I have been told that there are over 126 brands of tissue available for sale in Jamaica, I was stunned, never in my wildest dream could I have imagined that we had so many.
Now the BSJ in its wisdom decided that the most appropriate way to protect the public, was to publish the name of the “good” brand of tissues. Now have done that the BSJ has found itself in a mess and will need a lot of “tissue” to clean up the crap it has just deposited .
Many persons decided to check the list and then check either what they had at home or in the offices and at the supermarkets and what they found was that many tissues they encountered were not on BSJ list of “safe” tissues.
Armed with this information, the BSJ was bombarded with calls not only from consumers, but also importer, retailers and manufacturers whose tissues did not make in on BSJ list of safe tissue. BSJ then indicated to the public that ” because a tissue is not on the safe list does not mean its bad, it could be because we have not yet tested that tissue”, well if that is not bullshit, you tell me what is.
So a simple issue as toilet paper has not become a major issue and a major distraction from some of the most critical issue facing the public at this point in time.
Had BSJ simply issued the name of the offending brand and indicated that based on preliminary test, these were their findings, we wall would not be in this mess.
To suggest that no standards exist and as such it would be unfair to name the “dirty” brands, is not only ludicrous, it also demonstrates that the interest of the organizations including he BSJ is above that of protecting the Jamaican public.
Look USA said PA Benjamin products cannot be imported into the USA because PA Benjamin did not complete microbiological test etc. These test were apparently not a part of the regulations in Jamaica and what has occurred since.
PA Benjamin says the product is good, no problems at all, BSJ has remained silent, while PA Benjamin is working to correct the deficiencies found. In the meantime the Jamaican public remains at risk.
If we cannot get what we use to clean up mainly s#$t right, I would like for someone to tell me, what can we do right in this country.
The next thing that is about to blow up in our faces in substandard food ( meat, fish, vegetables), which are not fit for human consumption that is being imported into Jamaica as well as potentially harmful products being imported out of the far east.
Stay tune folks, I need to make sure before I cause any panic.
Filed under: Public Information |
Warren's Blog 
I’m all for the Free Market System, but why do we need to import Toilet Issue if there are so many local Brands available in the market place? The BSJ’s partial list shows 16 out of 24 Brands labeled Jamaica as the Country of Origin”.
If indeed there are over 126 Brand of Tissues (Toilet+Hand Towel), what level of confidence can one put in the testing results to date, if less than 25% ([33=29+4)] of the available paper products was actually tested? Maybe this number is statistically significant, given the sample size and 12% failure rate (assuming that only 4 brands fail the Microbiological Test). Are thy relying on some form of statistical methodology to extarpolate the degree of safety of these products?
http://www.bsj.org.jm/NewsDetails/tabid/139/Default.aspx?news=566
They are 2 main issues that this latest saga point to, if any type of root cause analysis is done. 1) Our MP’s have failed in their main mission, which is to legislate not “produce growth”. The rush to “produce growth” in order to satisfy the public and private concerns of voters has actually done more harm than good when looked at across 50 years. This is precisely why the civil service is full of so much kunumunu, and why our debt is so high! Every day I read about another moron calling for the government to produce growth or tell of their growth plans without realising simply that what they are speaking of is not realistic nor the job of the government.
This forces politician, the cheapest hoes around, to bend over backward to make something happen or to sleep with people who can “get things done”. We, are our worst enemies, because we are ignorant. The MP’s not legislating aka doing their jobs, means that we have 100 year old laws sitting on the books, 50 year old fines that is now akin to sweetie money, an inept and unproductive civil service, giant gaps and holes in our regulations that you can drive a 18 wheeler through, etc, etc, etc.2)
Our haste to sign every available free trade agreement around because we want to ease the way for our morbid & inept private sector to export, means that we legally cannot stop any imports, no matter how badly they affect the overall economy, how crappy they are, or how much they remain one of teh largest stumbling blocks to export growth. The only way to retard the growth in imports and thus help our local companies grow, is through, you guessed it the BSJ. This is the underhanded way through which other countries protect their domestic market. Of course, that also means 2 things have to happen- the BSJ will need proper funding, management, staff and legislative bite and our private sector will have to come out of their comatose state and actually raise productive levels as well as exports.
Here is the paradox though. One of the main reasons for our private sector is so lazy is because they can lie down in their bed and make money a) importing, b) buying government debt c) through excessive margins aka profits. Again, this circle comes full, because as Bruce said,our government is so big it crowds out everybody else whilst also allowing non-productive financial outlays to reap reward. Why? Because of where we started. The Jamaican public demands the government to “produce growth” and the only way a government can produce growth is to grow thus blocking out everybody else.
A 2 year old can thus see that the impetus for growth actually lies in increasing productivity in government through reform, ourtsourcing functions to the private sector and downsizing while simultaenously reducing its “big foot” which is bunging up the productivity hole. However try explaing all of this to your average Jamaican! Its way much easier to blame Mr. Politician and im brown man friend dem who “corrupt” and are the reason why everting so bad. What’s that about? Red eye- we thing we are owed something, in my opinion. Its a cultural phenomenon due to the proximity of rich and poor in Jamaica.
Due to our centuries long travelling habits that left a Jamaican in every corner of the globe, who frequently sends a barrel, as well as a money, while retelling of streets paved with gold on their secuity guard job at Macy’s. Its only now, that visa easier fi get than safe toilet paper, cable tv and internet that the rest of Jamaica is finally wising up and realising that its bad everywhere and inequality is a fact of life.
All is not lost. Our ghettoes continue to produce ideas which the middle-class then “pretty up” to make money thus keeping innovation alive. Our public is wising up through the spread of information, though half of them who can read still cant understand what they have read (but thats no different here in the US), and our politicians as all politicians everywhere else in the world, will respond with better strategies and policies once the public starts asking the right questions and demanding perfomance.
@ KJ I am going to reformat that post, the way it is now make it hard to read. The content will NOT be changed.
Local Tissue Producer Goes Into Hiding
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130419/lead/lead6.html