Ed Bartlett What do you plan to do to stem the 'brain drain' from Jamaica?
JLP
Ed Bartlett
Spokesman on tourism and sport
If one were to do an "exit poll" of qualified Jamaicans leaving this country, top on the list of reasons for their department from their homeland would be:
1. Lack of meaningful and lucrative opportunities
2. Concern about personal safety, given the high levels of crime and violence.
3. Cronyism, whereby the well-known adage comes to the fore: "it's not who you know, it's who knows you". Political tribalism engenders victimisation, nepotism and favouritism ("parson christen him pickney first")
4. Too much red tape (bureaucracy), lack of venture capital or cheap money which inhibit the entrepreneurial spirit.
5. The relatively high cost of living coupled with an oppressive taxation system.
6. A crass and indisciplined society in which the "greasing of palms" has become the normal way to do business.
7. An inequitable criminal justice system that is too slow and is highly skewed against the average person.
8. The lack of a national vision which encompasses patriotism, espouses accountability of public figures and instils in every Jamaican a sense of pride and belonging.
For the most part, the current JLP Manifesto addresses all of these concerns. It ought to be more than obvious to all that a booming economic environment is the best catalyst for the creation of worthwhile job opportunities. With increased employment opportunities there is every likelihood that incidents of crime will decrease. The empirical evidence is there.
Once there is a sound and thriving economic base, then it becomes more easy for a Government to tackle such issues as the lowering of interest rates and making available affordable financial resources that can be at the disposal of small and new business ventures.
The JLP's plan to teach character education from the basic school to the tertiary institution level is yet another plank on which a more gentle, tolerant and kind society can be built.
On a more direct and pragmatic level, a JLP administration would put in place research and a data-base to explore the brain drain phenomenon out of which would emerge an incentive-driven programme. It must be understood, of course, that many of the above-mentioned problems which force qualified Jamaicans to leave their country also are the very same problems that affect all of us on a day to day basis.
The JLP's "From Pain to Gain" Manifesto is a practical blueprint for establishing in the short, medium and long term a society in which each individual can reach his or her true potential through hard work, perseverance and with the help of a Government which genuinely cares for its people. In the final analysis, what every Jamaican citizen wants is full recognition by the state and that is what a citizen-friendly JLP Government will strive to achieve.
NJA
Denzil Taylor
Vice-President
We must first define brain drain.
It is the abnormally high migration of qualified persons from a country to other countries, usually to find more favourable employment opportunities. In Jamaica's case we must recall that while we have approximately 2.6 million persons living here, it must be remembered that over four million Jamaicans and their descendants are living in other countries, hence there is the tendency for a high natural migration.
We must also separate from the mix those who migrate temporarily to earn some money to buy houses and cars to start businesses. We must also separate those qualified persons who go abroad to do further studies and usually return.
The real brain drain of concern at that moment is the loss of our valued nurses, teachers and other professional such as engineers and accountants. The net effect of this brain drain must be viewed in light of over US$700 million, which is remitted to the Jamaican economy each year. Who knows, the net benefit might be in Jamaica's favour?
The solution is that Jamaica should be training more teachers and other professionals to satisfy our local national need and at the same time providing for outward migration. A further solution lies in the fact that Jamaica has over $100 billion worth of unnecessary imports. Sensible, common sense Government policies are required to convert these imports into local production and ultimately create local job opportunities. This would create over 50,000 jobs at all levels of the economy, which go a far way to prevent out best brains migrating to other shores.
