A MAD RACE TO THE BOTTOM

By Delano Seiveright

The more things change the more they remain the same –
Alphonse Karr, French critic, journalist and novelist

Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller, now popularly known as Mamma and Sista P, recently emerged as the next president of the People’s National Party (PNP) and by extension Prime Minister designate of Jamaica. Many Jamaicans simply erupted into unrestricted euphoria upon hearing the news. Very few stopped to think of the effects such a victory could have on our beloved nation. I however want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mrs. Simpson-Miller on her victory and wish her all the best in her sojourn as Prime Minister of Jamaica. Yet, as someone who encourages critical political thought i do have several reservations.

Sadly though, any criticism of Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller is viewed by far too many persons as being either chauvinist, racist or classist. But I guess I'll just have to work around that.

Less Than Half
A majority of PNP delegates voted against Portia Mamma Simpson-Miller. What is striking is the fact that Portia Simpson-Miller was able to garner 47% of the total delegates’ vote. A whopping 53% of voting PNP delegates supported someone other than Mrs. Simpson-Miller. A minority therefore elected her, which is clearly not much of a mandate. Why is that 53% of PNP delegates had no confidence in voting for Portia Simpson-Miller? In several other countries some sort of run-off would have been immediately called for.

Part of the Problem
How can any rational person argue that Portia is the answer to Jamaica’s challenging and wide-ranging problems? Portia Simpson-Miller has been a part of the PNP since the 1970s. She has been a PNP Member of Parliament since 1976 and a PNP Minister of Government since 1989. She has been an integral part of inarguably the most malicious, corrupt, incompetent, imprudent and profligate government ever in the history of this country. Mrs. Simpson-Miller has as a very senior member of the Government and the PNP gone along with all the ruinous policies and positions of the government. She hasn’t, with the exception of one public relations stunt in Parliament, ever challenged or censured her colleagues for their malicious and maladroit handling of the affairs of our country.

Same Team
The more things change the more they remain the same. That popular maxim will continue to haunt us for some time to come. Don’t allow Team Portia spokespersons to bamboozle you? There will be no change whatsoever in how Jamaica is governed.
Dr. Omar Davies, Dr. Peter Phillips, Phillip Paulwell, Robert Pickersgill and the slew of other failing PNP Ministers will continue to occupy key government posts. The same is true for the leadership of state agencies. So, don’t get your hopes up. There is absolutely no way for Portia Simpson-Miller to sideline her parliamentary colleagues, many of whom were a part of her two main opponents teams.

Scandal after Scandal
One would have thought that well thinking Jamaicans would have analysed Portia Simpson-Miller’s performance in her respective Ministerial portfolios before considering her for the top job. The most prominent illustrations of her failures are the National Solid Waste Management Authority scandal, Jamaica Fire Brigade scandal, the scandalous hubbub at the Jamaica Tourist Board, the unfair treatment of Parish Councils and the shameful state of her South-West St. Andrew constituency. Despite these and other pitfalls directly related to her, the media has continued to feed into her tantilising charisma.

NSWMA Scandal
Formidable allegations of massive misappropriation, fraud, corruption and cronyism to the tune of $2Billion dollars has crippled the National Solid Waste Management Authority [NSWMA], a state agency to which Portia Simpson-Miller is directly responsible for. The handling of the matter by the Minister was sloppy and illustrates a high level of managerial incompetence. Mrs. Simpson-Miller must have been cognizant of the alarming fact that the Agency had not produced any audited financial reports to the Auditor General over the last 2 YEARS, in direct violation of the Public Bodies Accountability Act.Matters were exacerbated by the fact that a self-acclaimed genetically linked PNP supporter made of with $84million from a contract, that was not put up for tender, and expensive SUVs bought by the agency. It took her after weeks of uproar by concerned citizens, the Opposition and the media for her to call in the police to conduct investigations.
Does the sloppy, lethargic and nonchalant handling of the NSWMA affair by her, augur well for someone who wants to lead our beloved country?

Jamaica Fire Brigade
The Jamaica Fire Brigade under her administration has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. Houses, business establishments and most sorrowfully lives have been lost due to the gross lack of equipment. She must be blamed for the terrible state of the brigade.

Tourism Mess
Her performance as Tourism Minister has also been ridiculed in many quarters. Relations between her Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board [JTB] were at best tense. Things were further complicated by a major mismanagement and multi-million dollar fraud scandal to rock JTBs New York City office. Her handling of this huge scandal, which saw the JTB being slapped with a US$20 million lawsuit by an employee, was seen in many quarters as inept and indecisive. As if things could not have gotten worse, business tycoon Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart levied criticism on the JTBs, “rank incompetence and chaos”.
All in all Mrs. Simpson-Miller had to be moved from this sensitive and weighty responsibility in a cloud of immense controversy and possible incompetence.

