Here We Go Again!

Colin Campbell was recently handed the position as the Managing Director of the JUTC. Indeed, he was handed the position under the pretense that he went through a fair pre-employment process according to "Reverend" Garnett Roper. It certainly cannot be a fair process when a candidate is so closely associated with the persons who are making the decision for the post. Quite frankly, it was a waste of time for the other persons who "Reverend" Roper claims were in contention for the position. How could such candidates ever have been in close contention when "Reverend" Roper indicated that Campbell had already possessed the experience from his previous government position and that he is a "such" a good communicator. Apparently honesty, trustworthy, integrity were not key words that may have been considered as important for selecting the candidate for the job.  "Reverend" Roper even had the audacity to indicate that the JLP had engaged in the same practices when they were in office. So, does that make the practice right? For a person who claims to be a man of God, it is quite ironic that instead of taking the high road and leading by example he is taking the stance that "them do it, so we can do it too".  So, how can the most qualified persons who possess the education, experience, and integrity gain high level government positions when each political party continues to give these jobs to friends and family?  This problem is quite evident now as the incompetency of certain persons in prominent government positions are evident as they continue to make countless errors that ultimately affects the country. There was an opportunity to demonstrate high moral standards in selecting a Managing Director of the JUTC, but political biases overshadowed ethical judgement.

Jamaicans' Passivity to Government Corruption

The Jamaican dollar has greatly devalued against the U.S. dollar which is now at an all time high selling price of at least JA$100 for US$1.  Unemployment continues to be a major factor as many students are graduating without any signs of employment unless their parents own a company, holds a high position at a company, or the graduate or their parent knows someone influential in the business sector. Having close connections to well-known, wealthy Jamaican families not only will guarantee a top-level job, but it demonstrates nepotism at its best!! Nevertheless, prices of food, gas, electricity, water, and just about everything else have been rising steadily, yet government workers' salaries have remain frozen with the excuse from the finance minister that there is no money to  increase salaries. But, government ministers demonstrate that they have no conscience by using tax payers money to profile at expensive functions and parties every week as seen in the media, and they seem to have no problems finding money to purchase luxury cars for themselves. Furthermore, it is quite absurd to recently read that ministers have received a raise! Even more alarming is that while the government professes there is no money, they seem to find the money to dress in the most expensive clothes and accessories, stay at the most luxurious hotels abroad, take expensive vacations, and arrive there and back on first class airline tickets issued with the use of tax payers' money. After all of these blatant offenses, the Jamaican people remain passive. The only action that the people seem capable of taking is complaining on the radio talk shows and other media about high prices, over-charging of pubic service companies that monopolize industries,  and other consumer issues. The irony is that in a country with so many "leaders", no one will step up to organize any public demonstrations against the difficulties they are facing. Obviously, if prices of goods and services continuously increase and consumers maintain their usual buying customs of these goods, then there will be no efforts made to lower prices or even consider the issues. So, price increases will continue since government and business owners have realized that the passive nature of Jamaicans will not allow them to take action in the streets such as the people of Brazil, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries where the people can no longer take government abuses and have come out in force to demonstrate the government high spending, corruption, and lack of concern in funding the important needs of the people.  People of Jamaica need to put aside their passivity, political biases, and go out in large number to demonstrate government's selfish actions of self-service, the corruptive acts and basically the lack of regard for the people's well being. At this point, that is the only way that a government with no conscience will recognize that they need to begin serving the people of Jamaica and not their personal interests.

Freeness Mentality At Its Best

What an embarrassment to hear that government minister, Anthony Hilton, owes a businessman U.S. $120,000 for the purchase of a home! Now, after six years of dodging his obligation and giving the seller the run around, he appears to have miraculously found the money to pay during the upcoming week! Did he believe that his high profile name and government positions meant a waiver of his responsibilities in paying the JA$2 million for a house that he occupied for a number of years? As an attorney, he should have known better especially after signing a contract to pay. Furthermore the poor excuse of relying on monies from the sale of property to honor his obligations certainly is insulting to anyone's intelligence. If he was unable to come up with the money for the property upon signing the contract, then he should not have entered into such obligation. But, that is the mentality of so many Jamaicans who want to live the "big life" which they cannot afford. For instance, Ms. J rents an expensive place off Hope Road and has to make high payments each month for a new SUV, so why is she complaining that she cannot afford to buy food to have a decent meal each day? Too often this is the case of living above one's means which always gets exposed in the long run. So it's just not worth living an expensive, pretentious life to "show off". One may get away with using the freeness mentality with relatives during law school and at the beginning of one's career then disassociating onself from these kind relatives when one becomes successful. However, this behavior does not work in disregarding the efforts of a successful businessman to collect his money! So, Mr. Hilton.....pay the man his money!

