THE EDITOR, Sir:
I'M RESPONDING to the editorial: 'Tapping into the Diaspora'.
When I was a 17-year-old Sixth Form student at Merl Grove High School, my classmates and I used to have lively early morning discussions about the brain drain and how it would negatively affect Jamaica's economic development. I made up my mind at the time to do my part to stop this phenomenon and I was convinced that I would be able to keep my promise up until the time I graduated university and started job hunting. To cut a long story short, I'm now 27 years old, a little less naive, and longing to return home.
When I started job hunting in February this year, I had a flood of attractive offers from several countries in Asia and the Middle East, through to 2005. Even after I chose my present employer in May, I kept fielding phone calls from potential employers up until a few weeks ago. I mention this to make a contrast:
I had presented these same skills, (together with academic qualifications from three countries) to potential employers in Jamaica, but I received no response. Not even a rejection letter.
I firmly believe that Jamaicans are obliged to serve, but what should we do when we are eager to do so but are ignored or overlooked? We leave and help to develop another country's society and economy.
The editorial does not mention the exact skills of Jamaicans in the Diaspora. This reflects the vague awareness of the breadth of collective success of Jamaicans, and a reluctance to really embrace what potential wealth of knowledge, skills and experience exist and would help this nation to thrive.
It's not that we don't want to come home and raise our society's standards, it's just that we feel that nobody wants to have anything to do with us.
The 'Diaspora', whether we like to believe it, is where Jamaica's 'exiled' truly shine.
I am etc.,
ESPRESSO CHARLIE
shaterlas@lycos.com
Japan
Via Go-Jamaica