Ramshackle Constituency
South-West St. Andrew to which she has been MP for approximately two decades is inarguably one of if not the most underdeveloped, poverty ridden and crime-infested communities of our nation. The living conditions of residents in this garrison constituency are appalling. Is she not disturbed by the fact that in the 21st century many of her residents have no access to proper sanitary conveniences or even running water? The constituency is frankly hell on earth. Mrs. Portia Simpson-Miller being such a powerful government official should be ashamed.

No Vision
What I find particularly frightening is the fact that Portia Simpson-Miller’s campaign lacked the level of issues based themes that one would expect from political leaders of the 21st century. Her campaign was primarly focused on hype, sensationalism and the emphasis on her being a woman. There was absolutely no talk about the need to promote the respect for human rights, the promulgation of constitutional reform or even how she intends to cut down on widespread government corruption.

Still Hope
Despite Portia Mamma Simpson-Miller becoming president of the PNP and Prime Minister designate of Jamaica, there is still hope for our country. The Bruce Golding led Jamaica Labour Party and young intelligent Jamaicans like you will have to step in and save Jamaica from its continued mad race to the bottom. Our country has already suffered enough under the leadership of Michael Manley and PJ Patterson. Let us as well thinking Jamaicans unite and begin racing to the top.

A Primitive Bunch

By Trevor Wanliss

If we should ask the Government of Jamaica to list the names of every Jamaican slain in the country during 2004 and 2005, the number will be more than the soldiers who lost their lives in the Iraq war. We are not at war. We must ask them to highlight the women and children raped, injuried, abused, and slain during this period, and the circumstances surrounding these events.

The National Security Minister and his ministry seem tobe having a siesta of convenience while all this continue. The widespread behavior is worse than that of the animals of the jungle of Central Africa. The Government is without shame.The Cartoonists in the different newspapers are giving a true picture of events in the country, and are having fun at them. Popular Activist accused and is arrested on the charge of Murder, has been instructed by Attorney , not to attend Police identification parade. Jamaica is crying out for us to save us from these immoral acts , and decay that has overtaken her. The irresponsible behavior of leaders of Government is outstanding. As the Master is so are his servants. WE are, it appears, are among the few that see the trees from the forest We must responsibly face developement and growth with ethical leadership. The present Government has displayed none. They have a record of doling out Crumbs over the last 17 years, manipulating the voting population at Election time. No country can advance without an Educated Class. Education must be relative to growth, and cannot be led by Buffoons.

In many Latin American countries, the average citizen attend school for six years. Such countries struggle with the dikema of slow growth and dictatorial rule. I pray the Lord will remove these ----- from the leadership of this country and allow decency and growth to prevail. What a national disgrace. Here men and women are driven by selfish, and unsatisfied motives, as they are not concerned about their fellowmen.

A PRIMITIVE BUNCH..

[Get in touch with Financial Analyst, Trevor Wanliss, the Envoy/Coordinator for the JLP in North America, P.O. Box 2092 Stone Mtn. Ga. 30086 and become a direct Overseas member]

Our Nation’s Grave Crime Dilemma

By Delano Seiveright

A Worrying Problem
Crime continues to dominate the everyday lives of us islanders. In 2005 alone the murder tally hovered over 1670. We have yet again broken our own record. Most Jamaicans are now living a life saddled with unabated fear. Our capital city with the exception of Knutsford Boulevard and a few other pockets are largely deserted at nights. It is without a doubt that the impact of rampant crime and violence is being felt across all spheres of our society.

Living on the Edge
Many of us consciously and unconsciously alter our lifestyles in order to enhance that fading semblance of security. Some for the most part intentionally steer clear of ‘volatile’ communities, disregard traffic signals at late night, refuse to walk even a quarter mile in the day and nights, install low cost to expensive security mechanisms and arm ourselves with knives, machetes, and for the lucky few guns. One seriously wonders how much longer
Jamaicans can continue to live a life consumed with fear. For how long can we tolerate living in the ‘murder capital of the world’? And can young people in particular seriously consider living copious and blissful lives in a country where their seems to be a rapidly declining state of law and order.

Heavyhanded Policing
Scholars, politicians, commentators and veranda society have spoken ad nauseam on the causes of all the spiraling crime and violence. There seems to be an emerging consensus on all sides that appalling social and economic conditions along with a faulty criminal justice apparatus would have to be ameliorated before crime and violence can be brought under any real control. Despite this however much of the debate on how to cauterize the mind-boggling spate of crime and violence plaguing our nation, centers on the utilization of Jamaican style heavy handed policing and its typical offshoots of extra judicial killings and the deprivation of human rights. Do you recall the Minister of National Security and PNP Presidential contender Dr. Peter Phillips’ call for “severe, extreme, resolute measures”? Conservatives must accept the fact that heavy-handed policing will not break the strong back of Jamaica’s mammoth crime dilemma.

