Perhaps the first thing that we need to change to achieve transformation of our society is our national relationship to money.

As a nation we have a very negative perception of and relationship with money - which no doubt explains why we have very little of it! Here are a few examples:

When I run on the road in the wee hours of the morning, it never fails to amaze me as I pass the bus stops how much money is lying on the ground. It used to be 'brown money' - now I notice more and more 'silver money'. What type of people throws money away?

My children love to come to the supermarket with me, for they each end up with a few dollars in 'found money' - money that was discarded at the cash register when the cashier attempted to give shoppers their change.

They have found up to $10.00 and regularly find between $3.00 and $5.00 each. I point out to them that if they come with me every week, within a year they will each have over $150.00. By the tine they get to university they will have amassed over $2,000 (without any interest being calculated) - enough to purchase as least one book!

I constantly have to demand my correct change. It is quite the norm for a cashier to short-change you. It used to be that you would get an icy mint as change; then an apology; now nothing except dirty looks if you demand your correct change.

Of course, with the withdrawal of the one cent and five cent coins by the Bank of Jamaica it is impossible to give people their correct change - either customers owe or the store owes.

Then there is the national focus on poverty. 'Poverty alleviation' is the goal oft touted by our politicians and technocrats. Years ago, it was honourable to be a sufferer. I cringe whenever I hear the song that goes "Man was made to suffer, woman was made to bear the pain". Imagine that the 2006 winning Festival song was entitled Poverty! What type of national consciousness is it that focuses on suffering, poverty and pain? It is a natural law that energy flows where focus goes. So if we focus on suffering, poverty and pain - it is inevitable that we will get more suffering, poverty and pain. Is it any wonder that as a nation we are short of wealth?

Foreign loans

And to solve our national money shortage, we borrow. Trips abroad by our Minister of Finance are deemed successful when he has borrowed more money. It is no problem, it seems, that over 90 per cent of our GDP services debt and that this percentage gets higher every year. Local and overseas lenders love Jamaica, for we have an insatiable appetite for debt. We are a guaranteed market for them.

Even worse, we bash persons for 'running away to foreign', yet we 'hug up' their remittances, celebrating increases in remittances as our earnings - when such increases really signal the depths of our poverty.

The cavalier way in which we treat overruns on government contracts also indicates a lack of regard for money. It seems to be accepted as a norm that there will be overruns. Even our private sector, whose main purpose is to create wealth, speaks negatively and apologetically, about money. "How is business?" "Struggling", is the response! Is it any wonder that business is bad?

National consciousness

Transformation of our society does require money. What is needed for transformation is a transformation of our national consciousness about money and wealth. Other resources are required, but these are related to money. Even time is related to money - for only those who have money have the time to donate!

The rest of us are too busy working to make ends meet. In Jamaica, poor people are idolised and rich people are demonised. However, if we want to move from being a poor country to being a rich one, then what we need is more rich people and less poor people.

Our first task is to change the way we relate to money. For example, rather than speaking about poverty alleviation, how about wealth creation?

Let's stop throwing money on the ground. And if you do see money on the ground, pick it up and save it! Business people - please give customers their correct change.

Bank of Jamaica - either bring back the one cent coin or realign the currency so that we can get our correct change. And media - stop lauding our Minister of Finance for 'successfully' borrowing more money, and celebrating increases in remittance inflows!

When we begin to make these changes in how we view and behave with money, then we will start to attract the resources needed for the transformation of Jamaica; indeed the real transformation will have begun.

Marguerite Orane is a partner in Growth Facilitators, a management consultancy firm. She may be reached at mo@cwjamaica.com.