THE EDITOR, Sir:
I SERVED for almost nine years in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and migrated to the USA in 1968. Since then I have always returned to Jamaica several times per year because I was employed in the airline industry and have recently retired after 33 years. Before I departed Jamaica it was unheard of for people protesting and blocking roads with trees, stones, old cars and burning tyres. During those years, I read of the aforementioned style of protesting, but I have never experienced same.
On September 6, 2005 I was a guest at the Sandals Montego Bay property. The night before I was told that there would be a protest throughout the entire island, spearheaded by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Mr. Bruce Golding. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that the protest would be handled in such a way that the entire commerce, travel and movement of citizens and visitors would be curtailed. From where I was I could observe the traffic at Flankers near the Montego Bay Airport at a standstill. At about 2:00 p.m. I decided to brave the traffic and joined the line of traffic. I was behind a bus that was on its way to the airport. A police outrider signalled the bus driver to follow him.
THE POWER OF GREEN
As I got to the middle of the roadblock, the young people and children called out and told others of my car behind the bus. Some men jumped in front of my car and I braked. They started to say, "Yu can't pass ... you have fi pay yu way through." I showed my room key on a plastic chain that was green to let them know I was staying in a hotel so I must be a tourist. On seeing the green chain, they shouted, "Gwan through father" and they let me through. I was telling friends of mine later how I got through and they laughed and said I was lucky because the colour of the JLP was green and they saw green. I realised that I could have lost my life senselessly.
What I am about to address is not a JLP or PNP problem, it is a Jamaica or Jamaicans' problem. If there is going to be protesting it should not close down the country, schools and transportation. What if someone had a heart attack and died because he/she was held up in this roadblock and could not obtain medical attention? I personally felt that I was incarcerated because my movement was curtailed.
Now, if I as a Jamaican felt that way, how do you think that visitors who save for their vacations felt? Can somebody with risk management experience figure how much money/revenue was lost for one day between the private sector, hotels, bus and taxi services, vendors etc.? The good thing about all of this is that I will always speak "good" about my homeland and I will always return, but have we ever considered when we behave like this and the visitors who have bad experiences ... that they will not complain about it ... that they will just walk and walk with their money?
GOODWILL AMBASSADORS
We in the diaspora serve as goodwill ambassadors. When we along with the JTB sell Jamaica's brands, we expect you at home to "close the sale" by making these visitors feel good and in turn yearn to return and tell at least one other person.
I will close with an excerpt from one of Ernie Smith's songs:
"And as we fight one another for the power and the glory...Jah kingdom goes to waste; Are we building a nation or are we building a hut?"
I am, etc.,
REUBEN MILLER
Atlanta, Georgia
Via Go-Jamaica
