Will Jamaica remain poor?

IN QUIET moments, as I reflect on Jamaica's economic crisis and on our failure to tap the enormous potential to be a shining and exemplary model of social harmony, economic progress, political democracy, tourism escapades, etc., I despair. At present, Jamaica gets poorer, coarser, more disorganised and, quite frankly, is disintegrating at every level. Problems multiply and even the smaller ones remain unresolved. The decent, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens feel totally let down, as they cannot discern or appreciate how and where their tax dollars are spent and why life should be so miserable. Our young educated class, the best and brightest, are migrating, as they see no plan, hope or vision for a brighter future.

Jamaica should not be poor. Our quality of life and standard of living should not decline so rapidly. The few social and economic problems with which every society contends should easily be tackled and now, in the 21st Century, we should position Jamaica to become a first world economy. Yet, ask the middle class residents how frustrated and disenchanted they have become as their neighbourhoods become unsafe; their roads deteriorate and remain neglected for years and decades; beggars harass and threaten them at virtually every stoplight; cows and other animals roam and damage their property; loud music blares at early hours of the morning; and somehow they feel the country drifting aimlessly as no one seems to care or has the good sense to do anything about the multitude of problems.

But if things are bad uptown, they get even worse downtown and in the rural parishes. Our inner cities fester, their infrastructure disintegrates, the gangs and dons are in control, education and skills training suffer, unemployment and idleness haunt the young and old alike, injustice and lawlessness become a way of life and, in the rot of the ghetto, life is a struggle for survival. In truth, the whole of downtown needs a massive urban renewal to rehabilitate and reconstruct the whole city. But, it will not come if Jamaica remains poor and mismanaged. In the rural areas, people drift aimlessly and without much hope. We cannot continue like this!

Jamaica needs the right business environment to attract a massive injection of capital and investment to remake the inner cities, to provide jobs, to revive rural life and to rebuild social capital. We need billions of US dollars investment for job creation, production and development. However, ask the present government where it can raise the first billion US dollars, and it would not have a clue. Seeking, hunting and attracting foreign investment is simply not a priority for a government steeped in socialist ideology. Yet without massive foreign investment, Jamaica has absolutely no hope of improving the quality of life for its entire people. We are poor, and will remain poor, unless we think big, with big visions and big plans to attract big investments to make Jamaica a provider of goods and service for the world.

To be sure, Jamaica's problem is not only economic. Jamaica is poor in every sense because it suffers from a failure of leadership at the political, intellectual, business, moral, spiritual and social levels. In a nutshell, the country is intellectually and morally impoverished. Our intellectual leaders are imprisoned in ideological dogma, unable to think their way out of the simplest problems, as they surrender themselves to worn-out beliefs and doctrines. I listen and read commentators who find excuses for every problem and still blame colonialism, imperialism and the inequities of the global marketplace for our backwardness and poverty. When will we ever summon the mind-set to think and understand we are masters of our own destiny and have only ourselves to blame for failing to find the path to progress?

Jamaica will remain poor, as long as we worship, idolise and praise talkers instead of doers. It is so easy to talk our way out of problems and to make excuses when they are not solved, make vain promises, engage in political propaganda, have excellent public relations campaigns and eloquently convey gullible messages. It is much more difficult to quietly discharge our duties, act decisively and get things done. Yet, we praise and applaud, most fulsomely, grandiose announcements instead of rewarding and highlighting outstanding achievements and jobs well done. Jamaica certainly needs people of action, instead of profilers. When I think of the dozens of private sector leaders, in the past 10 years or more, who appeared on the public stage, profiling, pretending and supporting virtually everything the government did, where are they now and how well have they done?

Jamaica can escape from the trap of poverty and economic chaos if only we learn from countries that have done well. Singapore, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Barbados, Bahamas and many other countries are succeeding in spite of their size, racial mixture, colonialism and lack of natural resources. Contrast North and South Korea, formerly East and West Germany, Eastern and Western Europe; the lesson is clear, an over-reliance on state planning, control and direction are major obstacles to economic progress and development.

We need to trust the marketplace and allow the free market to drive economic growth and expansion. So, as I sit quietly and ponder our economic future, I know if we create the right business and social environment based on trust, credibility, consistency, stability, leadership and vision, then we won't remain poor.

Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Opposition Member of Parliament.

He can be contacted by e-mail at delchuck@hotmail.com.

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