Tweet
PM - 'A' for audacity
JEAN LOWRIE-CHIN
Monday, September 07, 2009
Two years after their victory at the polls, the honeymoon of the Bruce Golding-led JLP administration is but a faint memory. But we shouldn't be surprised - even the hugely popular Barack Obama is down in the polls after a mere eight months in power. Such is the reward of ascending to power in a world wracked by financial crises.
JEAN LOWRIE-CHIN
Both leaders have performed rescues of one sort or the other, and it is ironic that what Bruce Golding was able to accomplish virtually overnight has dragged Barack Obama and his colleagues from town hall to town hall, facing some of the most cynical, virulent tirades.
My friend George Graham who now lives in Florida spares a good word for Golding's effort: "As Lee Ann Womack put it: 'And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. I hope you dance.'
And little Jamaica has joined the dance, while mighty America sits timidly on the sidelines pondering the risks involved. What on earth am I talking about? Why, health care, of course.
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding is forging ahead with plans to abolish hospital user fees, despite a torrent of criticism and the head-scratching conundrum of paying for the plan... The US is imagining the worst, too scared to take a chance, defeated before the game has even started." (http://blogs.jamaicans.com/gwgraeme)
But there are many more rivers that the Golding administration must cross: budget cuts, salary increases and unrelenting crime. I think Mr Golding and Minister Shaw should have a huddle with Dr Henley Morgan and Dr Leahcim Semaj.
These visionaries have come up with innovative solutions for redeployment of labour and empowerment of the workforce. They can explain to unions that redundancies may actually open a better way of life for workers if training and counselling are a part of the separation plan. They will reveal opportunities that are knocking, if only we would listen.
Big government for a small country can actually rob people of their dignity, as they trip over each other, 10 doing the job of one. Large agencies incur unnecessary costs and drain productivity with unwieldy human resource issues. I heard a statistic the other day that gave me pause: the average population of a political constituency in India is 1.3 million in contrast to the electorate quota of 25,000 per constituency for Jamaica. Since there are constitutional guidelines for this, as explained by ECJ Chairman Professor Errol Miller, let us accept this reality and lean more heavily on our members of parliament to discharge their duties as representatives of the people. The technology exists to make the necessary appeals, keep track of projects, and ensure accountability.
To keep our public service lean and efficient, let us merge agencies with the parent ministries wherever possible. These times demand from us a willingness to break from the status quo and to use the brilliant new tools that promote efficiency and probity.
If we look beyond our tiny fiefdoms, we will see a nation brimming with opportunities. We will see that we are actually making our future less secure by this stubborn adherence to our tiny piece of dried-up turf when there are indeed greener pastures for us. We should look to those leaders who continue to strive for better, compete vigorously and see opportunities in every crisis. Henley "The Watchman" Morgan says if we want to discover the gold mine, we should have a "goal mind". That's how our athletes got their gold - now we need to work for ours.
I continue to bat for our nurses, whose requests are modest and whose patience has been virtually endless. However, I have to join the appeal of the Ministry of Education for our teachers to agree to the proposed schedule for the payment of retroactive salary increases. We know they are deserving, but at least they are far ahead of the nurses in terms of compensation.
As the JTA continues to resist performance evaluation, their members should be aware that there is a quiet revolution taking place in education. Says US education expert Josh Catone, "The marginal cost of education is being driven toward zero due to social media and innovative approaches to online learning like OpenCourseWare, Flat World Knowledge, and the University of the People. (Google these sites for free courses right now!) That's because the nature of information is such that it can be created once at cost and distributed and consumed over and over again for free. So in the future, the cost of education might be free, or nearly free, which could just level the playing field."
Catone believes there will always be a place for teachers but has quoted surveys that show an astonishing result: "What they found was that students who completed all or some of their coursework online tested on average in the 59th percentile, compared to the 50th percentile for those who received only classroom instruction. in communities where classroom learning is infeasible due to lack of funds, online learning is an adequate stand-in."
I hear the various scores being given to Mr Golding, ranging from PNP YO President Damion Crawford's "F" to Delano Seivright's "A". My score would be an "A" for audacity - the grade I give to any prime minister who has dared to lead this cantankerous, fantastic country. In spite of the challenges, PM Golding still shows great passion for the job and he has a capable, if not perfect Cabinet. Frankly, very few of us would want their jobs, so let us try to do ours and make Jamaica a little easier for them to manage.
Godspeed, Kim-Marie - Thirty-year-old Jamaican Rhodes scholar, Kim-Marie Spence, is poised to be the first person, male or female, from the Caribbean islands to ski to the South Pole as part of The Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition. She headed to New Zealand last Wednesday but is still in need of funds - please donate to JN account 10870166 or visit Jamaica@commonwealthexpedition.com to contact her fundraiser.
Jamaica sparkles in Brussels - Once again our stars shone in Brussels on Friday. The Big Man Usain, the brave Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Asafa Powell who gave us a sweet victory in the 100m ahead of Tyson Gay! Bravo!
lowriechin@aim.com, www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com
Jean Lowrie-Chin is the author of Souldance, a collection of poetry and commentary.
