A Jamaican In Exile

  http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20200828/pnp-no-new-taxes-wealthy The ghost of Dr. Davis rises in the form of this man with dreadlocks. Dem really, really tek wi fi eediat! We truly have a political establishment made up of grinning conmen - some even with dreadlocks. Don't let the dreadlocks fool you. Rasta would seh Fire pon dem! All these goodies, free light, water, houses, etc. etc. have to be paid for somehow. The PNP say no new taxes, they will 'run a deficit to a greater degree'. That sounds pretty close to Dr. Davis' 'run wid it' policy of the past. All that complicated economic language means is that we are going to resume living on the national credit card like we did in the past. This can work for them in the short run and that is all the PNP cares about, winning power now and letting us pay for it. Our current economic situation is like a guy who loses his job who continues to pay his expenses on his credit card and giving large sum...

  http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20200827/economic-outlook-worsens-parties-promise-splash-cash Dr. Gordon is raining on everybody's parade. When will we have leaders courageous enough to resist the urge to tell the people that brighter days are just around the corner. Do not follow the tribalists. They are all in denial or lying to you. The election was called now because tough, unpopular decisions are going to have to be made after the elections. If the JLP government waited, they would have had to make those tough decisions, become unpopular and lose the elections. With elections out of the way, whoever wins will be in power for 4 years and they will be able to make those tough decisions and implement them. It will not make much difference which tribe wins. Things are going to be tough - no matter which party wins the election. There will be no 70,000 or 100,000 houses. Sorry to burst your bubble.... Raymond D. Grant

  http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/opinion/becoming-a-criminal-is-a-choice_201100?profile=1096 Every single study I have read, suggests that poverty plays a role in crime. Therefore, this article is a bit simplistic. To say: so you are poor, so what? To say, persons 'choose' crime implies that all people have to do is stop choosing to be criminals and our crime problem will be solved. The issue is far more complicated than that. Several factors cause crime in a society. In Jamaica, our violent crime is mostly gang based so in the interest of space, I will limit my discussion to violent gang based crime in Jamaica. Our crime is mostly caused by poverty, parental neglect and child abuse. Politics played a role in the past. Very rarely do gang members come from upper class, well to do areas. As Ms. Currie must know, just having CXC passes are not enough when you come from certain poor high crime areas. Poverty and the lack of opportunities that goes with it, does frustrate our youth...

  http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/opinion/promises-vs-performance-the-andrew-holness-administration-2016-to-2020_201647?profile=1096 I think both parties are full of crap and both parties have failed us. Therefore, I am not a comrade or a labourite but as we are such a tribal country, what I say here will be interpreted as tribal - for the JLP. In the 5 areas mentioned, there have been failures by both parties. However, the PNP has been in power most of the time so the PNP must get most of the blame for the failures. The PNP once offered the masses hope but they squandered their political capital. All we got were promises from the PNP - the same with the JLP. The PNP also did not keep their promises to us so what else is new? This time, the PNP's election promises are so ridiculous, even the blind can see that they are pies in the sky. With regard to the next election, it seems to be mostly about personalities, not the issues you mentioned so you are a voice crying in the wilderness...

  http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/bolted-down-track-legend-friend-self-isolate_201633?profile=1606 Like the US, Jamaicans have obviously chosen to go the 'herd immunity' route - despite what the WHO and the government is saying. Jamaicans are a stubborn, feisty people who will do what they like. Jamaicans just love to party and no one, nothing will stop them. Jamaicans also love dem politics, dem church and funerals and no one and nothing will stop them from going to church and keeping large funerals. 75% of Jamaicans will eventually get the virus, hundreds will die (mostly seniors and those with comorbidities) and then the virus will disappear due to herd immunity. Tourism will be impacted somewhat as through the process of building up herd immunity, Jamaica will become an international pariah. In view of the strategy Jamaicans have chosen, the only thing the government can do is to continue to keep the various sectors closed so that the hospitals are not overwhel...

  http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/occupation-will-ensure-gangs-become-powerless_201455?profile=1096 Occupation will ensure gangs become powerless by Jason McKAY, Jamaica Observer Newspaper, Sunday, August 23, 2020 Thousands of applicants for District Constable (DC) are being ignored? What's with that? What about the JDF Reserves? I was once a member of that. Can the army (JDF) take more reserves while we set up a Reserve Police branch? Here in Canada there is a quasi military group with some former or retired police and soldiers called The Commissionaires which supports the police and army. Some work full-time and some are part-time casual workers. They are civilians and are rarely armed. They wear uniforms and take over basic police functions such as Station Guards, office functions, serving summons (witnesses and non-violent accused summons) criminal record checks, guarding prisoners, crime scene security, security for Parliament, security for the Prime Minister under th...

