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Betta Mus Come...Not more Backra
Better must come... but when?
DAVID MULLINGS
Sunday, October 10, 2010
SOME Jamaicans will not like the title of this column simply because of the words, but that is exactly one of our biggest problems as a nation: Political partisanship and blind loyalty.
Delroy Wilson released the song Better Must Come in 1971, 10 years before I was born, and it became a hit. The words are just as true today in 2010 as then:
I've been trying a long, long time
Still I can't make it
Everything I try to do seems to go wrong
It seems I have done something wrong
But they're trying to keep me down
Who God bless, no one curse,
thank God I'm past the worst
Better must come one day
Better must come, they can't conquer me
Better must come.
Our music is part of our history, and even Dancehall today is serving to document Jamaican history, whether some of us like some of the songs or not.
A country cannot achieve anything because it is not a person. It is the citizens of the country -- the people -- who make things happen. We have been working towards "better" since Emancipation, and while some things have improved we arguably should have been further along by now.
Some people will naturally ask; Define "better". My answer to them is contained in the national vision statement that guides the Vision 2030 Jamaica that is supported by both major political parties and many Jamaicans:
"Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business."
We have always aimed high and should continue to. Too few people know of this national vision statement. More disheartening is the fact that the Medium Term Socio-Economic Policy Framework 2009-2012 document lays out quite clearly what the guiding principles should be in order that better will indeed come for Jamaica, and yet the very people who endorse the framework are not practising what they preach.
Vision 2030 Jamaica is based on seven guiding principles which put people at the centre of Jamaica's development. These are: transformational leadership; partnership; accountability and transparency; social cohesion; equity; sustainability; and urban and rural development.
They give priority attention to elements that are essential to delivering a world-class quality of life for all Jamaicans, and reflect the key pillars of change needed to realise the vision for our nation.
I ask my fellow Jamaicans to please point to the transformational leadership or accountability and transparency in our beloved country at all levels and in all areas of the society, not just politics. Am I supposed to use these documents handed to me as doorstops, or am I supposed to believe in them and support the ideas put forward?
Many of us will quickly point out that the single biggest problem Jamaica faces is not massive debt or poor infrastructure, it is mindset. The same document listing the guiding principles goes on to say the following:
At the heart of this vision for Jamaica is the transformation of the society. This transformation will only take place if there is a change in the mindset of the nation which addresses those traits that are likely to inhibit progress towards development. This change is vital if we are to significantly reduce crime and violence, improve education and training outcomes, advance the development of our infrastructure, increase productivity and manage our national debt.
We know the solutions to our problems, yet we move so slowly to implement them and put into practice what is preached.
In a recent discussion with my father, I asked him what he thought was one of the biggest mistakes his generation has made. After some thought, he said that he doesn't think his generation has done enough to teach my generation about Jamaica's history, especially the political history.
Few in my generation know about the struggles Jamaica has faced since Independence. Few of us have heard accounts of the political violence from more than one side. Few of us have been taught this history in school. Even fewer of us have ever ventured outside of our "social class" to really get to know someone from a different background and understand their struggles and hear their story.
A well-known quote is, of course, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it", but I actually prefer this one:
"Just as philosophy is the study of other people's misconceptions, so history is the study of other people's mistakes." -- Phillip Guedala.
For this reason, I encourage Jamaicans to spend more time passing down our rich history to the next generation, speaking to different people, visiting other parts of Jamaica, and I certainly encourage everyone in my generation to watch the film Better Mus' Come being released in Jamaican theatres on Wednesday, October 13. It attempts to tell the story of Jamaica in 1976, a pivotal year in history, and it is done by Storm Saulter, someone from my generation.
It is rare that we Jamaicans attempt to tell our own stories through film, and we must encourage more of this because our culture and history are rich. More importantly, future generations must understand the struggles that their parents and grandparents faced in trying to speed up the betterment of Jamaica.
Storm recently said in an interview with LargeUp that "I think Better Mus' Come will be kind of a gateway to really exploring some of our post-colonial history, politics, both in a creative way and in an effective way. Maybe in a way that can help us to deal with our government or do something better."
The film should also help to shine a spotlight on specific traits that are likely to inhibit progress towards development, such as blindly supporting one political party, supporting garrison politics, and involving guns in politics.
Certain traits need to be removed from our society and our mindset. Each and every one of us needs to be focused on positive development. Most people are concerned about their lot in life and that is fine. With the right mindset you can improve that lot and be able to advocate the support structure that can help you improve it even more.
The trait of indifference is among the worst that we have; so many people are indifferent to crime, indifferent to corruption, indifferent to lack of justice, indifferent to politics and indifferent to news. Too many stay silent for fear of retribution or losing a contract, among other reasons.
Is this the same country that stood up to Apartheid in South Africa? Is this the same country that gave birth to Marcus Garvey? Is this really the same Jamaica that spawned an entire religion that influenced a genre of music which has touched the entire world?
In honour of the religion that Jamaicans founded, I leave you with this quote:
"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph."
