I turned on the TV set at 7:02pm this evening to watch Prime time news on TVJ and was greeted with what appeared to be independence celebrations at the national stadium.
I kind of half watched what was going on for about 10 minutes and then I gave up, why?
For the first in a very long time I felt nothing but emptiness, I did not feel anything like I once felt at independence, I felt there was absolutely nothing to celebrate except the gift of life , families and good friends.
I saw young folks in the crowd with smiles on their faces and could not help but wonder, what kind of a future does this country offer to those kids. When they leave the stadium tonight, will they have food to eat, will they have a place to call home. will they live to see another year and not become a victim of the pervasive crime way that has taken over Jamaica.
I turned off the TV @ 7:12pm and took the next 20 minutes to post my quick thoughts.
This years “celebration” was estimated to cost close to $100m and I cannot help but wonder, how many drugs, needles, syringes this could buy for our ailing health sector, but n, o our people are willing to jump and prance for a few hours to the tune of $100m, only to wake up tomorrow with no jobs and very little hope, if the are lucky to be spared by a gunman.
What exactly are we celebrating?
I have always said this about Jamaica “We are a nation who celebrates announcements and NEVER achievements”. This administration has done a piss poor job thus far and there is nothing to suggest that things are likely to improve in the near future.
- Murders are on the rise, but yet we celebrate
- General crime in all areas are on the rise, yet we celebrate.
- Our healthcare system is in shambles, but we can spend $100m to celebrate.
- Our education system is pathetic, but we can afford $100m to celebrate
- The economy is dying a painful death, but $100m is nothing for us to waste as we celebrate.
I could go on and on but I don’t even feel the urge to continue writing.
At Independence #51 I feel nothing but emptiness and wished the stadium was empty to send a strong message to our leaders to cut the bullsh$t now and get the economy moving forward, but Jamaicans have NEVER shown the willingness to act in concert to send a big message save and except for election time.
Empty at 51, that is by message for tonight.
Filed under: Public Information |
Warren's Blog 
Why don’t you leave Jamaica and go and live with apes. You are just a load of sh….. You cry down everything Jamaican. Please leave Jamaica and Jamaicans alone.
Well there is one happy Jamaican, happy with medicrity and persistent failure and too blind to see reality.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from LIME.
You should be ashamed of yourself, The economist describes kingston as one of the least livable places in the world and you bash Jay for speaking the truth. Ivor, pnp supporters have no problem with failure
Jay, my intrigue~ I hope this email finds you well. I am a recent subscriber that is confounded by your blogs and passion of speech that ignites my thoughts so greatly. I will start by letting you know I have not been to your Island in a great many years, I reside in the United States and have only researched these past 8 years on a specified subject for a script I had wrote. I have never forgotten the beauty or the rawness of the Island along with the impression it left on me. I actually abandoned my script and this last year came back to it with fresh eyes to complete but still feeling dissatisfied. However, the distractions have been countless. I thought through all the research and my writings I was connected but the truth of my disconnect was sickening. Unveiling the corruption, murders, injustice, poverty; the demise of your Country has kept me up nights pondering. I have felt moved to write another piece on Jamaica but this time something of extraordinary truth, however I refuse to do your Country injustice by blindly doing so. I felt a yearning for something and I knew if I searched long enough it would come to me. Feeling an absence of the right voice, I thought I had exhausted every link possible feeling frustrated; but then felt an immediate connection of intrigue when I came across your blog. Your post are informative, enriching, passionate and authentically opinionated; a quality most writers lack yet you manage to exert the talent while maintaining a real people’s voice. I myself have never encountered the chaos you call every day life but I am driven to know more. Your anger, sadness, helplessness and passion I can strongly sense through your writing. For months now I have contemplated contacting you about this fated feeling that we would one day write a script together. I’m not sure what would come of any of this, if it would change anything but I just felt there was something greater to all of this and I should contact you. �onour the truth; write what you believe, nothing less
@ Ivor Davis, you never hear about democracy? You may be one of the Jamaicans who settle for every and anything and feel that there is no better or things could be worse. There are also those of us who do not settle for less than the best and fell things can be better.
It is our right so to do and it makes us no less Jamaicans just genuine Jamaicans who want the best for our country. People like you just want Jamaica to continue on its way to Haiti and it will be still good.
Are we to expect to hear how many flights are leaving per day for criticising things Jamaica.
Now sir, yesterday’s production was very poor in my opinion. I was drawn to it by comments on the social pages. Turned to it TVJ for 5 minutes and it was not worth my time so I switched to cable. There goes, now send me to live with the apes.
I am sure I am more Jamaican than you!
The response from Ivor is very consistent with the views from comrades on a whole. When the PNP is power everything is just honky dory.
I am going to make this simple. The difference Jamaica and developed countries is the level of self respect and pride within the populace. There is corruption or corrupt tendencies in all democratic elected governments throughout the world but the successful countries are normally are the most patriotic.
Jamaica is experiencing a level on disrespect and contempt by its “leaders” that is downright disgusting Yet, the Jamaican people accepts it (sometimes with open arms) as if it nothing. We have a given up! Anything short of death is seen as a blessing from God. We possess world class talent in every field known to man. We also have sufficient natural resources. Yet. we beg and borrow for a living! Regarding security, we let a few dictate the quality of our life. Seriously, what percent of our population is made of criminals, corrupt officials and businessmen? Over 2 million people can not control a few hundred? We are so divided that it do not take much for us to be hostile against each. Hell, you see it on this blog!
I love Jamaica dearly and always will. My family and I are doing what we can do to help. It does not a lot of money to sponsor a breakfast program at an inner city school. Or mentor a child. A simple gesture like this goes a long way.
