor,
Like most patriotic people, Jamaicans do not appreciate the criticisms of foreigners. Although the sad reality is that most of us do not possess the foresight to get anything done, it would be in our best interest to learn from enlightened foreigners like J J Geewax.
Unlike private entrepreneurs who have a keen eye for identifying problems, J J Geewax is constantly searching for new opportunities. To Geewax, our relatively low cost of living, in comparison to America, is a blessing in disguise; because unlike in New York, US$10,000 can go a far way in Jamaica, thus allowing him to nurture more entrepreneurs.
The young Geewax is not sitting down and expecting the Government to form business networks to facilitate entrepreneurs, he is doing that for himself. He is using his initiative.
Luckily for him he is a foreigner, so his recent comments about Jamaica's business culture will not go unnoticed.
"We need to stop caring about what people look like and focus more on results. It's really not important how many times someone ends up in the newspaper. It's way more important to know how many clients they stole from the people too busy partying," he said.
Some of us may not know it, but a culture which prioritises innovation, modesty and smart work will drive growth not idleness and fun parties. We must develop our intellectual assets and refrain from expecting politicians and foreigners to guide us. And, yes, maybe it's time for us to stop asking God to 'give us vision lest we perish', since we already have brains.
Lipton Matthews
lo_matthews@yahoo.com
J'cans need to use initiative
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Like most patriotic people, Jamaicans do not appreciate the criticisms of foreigners. Although the sad reality is that most of us do not possess the foresight to get anything done, it would be in our best interest to learn from enlightened foreigners like J J Geewax.
Unlike private entrepreneurs who have a keen eye for identifying problems, J J Geewax is constantly searching for new opportunities. To Geewax, our relatively low cost of living, in comparison to America, is a blessing in disguise; because unlike in New York, US$10,000 can go a far way in Jamaica, thus allowing him to nurture more entrepreneurs.
The young Geewax is not sitting down and expecting the Government to form business networks to facilitate entrepreneurs, he is doing that for himself. He is using his initiative.
Luckily for him he is a foreigner, so his recent comments about Jamaica's business culture will not go unnoticed.
"We need to stop caring about what people look like and focus more on results. It's really not important how many times someone ends up in the newspaper. It's way more important to know how many clients they stole from the people too busy partying," he said.
Some of us may not know it, but a culture which prioritises innovation, modesty and smart work will drive growth not idleness and fun parties. We must develop our intellectual assets and refrain from expecting politicians and foreigners to guide us. And, yes, maybe it's time for us to stop asking God to 'give us vision lest we perish', since we already have brains.
Lipton Matthews
lo_matthews@yahoo.com
J'cans need to use initiative
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