Peter Espeut MOST OF us are still in the old mindset that Jamaica is an island state; but we haven't been an island state since we passed the Exclusive Economic Zone Act in 1993 which declared Jamaica an "Archipelagic State"; which means that for 10 years we have not been an island state but a "state of islands".
Like the state of Grenada (which is actually made up of three inhabited islands, the principal of which is the island of Grenada), the state of Jamaica is made up of several inhabited islands (can you guess how many?), the principal of which is the island of Jamaica.
This came home to me forcefully last week when Tropical Storm Claudette was deemed to have "missed" Jamaica. It may have missed the island of Jamaica but it certainly hit the Jamaica that is a member of the United Nations.
STORM'S A-COMING
'Claudette' passed about 265 km to the south of Jamaica, which means that it passed right over the Pedro Cays, Jamaican territory where almost 2,000 Jamaicans live and probably over 5,000 Jamaicans work, and about 10,000 Jamaicans have business interests, which is very much an integral part of the State of Jamaica.
While most of us on the main island were breathing a sigh of relief, thousands of Jamaicans were grieving at the storm damage: loss of and damage to fishpots and other fishing gear maybe totalling millions of dollars. And not a word about it in the press, or a word of sympathy from national leaders, or a tour of the storm-damaged areas.
We know that the Pedro Cays are supposed to be administered as part of the parish of Kingston, but who is the Member of Parliament for the Pedro Cays? Who is the KSAC Councillor? What really bothers me is that there is no ministry or department of Government dedicated to look to the welfare of these large numbers of our citizens.
JAMAICA'S CLAIM
We have gone to the United Nations and declared that these inhabited islands and the waters which surround them are a part of Jamaica; yet the residents who live there fall within no constituency or parish council division, and have no polling station within 100 miles at which to vote!
Imagine: there is solid Jamaican territory with voters with no elected political representative! The civics books (social studies texts) need to be re-written so that Jamaicans can get into a new archipelagic mindset.
Let me put to you another question (remember the first one was: How many inhabited islands are there in the Jamaican State?): What is the total number of islands in the Jamaican state? Let me make it multiple choice: (a) less than five islands (b) six to 10 islands (c) 11 to 25 islands (d) 26 to 50 islands (e) more than 50 islands
(3) We can guess that the island of Jamaica is the largest island in the Jamaican state, but which is the second largest island?
(4) And which is the third largest?
Come you geography teachers: these are questions that Jamaican children should be learning the answers to in Jamaican schools!
GOT 'EM RIGHT?
If you can answer these questions then you are an up-to-date Jamaican; but my guess is that not too many will know the answers. Most of us are hopeless landlubbers, and our eyes are firmly set to landward on just the one island that contains most of Jamaica's population. It is this sort of bias that causes secession!
It is because we still see Jamaica as just an island state that in our development planning we miss out on the potential for economic growth that can come from our territorial sea, the many islands contained therein, and in our Exclusive Economic Zone. And we will also continue to ignore so many Jamaicans who earn their living in a different way than we do, and in a different part of Jamaica. It takes the urban bias to higher heights!
[Speaking of being up-to-date: which is Jamaica's largest parish? If you said St. Catherine, you would be wrong; that is what I was taught in school many years ago, but recent re-measurements have put St. Catherine as only the third largest parish in Jamaica. And which is Jamaica's longest river? If you said the Black River, you would be wrong; that is what I was taught in school, but recent re-measurements have put the Black River as Jamaica's second longest river.
And which is Jamaica's highest mountain peak? It is important to be up-to-date.
And so Tropical Storm Claudette did hit Jamaica. Will we be forgiven for ignoring our Jamaican fishers yet again?
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and is executive director of an environment and development NGO.
