Kahlil Hutchinson | The Jamaican dream

AS A young Jamaican, it is instilled in me that through hard work, determination and dedication one can reach the zenith of Maslow’s hierarchical pyramid – and achieve self-actualisation, one can climb the social ladder and achieve upward social mobility, and thus allowing one to be able to live the Jamaican dream.

However, in the midst of a political chasm in relation to citizens’ safety and security, a country facing an imminent fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic – with a high level of vaccine hesitancy, and with a government elected by less than 22 per cent of eligible voters with an overall voter turnout of 37.85 per cent. Is the Jamaican dream a reality for modern-day Jamaicans?

I will seek to answer this question by examining three tenets that are indicators of a positive social life within a geographical space. These tenets are:

Social inclusion – Social inclusion, as defined by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, is the process by which efforts are made to ensure equal opportunities – that everyone, regardless of their background, can achieve their full potential in life. Social inclusion holds at its core liberty and justice. Therefore, looking at Jamaican society, ask yourself the question, are we socially inclusive? The past year alone has displayed numerous moments highlighting social exclusion in access to education, access to health services, and access to some basic needs such as clean water and food.

IN COMPARISON

Rule of Law – The rule of law simply states that no one is above the law and it is the responsibility of all citizens to follow and be held accountable to the laws of the land. Jamaica, land we love, is obviously not an unequivocal believer of such. As I can count numerous occasions and cite as many examples to support my claim, such as the enforcement of the Disaster Risk Management Act when dealing with the affluent and ‘haves’ of the society in comparison to the enforcement when dealing with the indigent and ‘have-nots’ of the society, and the high levels of corruption across private and public sectors, estimated to cost the society millions of US dollars. Also, it seems that many perpetrators of these acts, after the committal, are reintegrated into society without even a ‘slap on the wrist’ and, shockingly, in some cases rewarded. There should be no distinction between corruption and crime as both result in the loss of lives and livelihoods of Jamaicans and place stress on the country’s economic resources.

Healthy Environment – As predicted, the ‘hype’ behind climate change resulting from COP26 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) has faded and it seems like we are back to regular programming. We have seen the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our lives, the economy, the education sector, etc. However, this is just a warning of the deleterious effects that climate change possesses. A key tenet to life is the quality of our environment. We have seen that the quality of our environment is directly proportional to life expectancy and should be respected accordingly. Although not a leader as it relates to environmental justice and record, citing examples such as the use of ministerial discretion involving the Puerto Bueno Mountains in St Ann to overturn the National Environment and Planning Agency’s decision. The Jamaican society has made strides to tackle climate change, as seen in the sectoral debate earlier this year when Minister Charles Jr highlighted a number of initiatives, such as the introduction of earth cards, the adaptation plan, etc., to tackle climate. This, however, will not be enough.

Based on these tenets highlighted, it is clear that the society is not in a position currently to promote the living of the Jamaican dream. However, although Jamaican society is not where it should be in order to promote the living of the Jamaican dream, there is still time to turn things around through transformational leadership in all sectors.

Kahlil Hutchinson is the immediate past president of the UTech, Ja Students’ Union and is currently serving as the political awareness and respect initiative chairman for Programmes and Projects in the Office of the Political Ombudsman. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com; Kahlil_hutchinson@yahoo.com