Pit Toilets Still A Way Of Life For Many Students

In this day and age, 2013, 140 children at St. Mary's Primary School in St. Elizabeth have to endure substandard conditions at school since no proper bathroom facilities exist except for pit toilets! Certainly, this condition cannot be the only case in Jamaica where the students do not have proper bathroom facilities. In response, the government indicates that they will fund 50% of the project to build bathrooms at the school. Using a pit toilet is not only a scary situation for many students but it is dangerous. As a child from England, I remember my first experience of horror when my mother informed me that I would have to use the pit toilet located on the property of her elderly relatives in Skibo, Portland. As noted in one of the responses to an article on the subject: "I recalled at my primary school in 1971 a student fell in the pit latrine and the fire brigade had to come to take this unfortunate child from the mess...............That was a very dark day in our capital town school ....................". Furthermore, using pit toilets do not promote proper hygiene which should be a part of the school's curriculum. How could such diplorable conditions continue for so long with no corrective actions to address the matter? Some of the other responses to the post may best address this question?

"I have made contact with the Principal...he tells, me that the MP is Richard Parchment...and that the MP has been working tirelessly for a year to get these latrines replaced...it did not take a year for the PNP to buy $60 million worth of new SUV’s for the incoming MP’s etc...Now this area has been PNP since creation...and I have doubts about Parchment working “tirelessly”. Once upon a time I was of the view that I should contribute to causes such as this...sorry no more...their parents voted for change...I am not responsible for easing their suffering...that’s what govt. MUST do...where I live you get what you vote for...these people need to grow up and stop following Political Party till them Dead."

"Are you telling me that in 2013 A PRIMARY SCHOOL (Govt. Sch) is in this condition? The NERVE of the Govt. to say they will finance 50% of the project. It is THEIR duty that this school has bathrooms with clean running water..........."

"...............Pit toilets are not a priority for elected officials.............."

Immigration Reform Bill - Racial Opposition

One would expect for any Immigration Reform Bill to be written with the intentions of encouraging all immigrants regardless of color, class, creed, religious belief, etc. to become lawful residents of the United States by going those the proper legal channels. So, who would expect for the recently announced immigration bill to present such racial bias towards people from primarily Black majority rule countries within Africa and also the Caribbean islands? No mention is made in the bill of the visas which are considered "diversity" visas that allow residents of African and the Caribbean to go through a lottery system so as to have a chance of entering the United States. So, this bill does not take into consideration that similar to the European and Latin American residents, people from Africa and the Caribbean also need an equal chance of gaining legal entry into the United States. These natives of Africa and the Caribbean also have the same expectations to succeed in the U.S. by entering higher education insitutions so that they can achieve successful careers and take care of their families just like anyone else. So, it is hoped that good judgement will prevail so that lawmakers will learn that the millions of African and Caribbean immigrants currently residing in the United States are law abiding, hard working, tax paying voters. While these immigrants may not be as large as the Latino community, they always turn out in great numbers to vote and have often impacted many elections. So, politicians in Washington D.C. need to give more attention to these group of people.

When Your Best Is Not Good Enough

The following was a post on FaceBook that summed up how may feel:-

"This whole issue with the Minister of National Security feeling helpless and calling for divine intervention is something else and has rubbed me the wrong way. But…..You know I have to say, I am happy he was honest when he said "his best efforts" did not reap the desired results. I wish the many others who are tired, idea-barren, unskilled, visionless people we have in parliament would do the same. First step to growth and renewal is to admit when your efforts are not enough. Everyone in PNP jumped up that he did his best! How do we quantify or qualify “best.” Your best at cooking chicken maybe a well done 5 lbs pot-roasted roster seasoned to perfection and cooked to the bone. My best maybe the same roster placed on the dinner table golden brown but raw inside. Should I then get an award, pat on the back or a pass because that raw chicken that no one can eat is my “best?” We evaluate based on results and successes. We don’t evaluate students based on their own understanding of what is best. You know what I do when a child tells me he did his best but got below the class standard or desired outcomes? I show him other strategies of how to take that “best” to better or fix the devil of laziness in him!!! So we need to be honest and actually take note of his statement. Can he manage the task? Is it too big for him? Does he have the skills needed? What background experience and transferable skills does he possess to lead the ministry? It is full time politicians stop being cabinet ministers and allow skilled professionals to lead. The people of Jamaica are getting exactly what they want – Sis P to run the place like how a mother runs her house. A mother protects her child no matter what. I see them protecting everybody who do wrong – you can’t talk about them or else people vex with you! They are public figures so they are who we must talk about and leave your neighbor’s private affairs alone! I wish however that we would run the country like how successful business operates – return on investment!! If you have an employee and you are not getting the ROI then he has to go. Why do you think we have so many tired lazy teachers in school? (that is for a next time). We need to do better as leaders! Oh, I forget! We don’t need to do better. We can always prostitute the names of Usain Bolt, Bob Marley, jerk chicken, coconut water, white sand beach ad borrow IMP money!"