-- Haile Selassie
DAVID MULLINGS
Sunday, October 10, 2010
SOME Jamaicans will not like the title of this column simply because of the words, but that is exactly one of our biggest problems as a nation: Political partisanship and blind loyalty.
Delroy Wilson released the song Better Must Come in 1971, 10 years before I was born, and it became a hit. The words are just as true today in 2010 as then:
I've been trying a long, long time
Still I can't make it
Everything I try to do seems to go wrong
It seems I have done something wrong
But they're trying to keep me down
Who God bless, no one curse,
thank God I'm past the worst
Better must come one day
Better must come, they can't conquer me
Better must come.
Our music is part of our history, and even Dancehall today is serving to document Jamaican history, whether some of us like some of the songs or not.
A country cannot achieve anything because it is not a person. It is the citizens of the country -- the people -- who make things happen. We have been working towards "better" since Emancipation, and while some things have improved we arguably should have been further along by now.
Some people will naturally ask; Define "better". My answer to them is contained in the national vision statement that guides the Vision 2030 Jamaica that is supported by both major political parties and many Jamaicans:
"Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business."
We have always aimed high and should continue to. Too few people know of this national vision statement. More disheartening is the fact that the Medium Term Socio-Economic Policy Framework 2009-2012 document lays out quite clearly what the guiding principles should be in order that better will indeed come for Jamaica, and yet the very people who endorse the framework are not practising what they preach.
Vision 2030 Jamaica is based on seven guiding principles which put people at the centre of Jamaica's development. These are: transformational leadership; partnership; accountability and transparency; social cohesion; equity; sustainability; and urban and rural development.
They give priority attention to elements that are essential to delivering a world-class quality of life for all Jamaicans, and reflect the key pillars of change needed to realise the vision for our nation.
I ask my fellow Jamaicans to please point to the transformational leadership or accountability and transparency in our beloved country at all levels and in all areas of the society, not just politics. Am I supposed to use these documents handed to me as doorstops, or am I supposed to believe in them and support the ideas put forward?
Many of us will quickly point out that the single biggest problem Jamaica faces is not massive debt or poor infrastructure, it is mindset. The same document listing the guiding principles goes on to say the following:
At the heart of this vision for Jamaica is the transformation of the society. This transformation will only take place if there is a change in the mindset of the nation which addresses those traits that are likely to inhibit progress towards development. This change is vital if we are to significantly reduce crime and violence, improve education and training outcomes, advance the development of our infrastructure, increase productivity and manage our national debt.
We know the solutions to our problems, yet we move so slowly to implement them and put into practice what is preached.
In a recent discussion with my father, I asked him what he thought was one of the biggest mistakes his generation has made. After some thought, he said that he doesn't think his generation has done enough to teach my generation about Jamaica's history, especially the political history.
Few in my generation know about the struggles Jamaica has faced since Independence. Few of us have heard accounts of the political violence from more than one side. Few of us have been taught this history in school. Even fewer of us have ever ventured outside of our "social class" to really get to know someone from a different background and understand their struggles and hear their story.
A well-known quote is, of course, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it", but I actually prefer this one:
"Just as philosophy is the study of other people's misconceptions, so history is the study of other people's mistakes." -- Phillip Guedala.
For this reason, I encourage Jamaicans to spend more time passing down our rich history to the next generation, speaking to different people, visiting other parts of Jamaica, and I certainly encourage everyone in my generation to watch the film Better Mus' Come being released in Jamaican theatres on Wednesday, October 13. It attempts to tell the story of Jamaica in 1976, a pivotal year in history, and it is done by Storm Saulter, someone from my generation.
It is rare that we Jamaicans attempt to tell our own stories through film, and we must encourage more of this because our culture and history are rich. More importantly, future generations must understand the struggles that their parents and grandparents faced in trying to speed up the betterment of Jamaica.
Storm recently said in an interview with LargeUp that "I think Better Mus' Come will be kind of a gateway to really exploring some of our post-colonial history, politics, both in a creative way and in an effective way. Maybe in a way that can help us to deal with our government or do something better."
The film should also help to shine a spotlight on specific traits that are likely to inhibit progress towards development, such as blindly supporting one political party, supporting garrison politics, and involving guns in politics.
Certain traits need to be removed from our society and our mindset. Each and every one of us needs to be focused on positive development. Most people are concerned about their lot in life and that is fine. With the right mindset you can improve that lot and be able to advocate the support structure that can help you improve it even more.
The trait of indifference is among the worst that we have; so many people are indifferent to crime, indifferent to corruption, indifferent to lack of justice, indifferent to politics and indifferent to news. Too many stay silent for fear of retribution or losing a contract, among other reasons.
Is this the same country that stood up to Apartheid in South Africa? Is this the same country that gave birth to Marcus Garvey? Is this really the same Jamaica that spawned an entire religion that influenced a genre of music which has touched the entire world?
In honour of the religion that Jamaicans founded, I leave you with this quote:
"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph."
-- Haile Selassie
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