THE EDITOR, Sir:
RECENTLY, I had the opportunity to accompany my friend to his native Martinique, one of our Caribbean neighbours in the Lesser Antilles, and several years ago I also visited neighbouring Curaçao as part of a school trip. With all the events happening in Aruba as of late, I found myself contemplating Jamaica's fate and place in the world, and how this relates to our so-called 'freedom' from the tyranny of colonial rule.
In almost every respect, the people and culture of Martinique and Curaçao bear a striking resemblance to our own. Like us, they were brought here as slaves to fatten European wallets; like us, they inhabit small, tropical islands with few natural resources but plenty of mango and avocado trees; like us, they hiss teeth, 'kimbo', curse and 'trace' at a moment?s notice; but UNLIKE us, they enjoy first world standards of living with highly developed economies.
Although colonised by the French, Martinique never chose independence, which means they have remained a French overseas territory, with each Martinican a full-fledged citizen of France and the European Union. They have the right to live and work in any EU country, from Belgium to Italy to Latvia, and can travel visa-free to almost any country, the U.S. included. The same applies to other European overseas territories such as Aruba, Curaçao, Guadeloupe, the Cayman Islands, etc.
STUNT ECONOMIC GROWT
Many will now undoubtedly remark, "This is all fine and dandy, but are they independent?" to which I would reply, "Well, are we." What has independence done for Jamaica? Years of IMF dependency and stipulations that consistently stunt economic growth? Yes, we can boastfully sign treaties and pass laws without giving a damn what Britain has to say, but does the average Jamaican citizen dare walk the streets of 'independent' Jamaica by day, much less at night? What of our police force, can they address our crime problems independently without having to rely on Britain? Some time ago, our Supreme Court accepted a much needed generator from the United States of America (and having waited several years in vain on the Jamaican government, who could blame them?), but can this court now ever claim to be TRULY 'independent'? In fact, having always been subject to Privy Council review, was our Supreme Court EVER 'supreme' to begin with?
I submit that the events of August 6, 1962 were but a mere illusion, for we are at present no more 'independent' than any other colony in the Caribbean. Except for matters of defence and foreign affairs (areas Jamaica would do well to leave to powerful nations that actually HAVE weapons), they are all fully autonomous and don't rely on international aid or gifts from foreign governments. They have functioning social services and literacy rates approaching 100 per cent, they are all citizens of first world countries with all the rights and benefits this bestows, and to our unending humiliation, they've all imposed strict visa regimes on Jamaica.
My grandmother has always maintained that we were never ready for independence and I now finally understand the wisdom of her remark. Unlike islands such as Trinidad and Tobago, we have no highly valued natural resource; with what were we, a tiny dot in a vast sea without a skilled or educated labour force, planning to fund an independent nation? Luckily, many of our neighbours were far more pragmatic and honest with themselves, sensibly choosing to develop viable industry at the expense of their mother country instead of declaring independence.
STRONGEST INDUSTRIAL CENTRE
Puerto Rico, for example, with the aid of U.S. funds has built the Caribbean's strongest industrial centre; the Cayman Islands, with the help of Britain, has built an international banking economy that affords its citizens one of the highest standards of living in the world, and the Dutch Government has set up oil refineries in Aruba and Curaçao, again providing a standard of living the average Jamaican could only dream of. One need only examine 2003 average yearly earnings per capita to be reminded of the stark contrast: Puerto Rico - US$16,730, Cayman Islands - US$35,000, Martinique - US$10,700, Aruba - US$28,000, Jamaica - US$3,900.
We will never know what would have become of Jamaica had we not followed fashion and declared independence, but from observing the trend in other British overseas territories, we would undoubtedly have developed a much more prosperous economy with safer streets and better social stability. What use is independence if one's most basic needs cannot be met? According to my Martinican friend, "my forefathers never asked to be brought from Africa to the Caribbean as free labour for France, therefore, a French passport is the least they should offer as compensation."
I am, etc.,
LEE TRUCKS (Mr.)
hepkat3@hotmail.com
Bronx, NY
Via Go-Jamaica
Taken from The Daily Gleaner , Saturday July 16, 2005