Caribbean American Women’s Fall from Prominence

Caribbean people, as with most immigrants, come to the United States to succeed so that they will not only achieve a better life for themselves but for their families in the United States and abroad. The expectations must certainly have been the case for two ladies, Beverly Hall and Jennifer Carroll. Both Caribbean American women rose to prominence in their government careers since they were elevated to two of the highest positions that anyone could only dream of attaining. To an average American, the perception of these women may simply be that of two Black women who managed to rise up the ladder of success. However, to a typical Caribbean immigrant, the women’s rise to success demonstrated a sense of pride and encouragement that attaining an influential position of leadership in the United States is undoubtedly possible. However, their sudden fall from grace indicates how easy it may be in the United States for even the most successful person to be brought down from a life of power, fame, and ego to a life of shame due to their wrong moral judgment. Beverly Hall was born in Jamaica, and immigrated to the United States during the 1970s. After attending college, she progressed from a classroom teacher in New York to principal and subsequently became the District Superintendent in Queens, NY. Her future seemed bright as she later rose to the position of superintendent of Newark Public Schools. In 1999, Hall took over the reign as superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools. During her tenure of a failing school district, Atlanta schools demonstrated significant gains in student achievement over ten years. According to Severson of the New York Times (2011), scholarship money delivered to Atlanta students jumped from $9 million to $129 million. Graduation rates rose from 39% to 66%. This high increase in funding enabled the building of new schools or the renovation of others. So, Dr. Hall was seen as a savior to the people of Atlanta. As a result of these great improvements, Hall was named the National Superintendent of the Year in 2009, an honor bestowed on her by the American Association of School Superintendents. She was lauded all over the nation as an example of excellence, and she became a media darling as she was interviewed on stations such as NPR about her educational philosophy and leadership style. However, everyone would learn later that, under Dr. Hall’s watch, there was conspiracy among educators to guide students during standardized testing and also grades were altered so that there would be opportunities to receive cash bonuses. While not directly charged with cheating, the subpoena indicates that Dr. Hall, as the leader of the district who demanded high achievement, must have been aware of the clear and widespread fraudulent occurrences but did nothing to address the matter. She was indicted by a grand jury for the cheating scandal. Jennifer Carroll was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and moved to the United States at an early age. She was not only the first Black female Republican woman to be elected to the Florida Legislature but she held many Florida committee leadership positions before she became the first Black woman to be elected to the position of Lt. Governor of Florida. In fact, Carroll was the first Black person to be elected to such a high position in the state of Florida since Reconstruction. After retiring from the Navy, her first bout of controversy began while undertaking the position of the National Commission of Presidential Scholars. She resigned from the position when a CBS news investigation uncovered that her degree was in question since it was obtained from an unaccredited, defunct university. Another controversial issue was that in 2011, the Florida Times-Union reported that Carroll fraudulently provided false documents so that her minority-owned firm would secure a Jacksonville grant. In 2012, a fired former staff member of the Lieutenant Governor’s office made allegations against Carroll that included a sex scandal, lies, and an illegal audio taping incident. Finally 2013, Carroll resigned on the orders of Governor Rick Scott from the office of Lieutenant Governor when a Federal probe uncovered her involvement with racketeering. Her public relations firm was associated with an organization that not only ran illegal slot machine-style casinos but was also was under the pretense that they were contributing to veteran’s issues. Caribbean people are ambitious, so they will continue to work to achieve influential positions. However, it is important to take Hall and Carroll’s experiences into consideration to avoid being caught in embarrassing and criminal situations. In attaining a position of authority, too often people become accustomed to a lifestyle where they believe that there will be no consequences for their actions since they now have so much money. In addition to the issues noted above, hiring a driver for over $100,000 as Dr. Hall did and the excessive air travel of Ms. Carroll are other examples of such irresponsible actions. In spite of the financial changes in life, it is always important to maintain one’s humility by remembering where one is coming from and the people who contributed to get one to where he/she is today. The home, cars, and other worldly materials may be easily afforded now with the additional income, but it can be quickly lost.