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20200823/matthew-hyatt-election-during-covid-19-recipe-disaster The election was called for two reasons. One reason was political opportunism, the JLP was ahead in the polls and there is no fixed election date so the Prime Minister can call an election whenever he wants. There should be a fixed election date but it hasn't happened even though there have been promises. Elections are constitutionally due by the latest next March. With the virus, the economy is going to seriously decline by then so the Prime Minister felt the urgency to call it now. Also, at the time of the call, the virus numbers were manageable as the Independence celebration spike had not started yet. The second reason is that Jamaica is running low on foreign exchange. By November, the country will be critically short of foreign exchange. The government will need to go to the IMF and the international banking community to negotiate loans to bridge the foreign exchange ...

  http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20200821/peter-espeut-election-without-issues I upvoted this column because it says it all. What we need to apply our minds to are solutions. The rot and corruption of our political establishment has been clearly outlined by Mr. Espeut. Our political establishment has been hijacked by a bunch of orange/green clothed smiling (kinning teeth) ginnals, bell ringing, broom swinging goons, some con men/women and their relatives and friends in collusion with their corrupt allies in the private sector. That is a given. The question is, what are we Jamaicans going to do about it? I look forward to Mr. Espeut repeating some of his suggestions to repair our country's governance. There are solutions, those solutions are difficult, painful, expensive and will take some time. Should we not begin now? The tribalists will fight us tooth and nail if we should try to take back our country from them but there are way more of us than them. In the diaspor...

 Why bad things happen to good people is for the same reason why good things happen to bad people. Even Hitler had good days.....God, Allah, any god does not come into the equation. These are faith based theories - not scientific fact. The scientific fact is that the universe operates on the cause/effect dynamic. Whether a God created it and created it that way is a debate for theologians. The scientific fact is that a child can be in the wrong place at the right time to be killed by that SUV. Whether the child is good or bad is immaterial. The universe is not cursed with a conscience like we are. The universe just does its thing because it is, 'a thing'. The universe has no brain so it has no conscience. The Adam/Eve 'fruit of knowledge' story is about the human curse of conscience, self-awareness, the ability to hope, etc. something which animals and the universe we live in do not have. Animals live and die according to instinct. Some animals have attacked and even ki...

  http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20200819/rosalea-hamilton-building-better-governance-reconsidering-voting  I would only add one thing. Ever the eternal optimist, I think we can do more than 'hope things change'. I have been calling for the kind of grass roots, tech based 'educational process' (civic/political education)  as well as for the constitutional and legal reforms mentioned in the article. Such a program would have to be funded by the private sector along with the support of the diaspora. I particularly like the author's suggestion of 'using the power of digital advocacy' to give us Jamaicans in the diaspora the ability to voice our concerns directly to accountable public officials. Other international agencies such as the European Union might also be willing to help?

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20200820/pnp-labours-jlp-leads-two-one While the green tribe is already celebrating their victory over the orange tribe, those Jamaicans who belong to no tribe, line up at the embassy. The largest portion of Jamaicans registered to vote (48%), do not vote. Another large proportion do not even bother to register to vote. We who are in the diaspora are not allowed to vote either - even though we maintain the Jamaican economy with our remittances. This means that the largest proportion of us Jamaicans have disenfranchised ourselves and disengaged from the political process. This is one of the reasons we have bad government in Jamaica. Here's why. When most people disengage from the political process, this leaves the field free for the tribalists. These tribalists then become 'the selectorate' i.e. those who are engaged in the political process and whom the political parties have to cater to or bribe for their support. This leads ...

 40 years. Wow. That must make Mike Henry the longest serving MP in the House. That is something to celebrate. I am close to Mike's age. I don't know how he does it. I like and respect Mr. Henry who is doing his best but this is an example of how our generation has failed Jamaica. Mr. Henry by himself can't do anything about it but he is part and parcel of a corrupt and inept political establishment that has failed Jamaica. Raymond D. Grant https://jamaicaninexile.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/raymond.exiled.3 Raymond Exiled Raymond Exiled is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Raymond Exiled and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. www.facebook.com https://xile.godaddysites.com/

Real power for the people Michelle Charles  Jamaica Observer Newspaper Sunday, August 16, 2020 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/real-power-for-the-people_200863?profile=1096 I have read the writer's suggested method to encourage more political engagement by non committed voters - twice. I am going to assume that this candidate is well-meaning. As I understand it, she is suggesting that unbiased (non partisan?) community associations would be the grass-roots organizations of political parties. The next level would be a 'divisional body' which would then feed into an 'executive body'. Then, like some kind of pyramid, the politician sits on top of all this? This just seems like a way to co-opt the unaffiliated into the corrupt political system. The problem with this kind of structure is that it does not address the problem of corruption, nepotism, clientelism and cronyism which are the real reasons the majority of our people are fed up with our politics. Those are t...

  http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/stewart-lists-achievements-in-manchester-southern-but-cries-political-victimisation_201016?profile=1373 Stewart lists achievements in Manchester Southern ...but cries political victimisation BY KASEY WILLIAMS Staff reporter editorial@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, August 17, 2020  'Clientelism' is defined as the exchange of goods and services for political support. Mr. Stewart lists his 'achievements' - the building of infrastructure - built a postal agency in the Prospect area - piece of the road in Alligator Pond - developed the playfield in Alligator Pond - 10 roads in the constituency have been rehabilitated - assisted over 3,000 students Clientelism at its best! This is the kind of politics that is playing 'havoc' with our development as a country. Here in Canada and most civilized places, it is the DUTY of government (whichever party is in power), to provide communities with these basic needs. Not so in Jamaica. We are m...

