Garth Rattray | Is Jamaica doomed?

The rapid deterioration of Jamaican culture and society makes some wonder if our little island is doomed. Despite this, many professional and skilled Jamaicans remain here, although they would have much better opportunities abroad. They love the island and our people, but, with every passing year, the image of a financially stable, safe, peaceful, honest and disciplined society fades rapidly.

Notwithstanding our constantly faltering Jamaican dollar, paucity of ideas to stabilise it, and our frighteningly diminished spending power, many potential emigrants have been sticking it out, mostly because of patriotism. However, it is very difficult to remain patriotic when you are living with criminality, exploitation by banks and service monopolies, rampant corruption, anarchy in the streets, and little or no ‘accountability’.

Several videos reveal dancehall partygoers setting fire to [real] money and a well-known, expensive alcoholic beverage. Ostensibly, the money is from ill-gotten gains like scamming, the drug trade, extortion, or other criminal activities. People who earn their money by honest and hard work would never burn it, or ignite their expensive liquor. They appreciate what they have and that is why they don’t waste their money. It’s easy come, easy go for ill-gotten gains. Consequently, they end up right back where they started from in life, or even worse. That is why they always remain involved in criminality; they squander their loot on women, parties, excessive spending, and showing off (‘profiling’) on one another.

Victims of the criminal activities, from which revellers get the money to profile and waste, have either been financially ruined, physically and psychologically maimed or possibly killed. Those ‘profilers’ are demonstrating scant regard for those that they have wronged. And, by removing that money from circulation, they are also negatively impacting the wider society. The truly shocking part of this is that many people will not only support, but also encourage and defend those profilers. But criminals who destroy, and possibly end the lives, of their victims can never justify their evil deeds. In the long run, crime never pays.

SOCIAL INTERVENTION

It has been said repeatedly that significant, sustained, demonstrable social intervention is urgently needed if Jamaica is going to reduce criminality to a manageable level. Social programmes and safety nets are in place, but we need far more. There needs to be major investment in our underprivileged and disenfranchised citizens. Additionally, we need much more private-sector involvement. For example, no community close to any major hotel should be full of needy citizens. If surrounding communities benefit directly or indirectly from nearby major hotels, our entire country would be better off.

Depending heavily on our security forces in general, and on the police in particular, to suppress crime does not go nearly as far as we need to go if we want to turn the tide on criminal activities. The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Community Safety and Security Branch is working extremely hard at community policing. They try to involve themselves in as many communities as possible, and at every level of community life. The policemen and policewomen within that branch are serious and hard-working people who strive for the best that they can be at their jobs. However, they can do so much and no more.

Everyone knows that nature abhors a vacuum. If we are intent on ending scamming, stealing, shootings, human trafficking, and the illicit drug trade, we must take away the need for some to use those activities to survive; and we must replace them with something else. We must provide communities with decent homes, good amenities, clean surroundings, green areas, recreational activities, educational/vocational opportunities, decent and honest role models, job opportunities, health and financial security, and a safe environment. Those goals sound grandiose and expensive, but if we fail to provide those things for our vulnerable citizens, crime will scare away potential investors, and we will be forced to spend billions on security, treating the victims of crime, funerals, and taking care of incarcerated wrongdoers.

DONS MANAGE COMMUNITIES

I know of several situations where dons manage entire communities when the Government fails to do so. Dons assist with food, housing, education, employment, security, medical expenses, and engendering unity. Needless to say, because of the nature of ‘donmanship’, these things come at a very high price. However, if the Government takes care of our poor communities, without making them dependent, it will gain their fealty without instilling fear, and Jamaica will be a far better place.

It may surprise many to know that Jamaica is classified as an upper-middle-income country. But we have serious socio-economic problems because of how wealth is distributed. Money is finite; consequently, those that have the ability, and capability, to become super-rich cause many to remain super-poor. We need to find a way to remedy that situation. Furthermore, we are a consumerist society. The large companies that demand massive amounts of foreign currency in order to supply merchandise for retail, should be required to invest in, or to actively export products, so that they will earn some or all of the foreign currency that they need to do business here. And do not forget that many convert most of their profits into USD to send away to their investors.

I think that we are in jeopardy of becoming doomed. Therefore, if we are serious about saving Jamaica, we must think and act outside the box with alacrity.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.