Some Jamaicans ready to ‘come a dem yaad’

THE EDITOR, Madam:

In his keynote address to the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council Roundtable during Jamaica Diaspora Week recently, Don Wehby, GraceKennedy’s chief executive officer, invited Jamaicans living overseas to ‘come a yuh yaad’. He was persuading the diaspora to come “take a [post-COVID-19] vacation at home” that will help to pump needed foreign exchange into the Jamaican economy.

But, there has been a fervency observed in talking to some Jamaican professionals [in Georgia, USA,] who have given years of unqualified service to their host nation, and are now feeling it’s opportune time to ‘come a dem yaad’ for good. They cite particularly infrastructural development taking place in Jamaica as an impetus to returning to the homeland.

Quite energetic and not near retirement, having enough capacity within the economy to engage returning professionals would hasten their desire to self-repatriate. A developing Jamaica needs the trickling in of permanently returning nationals to help in the economic vision of our country.

Many are preparing to ‘come a dem yaad’ but they will tell you that a major concern is crime and violence. Yet, COVID-19, the rapid social changes extant in American society, may be the impetus for them to yield to Wehby’s summons to ‘come a yu yaad’.

CLAUDE WILSON