Delroy Chuck
Poor people suffer and continue to suffer in modern Jamaica. Whether in the urban or rural areas, the poor are deprived, ignored and denied. They are deprived of adequate social services, of respect and justice, and their attempts to find a better quality of life are denied. Yet, the professional politicians search for their support and votes and, invariably, the poor succumb to the political passion, persuasion and popularity.
In truth, the low expectations and insatiable needs of the poor are easily satisfied, and their memories of past denials are readily forgotten. Between elections, the professional politicians cannot be seen or found and nothing tangible is done to improve and help their communities or the people. But, come election time, these so-called political representatives are seen everywhere bringing gifts, making promises and extolling the virtues of their representation. It is sad that poor people are so effortlessly conned and exploited. Bring out the gifts of goats, chickens, fertiliser and $1,000 bills, and the same deprived and ignored poor people jump on buses heading out to conferences, put on T-shirts for party meetings and shout party slogans.
Policies hurting poor
If only poor people could appreciate how the policies and management of the present administration have hurt and deprived them, they would en masse send it into political oblivion. When two-thirds of our budget has to be spent on debt servicing, it means that there is not enough to spend on education, health care and to fix our roads. When poor mothers and their children die because equipment and sterilisers are not available at Jubilee Hospital, it is caused from the mismanagement of our country's affairs. When teachers, nurses and police cannot get a decent and adequate salary, it is due to the amount we use for debt servicing. When our roads and gullies cannot be fixed, it is because billions of dollars are being transferred, as the PNP representative Ronald Thwaites declared, from the poor to the rich.
We argue over a mere $1 billion to provide free education for our children's future when over the past three years and more we have provided over $80 billion annually to pay interest alone on our national debt. When the PNP promised in their 2002 manifesto that by 2005 cost-sharing would be removed, no one asked them how they would afford it, and neither are they condemned for breaking that promise. However, when the JLP promises free education, all and sundry decry and proclaim it cannot be done and that the JLP is being mischievous. In truth, cost-sharing is divisive and frustrating, pitting the poor against the rich, and putting an unnecessary burden on the marginally poor and middle-class families who are already paying huge amounts to get their children a good education.
If this PNP administration had properly managed our affairs and expanded the economy to increase jobs and opportunities, our people would not be so eager to migrate and seek jobs elsewhere.
Keeping economy alive
Throughout the communities, we have thousands of young men and women, many of whom have never worked since leaving school, begging for farm worker's cards to work abroad. It is these poor people who provide the remittances that keep our economy alive. Yet, under this administration, the United Kingdom, Cayman Islands and others have imposed visa requirements, which had not hitherto applied. Who is this visa requirement hurting? If we had effectively managed our affairs, we may not now, like Singapore and other countries, even require visas to enter the U.S.A.
It is time poor people appreciate that they are being exploited by self-serving professional politicians, especially those who proclaim how much they love the poor, yet keep them perennially in poverty. The end of poverty is a millennium goal, but it will only come if we pave the way for our people to work, produce and create wealth and prosperity.
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at delchuck@hotmail.com.