Social Structure Theories
There are several criminological theories that emphasise the relation between social and economic factors and the perpetration of crime. Noted American criminologist, Larry Siegel, through his work ‘Criminology’ explored extensively Social Structure theories. Siegel noted “As a group, social structure theories suggest that social and economic forces operating in deteriorated lower class areas push many of their residents into criminal behaviour patterns.” These negative social and economic factors include high unemployment, underemployment, shabby housing, high school drop out rate, single parent households and teenage/young adult gangs.

The Social Class Divide
Though middle and upper income Jamaicans engage in criminal activities they do so at a much lesser frequency. How often does one hear of a Norbrook or Cherry Gardens young male resident being involved in armed robberies and carjackings? And, why is it that our middle and upper income neighbourhoods rarely experience the torment of marauding gunmen engaged in turf warfare? It is indeed a fact that the most violent crimes occurs in poor inner-city communities. Arcadia and Grants Pen are both located in the same geographic area, yet Grants Pen residents are accustomed to standard violent flare-ups whilst Arcadia residents are largely unscathed by such violence. The only nuisance related to violence experienced by Arcadia residents is the sound of gunfire coming across from Grants Pen. The same phenomenon exists across many parts of the Corporate area, St. Catherine and Montego Bay.

Differing Circumstances
Sociologists believe that one’s socialization and social environment shapes behaviour patterns. The average 18-year-old male in upper St. Andrew is much less likely to become a gunman than the average 18-year-old male in South St. Andrew. In this case there is a dramatic disparity between both adolescents. One is given a quality education, lives in comfortable housing, has educated and gainfully employed parents, and is presented with a plethora of options for future satisfaction. The other is socially and economically marginalized with the odds stacked up against him. As such the latter is most likely to go the route of crime.




Solutions
The solutions to our crime dilemma as mentioned above require the immediate amelioration of far too appalling social and economic conditions. There is also a desperate need for the reform of our rickety criminal justice system. Certainly the trend in economic and social statistics over the last decade and a half indicates that our crime dilemma will continue to worsen. The last time Jamaica experienced economic growth was in 1990. Economic growth since then continues to be worryingly sluggish. The economy between the years 1996 and 1999 actually contracted. If our economy continues to perform lethargically talk of reducing crime is just, talk. Sustained and economic growth overtime will bring about a reprieve to many Jamaicans, as overtime employment opportunities will increase substantially. The real test on the part of the government is to ensure that economic expansion isn’t to the benefit of a few but also to ordinary working class Jamaicans.

On the social side dramatic improvements must be made in housing and education. Some positive steps have been made in these areas however they are not significant enough and seem to lack governmental resolve. Government continues though to pussyfoot on addressing the wide-ranging problems in education to the continued detriment of our society. Housing is even more distressing. The simple fact that large numbers of Kingstonians lack proper sanitary facilities is an absolute embarrassment.

One cannot of course tackle crime without bringing about considerable improvements to the criminal justice system. G2K, Generation 2000, the young professional affiliate of the Jamaica Labour Party, has over the last couple weeks presented comprehensive and solution rich reports of both the justice system and the police force. These recommendations, some of which can be easily implemented as long as there is the governmental resolve, can go a very far way in eliminating the problems faced by both critical organs of our nation’s security apparatus.

Agriculture! Oh Agriculture!

By Trevor Wanliss

Agriculture!, Oh Agriculture!, what a stupendous abyss has it fallen into. There was a time in Jamaica when agriculture with its utility, the enjoyment with much pride, was the epitome of economic success. The desire of men to be engaged in it had no bounds. Now a days the farmers are down trodden. When it's not by abuse from the Agriculture minister himself, it's from the government that they elected to assist and protect them.

The Minister of Agriculture has destroyed the will of many of the people to work by a contemptible comment that was reported in the Jamaica Gleaner of JULY 16th 1998. He condemned Jamaicans in a speech at the Jamaica Conference Center as the " laziest people on earth". He owes the Jamaican workers an apology; he does not know Jamaicans well enough. Such laziness as he spoke his mind might have been in confusion with the practiced policy of the Michael Manley administration, when they PAID PEOPLE NOT TO WORK, AND CALLED IT a CRASH PROGRAM, they destroyed the Social Domestic Living Standard of the Jamaican Society.

The production of and sugar cane has dwindled over the years. Small farmers suffer even more as they have been faced with extremely bad roads when transporting their produce from the field. The high cost of transportation, the sudden government attachment of GCT charges gives these farmers no desire to produce more than sustenance crops.