EFFECTIVE FOLLOWERS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS
tHIS IS A LETTER tHAT i WROTE TO THE oBSERVER. pUBLISHED TUESDAY
We live in a society where politicians are expected to shoulder the blame for all national ailments and opinion leaders are quick to say that the woeful state of affairs in Jamaica is due to poor leadership. However, we are wrong, because effective “followership” is critical to the success of every country. The theory of followership was conceptualised by Robert Kelley, who developed five followership patterns, the following two will be discussed:
The Sheep: These individuals are passive and require guidance from the leader. They lack the independent skills to hold leaders accountable.
Star Followers: This group consists of exemplary individuals who are positive, active and independent thinkers. Star Followers will carefully evaluate political pronouncements before accepting them as policy.
Most Jamaicans may be considered Sheep Followers, who subscribe to the mentality of the herd. This is the main difference between countries where good governance exists and those where only remnants of it can be found.
For example, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a transformational leader for Turkey. Under his stewardship, personal income in Turkey has doubled. And while most economies have contracted during the recessionary period, Turkey’s economy grew by over 8 per cent in 2010 and 2011. In addition, Erdogan’s budgetary allocation to education has been greater than his predecessors, and he boasts an impressive list of successful infrastructural projects.
Although, Mr Erdogan has made Turkey a better country, his shortcomings are still many, and the people of Turkey are not afraid to remind him that democracy is about the needs of everyone, not just his fan base. Erdogan’s critics have accused him of encroaching on the rights of Turkish Secularists and stifling press freedom. Currently the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index ranks Turkey 154 out of 179 countries. Turkey reportedly also has more journalists in prison than any other country.
People will welcome good reforms, but it does not give leaders who implement these reforms the freedom to make themselves demi-gods. Effective followers will no longer tolerate them. Unfortunately, the behaviour of followers in Jamaica is in stark contrast to their Turkish counterparts. Successive administrations have signed contracts with foreign companies which are not in the best interest of Jamaicans. Of quick memory is the Government’s contract with a US-based firm for the management of the Montego Bay Convention Centre, which will cost taxpayers $89 million if the Government ends the contract.
The people do not even understand when they are being disrespected by leaders. In Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff claimed that angry protesters have the right to voice their opinion, since it is a democracy. On the other hand, Portia Simpson Miller often bashes her critics. Clearly, Mrs Rousseff understands the meaning of people power.
Jamaicans must desert the Sheep mentality and become Star Followers, then we will begin to see good governance. We will require it.
Lipton Matthews
lo_matthews@yahoo.com
For this to happen under the PNP it will need a bright flash from the sky to signal a massive transformation.
Its reason like this why people like myself who refuse to be led are criticized relentlessly
I spent years in quality control and quality assurance and one of the things I did was to find every conceivable fault I could find with the products we built and then challenged to team to follow the principle call Kaizen.
This is continuous improvement, where I take a critical look at the process with a view of constantly improving it so we could be a first class organization and our products could stand on their own.
We were able to sell our products at a higher price that the competitor and people were willing to buy, due to the higher quality levels.
This concept is foreign to many persons, who are happy with things the way they are.
I will NEVER accept that, things can improve but it requires us to shed the fascination with leaders and demand accountability and a push for continious improvement in the way we do things.
To say ” this is how is has always been done and the other did the same thing”, will just not cut it for me.
There are far to many Jamaicans who believe that once you are critical of someone for what they do or have failed to do, its because you don’t like the individual.
PNP followers are like that, they are completely blinded and are willing to follow them over the precipice and when some finally come to the realization they have been mislead , they choose to remain quiet vs speaking out.
Jay will continue to shine the light in the dark and watch and see what runs out for cover.
Chuck emanuel
We have one of the worst finance and security ministers in the history of Jamaica. Unless these two individuals are moved from office we will not see any improvement in the those areas” ?.
Who are you kidding ?.
How could these people be the “worse in the history of Jamaica”, when the entire past regime was removed from power for the lack of integrity and trust ?.
This was the response of an idiot in response to a news pick titled Give us 3 years, some nonsense about the social partnership. Jay, the previous pnp administration was very corrupt, even Patterson was implicated and he became Jamaica’s pm. The jlp’s lost had nothing to do with corruption, Jamaicans just prefer the eat a food party. People in jamaica are willing to take garbage from the pnp, because they have no respect for themselves. The social partnership is nonsense and we should not allow the government to outsource its responsibilities
Jay, what i find appalling is that successive govts have been able to sell Jamaicans the idea that they are independent when we are not even close. Independence is fought for, not given. Independence to the masses apparently means that a licence is given to those who look like us to rape and pillage the Country?
Sam,
I don’t think our people take the time to really examine our situation. We just are contended to hear, we know your pain, just give us some more for us to get it right.
This crap has been going on for the better part of 50yrs and I see no end in sight, that is the sad part.
Burying one’s head in the sand (like on JR blogger appears to be doing) and refusing to discuss the problems won’t make them go away.
Instead by continuing to speak out and if no one listens. Taking actions have been found to be effective ways of ringing in real change and transformation
Let’s keep on the pressure let us “tun e up”
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from LIME.
They really have no clue how near the pot is to “boiling”. I was speaking with some youngsters recently and not only is it desperate times for them but they seem to be slowly recognizing that the politicians have been taking them for fools. What i have been trying to help them understand, is that they have the power to transform this Country by uniting in the quest for a better Jamaica. Bigger pie,rising tide is what we need. These Charlatans have no interest in such!!