Jamaican boat people, remittances and the state of the economy !

I have noticed in recent times, a steady increase in the number of Jamaicans trying to reach the USA via boats. They have either shown up first on the Bahamian coastline or on the coast of Florida as they rush to escape the poverty most of them voted for, back home in Jamaica.

It is interesting to note that Jamaicans for the most part do not vote based on performance, but more-so  loyalty, built up over decades to one party or the other. The people will live in abject poverty brought on them by the leadership they voted for 3 years ago, but given the opportunity to vote again in two years , they do the same thing again.

It is these same people who one week after election to retain hardship, will be calling you and I begging for US$50, CN$50 or GPB 50, because things rough and they have no food to put on the table.

They vote for poverty in Jamaica, but run away to Trinidad and Barbados by plane ( no visa required), buy bandoloo visa ( and get caught) and the newest way is to take a boat to Bahamas and then one from Bahamas to Florida.

Remittances appears to be a good thing for Jamaica, but it is in fact one of the worst thing that has happened to our country in many respects.

It harbours laziness in the country, where people do not feel the need to work to provide for themselves and their families because all the need to do is make a phone call and go Western Union or Moneygram.

If there were little of no remittances, what you get is what you work for and what you get would have to come from the economy for which you voted good or bad.

Jamaicans know they can vote as they pleases with no reasoning at all and when the going gets rough, accepts no responsibility for their actions, but instead stretch out their hands , begging for some US, Cdn or some GPB.

There is hardly and will hardly be any public uprising, because the people don’t have to hold the politicians accountable for the dismal state of the economy, because there is always the alternative called ” West Union or Moneygram” from which they can get relief.

The politicians knows this also and so there is no incentive for them to improve the governance structure and grow the economy because as things get worse, all they need to do is devalue the Ja dollar and the people believe they get more money at $100 to $1 , than at $80 to $1. In addition  they just make more phone calls for more money from relatives and friends living overseas to support themselves.

Those whose back is now against the wall and whose phone calls are not longer being answered as opted to take to the sea and hope for the best.

Bless