 I am in favour of this. This was also once proposed by Seaga. However, the government is not in favour because this would limit the government's ability to print money to smooth out economic shocks. Right now, even though the prices of most goods and services are denominated in Ja$, the inputs are costed in US$ so you end up paying the Ja$ equivalent of the US$ so switching to US$ does not solve our problem. Our problems are too low productivity and we have been mismanaged for decades by a corrupt political establishment allied with their cronies in the private sector. Switching to US dollars will not solve those problems. Switching political parties also will not help as the entire political establishment is corrupt. There are solutions but Jamaicans nuh ready..... Raymond D. Grant

  Rank 74 /198 Score 43 /100 Places change -4 Jamaica's score over time This data is between 2012-2019. Data between 1995-2011 is excluded because our methodology was different. CPI score Show confidence interval* 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 0 20 40 60 80 100 *The confidence interval reflects the variance in the value of the source data that comprise the CPI score.

I left Jamaica a long time ago but I do stay in contact with Jamaicans. From what I hear, the gangs do not normally 'kill, rob and rape' indiscriminately in the area they control. Quite the opposite in fact. This makes sense because to gain community loyalty, the gangs fill the vacuum of government in their areas. I know businesses in these areas are 'taxed' (extortion) for the protection that the police cannot provide. Businessmen/women willingly pay these 'taxes' because they need their operations to be protected. I know this for a fact. In addition, the gangs help children to go to school and the sick and elderly are taken care of. The gangs do practice street justice so killing of troublemakers in their areas does occur and such killings are applauded by those who live in those areas. Gang controlled areas only usually become unsafe for their residents when gangs, for whatever reason, splinter and erupt in turf wars or other inner conflict. Sometimes actions...

I do not know these people but I am going to assume that they are well meaning. Many well meaning, very qualified people exist in the PNP and the JLP and yet we get nowhere because they become overwhelmed with the corruption, tribalism, nepotism and dysfunction of our politics. If this party became even marginally successful, the same thing would happen to them. The second problem is that the uncommitted will have to be their target base. The problem is that the uncommitted voters in Jamaica have become understandably cynical of the political process so I think it will take more than these almighty promises to rouse them from their slumber or to divert them from wanting visas to lef di place. We need more politicians like we need a hole in our head. Jamaica does not need more politicians. What we need is more engagement by civil society, including the church in our politics similar to how the private sector and other organizations have forced both parties to reach a consensus on crime....

The Jamaican government has announced General Elections on Sept 3rd. Daddy’s former party, the incumbent JLP is expected to win over the opposition PNP led by my old JC school mate Dr. Peter Phillips. Because the government has ignored my suggestion that we in the diaspora be allowed to vote, I can’t vote. That needs to be changed. But, I digress..... Part II: Daddy in Politics Daddy graduated from the University of London with an M.A. degree. His Masters dissertation topic was 'Jamaica Land Law'. According to my cousin Paul Miller, Daddy married Mommy at St. Luke's Anglican Church, Cross Roads in Kingston. After two children, the marriage ended in about 4 years. Daddy’s contract in Sierra Leone finished that summer so Daddy and I returned to Jamaica together. Daddy was awarded Sierra Leon's Independence Medal. Daddy was 36 years old. Daddy was then asked by the British Colonial Office and the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Prime Minister Bustamante (Busta) to be Jamaica’...

 I echo the call from the JMEA for the need for a consensus on the issue of crime. For some time now, in my online Disqus comments and Letters to the Editor of the Observer and The Gleaner, I have been calling for a societal consensus on the way forward post Covid 19. The clamor is to re-open the economy and for a return to normal. However, our economy was never "open" to most of us. Most Jamaicans are on the margins of the economy looking in. Most Jamaicans are either unemployed, underemployed, struggling in the informal economy or are working poor. We should use the virus crisis as an opportunity to 'reset' Jamaica as advocated by Imani Duncan-Price.  I refer you to the Rupert Lewis article attached which provides some of the historical background for what I am saying. The only thing I disagree with in that article is that I don't recall Norman Manley being 'a light-brown-skinned mulatto'! Post slavery, Jamaica has had economic and social crises in the 1...

  My biological father was Victor Bert Grant. Daddy was born on the 17 th  August, 1925. Daddy was the only child born in Green Island, Hanover, Jamaica to my grandmother Hannah May and otherwise known as ‘Auntie May’ and Caleb Grant. They were not married which I found strange as Auntie May was very religious. When I asked her about this, Auntie May told me some things which I can’t corroborate and I did not record her so I will not mention them. If your parents are still alive, I suggest recording their life story. I know nothing about my grandfather Caleb Grant. I never met him and Daddy never spoke about him. Daddy never talked about his childhood so the little I know came from Auntie May.   When Daddy was born, children out of wedlock in law were labelled ‘Bastards’. Daddy therefore was a Bastard. Mommy said Daddy lived up to his name! More about that later on. Auntie May ended up on a piece of land in St. Mary. Basically, Auntie May was a peasant. As a child, my sis...