Lambert Brown, ContributorConsider for a moment the following parable: "A shoe manufacturer sent two salespersons to Africa to study the prospects for expanding its business. The two travelled together to a rural African country and observed the same things. After a few days, the first sent an email saying: 'No one wears shoes - situation hopeless'. The other wrote back triumphantly: 'No one wears shoes: glorious opportunity'."
Now, close your eyes for 30 seconds and think about that story in respect of Jamaica. Which side did you find yourself on - hopelessness or glorious opportunity?
How very interesting that people can look at the same circumstances yet draw different conclusions. It seems our outlook on life is not really determined by the reality we see, but rather, the limits we cultivate in our minds. It is these mind limits that inform our perceptions. I believe that in the run-up to the next election, the very same thing is happening in our country. There are those who will choose to and are preaching hopelessness. It is for each of us to apply our minds to the facts and decide which reality resonates with us more. Given the number of Africans now wearing shoes, I have no doubt that the shoe manufacturer chose the salesman who promoted the glorious opportunity. The big question is what choice will the Jamaican people make?
Glorious opportunities
Jamaica, over the last two decades, has continued to produce glorious opportunities for those local and foreign entrepreneurs bold enough to take the risk. Think of the numerous new businesses that have started and are today success stories. Many old businesses have expanded and grown stronger. They are all around us in both town and country. In reality, despite the prophets of doom and gloom, our country has made tremendous strides forward. While all our people have not benefited equally from the progress, there can be no doubt that a significantly larger section of our population is much better off today than 20 years ago.
Let's take the issue of employment, for example. In October 1988, using the same measurement as is used today, unemployment was 19.6 per cent. Today, unemployment is 9.6 per cent. Yes, there are many persons who are looking for a job and can't find one. That, however, must not obscure the fact that progress has been made in providing greater opportunities for employment today. We must never make the perfect the enemy of the good. It appears that with the flurry of investors, now actively putting their business in Jamaica, more jobs will be available to our people. Our infrastructure growth seems to have created the conditions to attract important and large investments.
Many of those without jobs today were ill-prepared by our education system for the labour market of a globalised world. Our education system was originally designed to produce an élitist of professionals to serve the old status quo. The majority of our people were, therefore, never taught to be entrepreneurs and to create their own business and jobs for others. We were not taught to be capitalists, nor did the majority of us have a tradition of business in our genes. Now we have run into an economic bottleneck. This needs to be corrected if the rich and creative potential of our people is to be liberated and economic prosperity is to be made our imperative. That is what I want to hear the parties speak about, and committing themselves to, in thiselection campaign.
I am impressed that the Prime Minister spoke so boldly in her Budget speech about the prospect of developing the creative and cultural industry with a view to making Jamaica a world power in an area in which we have demonstrated our proven abilities to do more than produce samples.
I am not impressed with the suggestion that growth in the economy, by itself, can lead to social progress and stability for our people. We had fantastic growth in the 1960s, one of the best in the world. But guess what? We also had over 20 per cent unemployment and serious social instability, because we ignored the need to properly distribute the benefits of the growth.
The 1970s saw a focused attempt to do a better distribution of the country's wealth to the ordinary Jamaicans. Many who had the capacity to contribute to growth chose not to participate, folded their businesses, migrated or sabotaged the economy.
There could be no sustained distribution of wealth without steady economic growth. Sustainability requires both growth and balanced distribution. The 1980s reaffirmed that growth for a minority without practically benefiting the majority would be a failure.
The call for the balancing of people's lives while balancing the books appears to be the best approach to sustainable development and progress for the majority of our people. This is a fundamental change from previous approaches to governance. This is the change I think should be supported. I see that in the investment by local and foreign investors. Two billion United States dollars (over $130 billion Jamaican) in Harmony Cove by the Tavistock group is no mean achievement for a country in this world.
In the last two years, the National Environment Planning Agency received over 4,890 applications for development. Many of these were in the construction sector where people continue to build and add value to their lives. This is confirmed further by the growing demand for cement. No wonder the annual average employment in the construction sector jumped from 87,500 in 2002 to 110,000 last year.
Outstanding progress
Another area in which outstanding progress has been made in Jamaica with direct benefit to our people, while earning a return for the entrepreneurs, is in relation to telecommunication. That is a silent revolution deserving of high praise. By an act of boldness and sheer bravery in 1999, Minister Phillip Paulwell broke the monopoly of the telecommunication sector by a British company. This opened the door to an expansion of business opportunities for Jamaicans and greater convenience in doing business. Today, we have more than 2.5 million cellphone subscribers as against 249,800 in 2002. Internet use has also grown from less than three per cent to over 39 per cent in the last six years. Our children can enhance what they learn from their local teaching by accessing the Internet.
I am convinced that there are glorious opportunities facing us Jamaicans and those responsible for this progress deserve continued opportunities to conclude the job in process.
Lambert Brown is president of the University and Allied Workers Union and can be contacted at labpoyh@yahoo.com.
