Aubyn Hill
THE JAMAICAN BRAND has been flying extremely high in the recent past. The fortunes of the national brand took a very noticeable turn for the better at the Olympic games in Greece in the summer of 2004. The colours of the Jamaican flag became well known around the world to the point where the ruling coalition in Germany was labelled the 'Jamaican Coalition' after the colours of the Jamaican flag. Our music, models, students, politicians, movie making business, and most recently our foods are all hot items in the international marketplace.
Regrettably, as our brand soars in a globalised world, there are too many instances in which we are lowering our standards at home. We seem to have torn down all boundaries in sexual behaviour to the point where Jamaican school girls in their early teen years, from formerly the most conservative schools, are said to be on the Internet performing decidedly adult and, to some, unspeakable sexual acts. People do not pay their legitimate taxes and many rich and well-to-do Jamaicans devise all kinds of methods to evade them.
'ANYTHING GOES'
In a sense, the Jamaican way has become one wherein 'anything goes' and we find any number of alternatives to lower rather than raise our standards. For instance, when Government officials or private executives issue contracts that incur overruns of hundreds of millions, or billions, of dollars, the public official or private executive (less so the latter but still too often) is never really held to account. Last week Mr. Panday, a former Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, was sentenced to jail for not disclosing a private bank account held in Britain - as is required by the laws of his country. In most countries, power has limits.
In Jamaica, when public officials or executives preside over contracts that incur huge overruns the standard is lowered to: "He or she did not secure any personal benefit from the contract". The fact that taxpayers' money (in the case of private companies, shareholders' funds) may have been wasted or used to enrich a few already wealthy contractors and their friends seems to be of no consequence. The Jamaican Way has been reduced to the very lowest standard of behaviour and is very regularly devoid of proper professional or principled accountability. That specimen of low accountability resides in the same vicinity and in close proximity to corruption.
THE PALISADOES ROAD
Hurricane Ivan damaged severely the Palisadoes road when it (miraculously?) practically stopped, changed its mind from delivering a direct hit on the island and side-swiped us along the south coast in the latter part of 2004. In all fairness the relevant agencies cleared the Palisadoes road soon after the hurricane hit. However, it took about a year and a half for the road to be repaved. My concern is that no real corrective and preventative action has been taken to help protect the road from being blocked by another hurricane. The hurricane season is now upon us and at the narrowest point of the road, a strong wind could again close off the airport from the rest of the country and in the process leave the capital, Kingston, and a whole half of the country practically stranded.
A PRIORITY ROAD
I have travelled extensively around the country and know that a great deal of work is being done on many of our roadways and the cost has to be astronomical. Nonetheless, the main Palisadoes road to the Norman Manley International Airport is such a vital communication link that it has to be considered a priority to protect that narrow strip of land from being closed off by seawater and sand during the hurricane season. It will be costly, but rocks and three star (like the Mercedes Benz star without the circle around it) man-made reinforcements need to be put in place now to keep the Caribbean Sea from washing across the narrow strip to meet the waters in the protected Kingston harbour. At a time when roads across the country may be blocked by hurricane winds and rain, we do not really want people from Spanish Town, Kingston and St. Andrew to be trekking to Montego Bay to catch airlines for flights from the country (and others overseas into Jamaica) because the Norman Manley Airport has been cut off by the sea. This would be ridiculous after we have had such a long time to produce an effective remedy and solution.
In a similar vein, any number of government officials and people of influence must pass the gaping potholes at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Arthur Wint Drive by the stadium and right before the Bob Marley statue. These have been there for months with no corrective action taken by the National Works Agency or whichever agency or ministry that is responsible to keep our roads in good repair. I have to believe that a phone call from the relevant important minister or agency official could get these potholes fixed in no time.
A couple of weekends ago there was a huge pay party in Cherry Gardens that caused roads to the homes of residents to be blocked off. Residents in the community had to suffer through considerable loud noise through to the early hours of the morning. I certainly believe that the entrepreneur who planned this pay party has the right to carry out his or her entrepreneurial activities.
However, I believe very firmly also that this kind of music pay party should not be allowed to be held in any residential community - uptown or downtown.
DETERIORATION OF OUR COMMUNITIES
There are places outside residential communities where such pay parties can be held and are held. I believe it demonstrates a further deterioration of our communities that pay parties can be held in clearly residential communities where the roads are blocked off and residents are not even informed beforehand. Which police authority gave permission for this party to be held? If no such permission was given by the police, why was the party not closed down within minutes after it started? Why would a private entrepreneur receive permission, or believe he or she has the right to close off roads in a residential community which causes inconvenience to the residents for his or her personal financial benefit? How much lower must our standards fall before we stop such activities in residential communities?
On the other hand, how many residents called the police or their political representative to complain - and or write the editors of their local newspapers to register publicly their displeasure?
The 'Jamaican Way' must begin to mean that we set very high standards for ourselves, expect our public officials and executives in the private sector to live by them, enforce the law when it is broken - regardless of party or political position, and generally re-establish the concept that Jamaica is a country of laws rather than of men (or women!). The Jamaican Way needs to be burnished and enhanced by public and private accountability and a much greater respect for citizens by citizens.
Aubyn Hill is the CEO of Corporate Strategies Ltd., a restructuring and financial advisory firm. Respond to: writerhill@gmail.com
