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I hate to be cynical about matters of such serious implications, but could Mr. Coke be the straw that finally breaks the camel's back.
The Jamaican politicians, and the business elite been in bed with criminals for far too long, but it has gone mostly unnoticed by the outside world because it remained under the international radar. Dudus has shone new light on this phenomenon, and it has attracted the foreign press. Is this good, or is this bad for my country?. It can easily be argued that negative exposure may hurt the tourist industry, but it can also be equally forcefully argued that by exposing it, finally, new efforts to correct the problem might be made. Afterall, the main concern of the govrnment should be to address the needs of the jamaican people in the long term, rather than satisfying the immediate needs of a tourism product. The Jamaican diaspora, which is responsible, through its remittances, for helping to keep the Jamaican economy going is up in arms, and this might be the group which will be most vociferous in calling for change in their homeland.
Also, the tightening of US visa restrictions on the ruling Jamaican elite may not be a bad thing in the long run. These people had, and mostly still do have the opportunity to simply jump on a plane to Miami for quality goods and services, including medical services, and pay for these with US dollars earned by the sweat, and blood of poor Jamaicans. This phenomenon has created a disincentive for the Jamaican government to develop adequate facilities and services for the masses of Jamaicans who do not have the overseas option. Hopefully the US government will tighten the screws on these people, so they are forced to stay in Jamaica for these services. This will create the incentive for them to improve things in Jamaica, and by default(because this would not be their intention) the poor Jamaican people might benefit from these improved facilities.
The Jamaican politicians, and the business elite been in bed with criminals for far too long, but it has gone mostly unnoticed by the outside world because it remained under the international radar. Dudus has shone new light on this phenomenon, and it has attracted the foreign press. Is this good, or is this bad for my country?. It can easily be argued that negative exposure may hurt the tourist industry, but it can also be equally forcefully argued that by exposing it, finally, new efforts to correct the problem might be made. Afterall, the main concern of the govrnment should be to address the needs of the jamaican people in the long term, rather than satisfying the immediate needs of a tourism product. The Jamaican diaspora, which is responsible, through its remittances, for helping to keep the Jamaican economy going is up in arms, and this might be the group which will be most vociferous in calling for change in their homeland.
Also, the tightening of US visa restrictions on the ruling Jamaican elite may not be a bad thing in the long run. These people had, and mostly still do have the opportunity to simply jump on a plane to Miami for quality goods and services, including medical services, and pay for these with US dollars earned by the sweat, and blood of poor Jamaicans. This phenomenon has created a disincentive for the Jamaican government to develop adequate facilities and services for the masses of Jamaicans who do not have the overseas option. Hopefully the US government will tighten the screws on these people, so they are forced to stay in Jamaica for these services. This will create the incentive for them to improve things in Jamaica, and by default(because this would not be their intention) the poor Jamaican people might benefit from these improved facilities.