JEAN LOWRIE-CHIN
Monday, September 07, 2009
Two years after their victory at the polls, the honeymoon of the Bruce Golding-led JLP administration is but a faint memory. But we shouldn't be surprised - even the hugely popular Barack Obama is down in the polls after a mere eight months in power. Such is the reward of ascending to power in a world wracked by financial crises.
JEAN LOWRIE-CHIN
Both leaders have performed rescues of one sort or the other, and it is ironic that what Bruce Golding was able to accomplish virtually overnight has dragged Barack Obama and his colleagues from town hall to town hall, facing some of the most cynical, virulent tirades.
My friend George Graham who now lives in Florida spares a good word for Golding's effort: "As Lee Ann Womack put it: 'And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. I hope you dance.'
And little Jamaica has joined the dance, while mighty America sits timidly on the sidelines pondering the risks involved. What on earth am I talking about? Why, health care, of course.
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding is forging ahead with plans to abolish hospital user fees, despite a torrent of criticism and the head-scratching conundrum of paying for the plan... The US is imagining the worst, too scared to take a chance, defeated before the game has even started." (http://blogs.jamaicans.com/gwgraeme)
But there are many more rivers that the Golding administration must cross: budget cuts, salary increases and unrelenting crime. I think Mr Golding and Minister Shaw should have a huddle with Dr Henley Morgan and Dr Leahcim Semaj.
These visionaries have come up with innovative solutions for redeployment of labour and empowerment of the workforce. They can explain to unions that redundancies may actually open a better way of life for workers if training and counselling are a part of the separation plan. They will reveal opportunities that are knocking, if only we would listen.
Big government for a small country can actually rob people of their dignity, as they trip over each other, 10 doing the job of one. Large agencies incur unnecessary costs and drain productivity with unwieldy human resource issues. I heard a statistic the other day that gave me pause: the average population of a political constituency in India is 1.3 million in contrast to the electorate quota of 25,000 per constituency for Jamaica. Since there are constitutional guidelines for this, as explained by ECJ Chairman Professor Errol Miller, let us accept this reality and lean more heavily on our members of parliament to discharge their duties as representatives of the people. The technology exists to make the necessary appeals, keep track of projects, and ensure accountability.
To keep our public service lean and efficient, let us merge agencies with the parent ministries wherever possible. These times demand from us a willingness to break from the status quo and to use the brilliant new tools that promote efficiency and probity.
If we look beyond our tiny fiefdoms, we will see a nation brimming with opportunities. We will see that we are actually making our future less secure by this stubborn adherence to our tiny piece of dried-up turf when there are indeed greener pastures for us. We should look to those leaders who continue to strive for better, compete vigorously and see opportunities in every crisis. Henley "The Watchman" Morgan says if we want to discover the gold mine, we should have a "goal mind". That's how our athletes got their gold - now we need to work for ours.
I continue to bat for our nurses, whose requests are modest and whose patience has been virtually endless. However, I have to join the appeal of the Ministry of Education for our teachers to agree to the proposed schedule for the payment of retroactive salary increases. We know they are deserving, but at least they are far ahead of the nurses in terms of compensation.
As the JTA continues to resist performance evaluation, their members should be aware that there is a quiet revolution taking place in education. Says US education expert Josh Catone, "The marginal cost of education is being driven toward zero due to social media and innovative approaches to online learning like OpenCourseWare, Flat World Knowledge, and the University of the People. (Google these sites for free courses right now!) That's because the nature of information is such that it can be created once at cost and distributed and consumed over and over again for free. So in the future, the cost of education might be free, or nearly free, which could just level the playing field."
Catone believes there will always be a place for teachers but has quoted surveys that show an astonishing result: "What they found was that students who completed all or some of their coursework online tested on average in the 59th percentile, compared to the 50th percentile for those who received only classroom instruction. in communities where classroom learning is infeasible due to lack of funds, online learning is an adequate stand-in."
I hear the various scores being given to Mr Golding, ranging from PNP YO President Damion Crawford's "F" to Delano Seivright's "A". My score would be an "A" for audacity - the grade I give to any prime minister who has dared to lead this cantankerous, fantastic country. In spite of the challenges, PM Golding still shows great passion for the job and he has a capable, if not perfect Cabinet. Frankly, very few of us would want their jobs, so let us try to do ours and make Jamaica a little easier for them to manage.
Godspeed, Kim-Marie - Thirty-year-old Jamaican Rhodes scholar, Kim-Marie Spence, is poised to be the first person, male or female, from the Caribbean islands to ski to the South Pole as part of The Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition. She headed to New Zealand last Wednesday but is still in need of funds - please donate to JN account 10870166 or visit Jamaica@commonwealthexpedition.com to contact her fundraiser.
Jamaica sparkles in Brussels - Once again our stars shone in Brussels on Friday. The Big Man Usain, the brave Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Asafa Powell who gave us a sweet victory in the 100m ahead of Tyson Gay! Bravo!
lowriechin@aim.com, www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com
Jean Lowrie-Chin is the author of Souldance, a collection of poetry and commentary.