Yes, with the gait of a Hippopotamus, Jamaica's traditional vehicle of livelihood has been destroyed. The solution is to charge and fire all these reprobates, whom are only interested in stuffing their pockets while blaming farmers.

[Get in touch with Financial Analyst, Trevor Wanliss who is the Envoy/Coordinator for the JLP in North America, P.O. Box 2092 Stone Mtn. Ga. 30086 and become a direct Overseas member]

Resolution 2K6: Getting Things Right

By Andre Stephens

A ‘Failed State’
It is August 1, 1962- Independence Day- and people; young and old, prince and pauper, bright and brutish, are carrying the black, green and gold Jamaican flag, all united by a certain ‘oneness’, all filled with a promise of what could be. These are the images the mind conjures up when we hear of Augus’ mawnin’ or watch those archived JIS independence celebrations tapes. Fast-forward the tapes to 2006 and we see crime, poverty, injustice and bitter hopelessness- a ‘failed state’ as Bank of Nova Scotia head honcho Bill Clarke called present-day Jamaica, land we love. Sure, no one likes to hear such sentiments being echoed by no less a person than Mr. Clarke however, to fault his pronouncements would be like blaming a mirror for its reflection. But what if we could stop the tape and record a new story, one which would see the dreams of yesteryears coming to fruition? I believe we have such a chance.

Out with the Old…
With the departure of the self-proclaimed ‘Most Honorable’ P.J. Patterson, Jamaica will close another chapter in its brief autonomous political history, one which saw a previously unsurpassed level of criminality, violence, economic lag, corruption, not to mention our dismal performance in health, education, security and fire and utility services… need I continue? Consider this, Patterson’s government has been virtually plotting against us for 16 years, incredulously representing more than one-third of Jamaica’s independent existence. This is more depressing when one considers where we could have been had the considerably higher levels of growth we enjoyed in the 1960’s and 1980’s continued into the Patterson era.

Instead, it will take Jamaica thirty years at 6% growth per annum to reach the per capita productivity levels that our Barbadian neighbours enjoyed over a decade ago and still our growth rate hovers in the 1% band. With Patterson almost off our backs, the issue now is who best to lead us into tomorrow. Obviously someone with an understanding of our somber past and yet the vision for a brighter future, someone with a selfless and unwavering desire to serve our country and our people, someone like Bruce Golding.

A Golding Opportunity…
If we permit ourselves to be honest enough to recognize the irrefutable and abysmal failure of the Patterson-led administration for a decade and a half, then let us rue the past while we look to change for the better. In his inaugural address at the JLP’s Annual General Conference, Bruce Golding spoke of a new type of governance that would ensure justice, liberty and progress for all.


…For our Economy
A Golding-led JLP would attract local and foreign investment by removing the high interest rate regime, so that potential entrepreneurs are able to get affordable loans in the way that our Caribbean neighbours can. This would be facilitated by macro-economic reconstruction focused on low-interest rates, low inflation and declining debt. Investors also need confidence that the government is not free to ‘run wid it’ by taking decisions which affect all while considering only some.
The JLP wants to see to it that no future government can forego prudent economic policies in the name of political expediency by making the Bank of Jamaica an independent agency. A limit on the debt and fiscal deficit is also crucial in forcing government to encourage production rather than depend on borrowing to accrue revenue. Such changes will be easily passed into law by a JLP administration, effectively stifling governmental waste and mismanagement and spurring the economy to activity.

…For Crime Reduction
Mr. Golding believes the way to put a hold on criminality is to increase the chances of wrong-doers being caught and punished. Not surprisingly, the JCF lacks proper investigative capabilities and technology. The JLP wants to increase the number of police detectives, establish a nationwide intelligence network and invest in state-of-the-art computer programmes and ballistic equipment as a necessary step towards thorough criminal investigation and prosecution. The retraining and redeployment of JDF personnel, a national identification system for criminals and expedited trails for violent crimes will also aid in effective law-enforcement and punishment of crimes. Mr. Golding has appointed a committee headed by former police commissioner, Trevor McMillan, to formulate a comprehensive crime policy which will be made available to the government and public.

…to Cut Government Power
The JLP has been advocating a need to reduce the concentration of government power so that every public agency is accountable to parliament and the people. Mr. Golding, in particular, has for ten years been advocating an equal balance of power between government and parliament and a reconfigured Westminster Model which limits the power of the executive. In addition, the JLP is behind legislation to cement and preserve the rights and freedoms of citizens in our constitution. The appointment of a Prosecutor General to investigate and prosecute corruption and mismanagement at the highest levels of government is one of the most important and far-reaching of Golding’s proposals.

P.S. It is now left for us to decide- do we want more of the same until the next election in 2012 or are we willing to support proactive change and finally, to get things right?