Death and funeral parlours go hand in hand. But the business of burying the dead has not been that good for local funeral directors who say that the country's high murder rate has not translated to increased business for them.
Funeral directors say that many murder victims are poor and their families can't afford expensive funerals. They say they often end up discounting the cost of the funerals anyway. In addition to that, a thriving network of informal undertakers continues to take a bite out of potential earnings.
An average of 15,780 persons have died annually between 1996 and 2000.
'Little effect'
Last year's figure, not yet tallied, will take into account the 1,880 persons who died by drowning, murder, suicide, in fatal shootings by police and licensed firearm holders, in fires and road accidents.
But these deaths, funeral operators say, are having "little effect" on undertakers' business.
"The rate of murder is not making a difference to us. Many people are dying, but we often only make money from storage fees. After the post mortem the family sometimes move them to other funeral directors," said Ferdinand Madden Jr., managing director of Madden's Funeral Directors and Crematorium, a name synonymous with funerals in Jamaica.
Tragic deaths
Madden's is contracted by the Jamaican Government to retrieve and store the bodies of persons who have died suddenly.
"Because of the tragic circumstances of the deaths, you find that most are unprepared and can't even afford a moderate funeral," Mr. Madden said.
He said a moderate funeral costs in the region of $60,000.
Anthony Brown, managing director of Brown's funeral home is having a hard time.
"This excess killing is pressuring us. My fridge can hold 100 bodies and I have to be looking to buy another one. We're getting a lot of business, but I tell you, I'd rather not have it. Half the persons are murder victims, the other half can't even afford a May Pen (Cemetery) plot," Mr. Brown said.
He said the average funeral costs around $100,000, burial plot included.
But Tommy Thompson, CEO of Brite Lite Funeral Services Incorporated Ltd, says business is good for him.
"Yes, business has increased significantly. All kind of people are dying and based on how you're positioned you may get a good package -- I just got a British Link-up funeral," Mr. Thompson said.
The British Link-Up Crew is a group of party promoters. One of three men murdered on January 8 on Mountain View Avenue in St. Andrew, was said to be a member of the crew. Mr. Thompson was also the co-ordinator of the funeral of William "Willie Haggart" Moore, a reputed don and leader of a the Black Roses crew. That funeral cost $1 million.
"It is a fact that a lot of people can't afford to pay, but because I offer unique funeral packages for which some people are willing to pay big, I often end up subsidising the funerals of people who can't afford to say," Mr. Thompson said.
Newcomers
Brite Lite is a two-year-old company, one of at least seven new funeral homes that registered with the Office of the Registrar of Companies since 2000.
The parish of St. James had 75 murders in 2001 and the highest murder rate among rural parishes. But funeral directors there say they have not noted any difference in their business.
Clarendon funeral directors also say business is normal. Clarendon had the second highest murder rate among rural parishes last year, with 55 murders.
K.B.
