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Understanding the Jamaican Diaspora
DAVID MULLINGS
Sunday, June 12, 2011
THE column I had originally planned for today was going to focus on the Diaspora and arts, based on a workshop I attended at the Secretary's Global Diaspora Forum in Washington, DC, from May 15-17. But with the Jamaican Diaspora "Convention" almost upon us and the usual things being said in Jamaica and abroad that are said every time the conference rolls around, I felt that it would be much better to use this space to educate my readers about the event and the Diaspora, especially since I have sat on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board since the last conference in 2008.
First and foremost is understanding what "Jamaican Diaspora" means. The Oxford Dictionary defines Diaspora as "the dispersion of any people from their original homeland". So every single Jamaican and person born to a Jamaican who is not in Jamaica is automatically a part of the Jamaican Diaspora.
Members of the Jamaican Diaspora meeting at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.
There is a difference between the "Jamaican Diaspora" and the "Jamaican Diaspora movement", just as there is a difference between an individual who cares about Jamaica and an individual who has joined a group that cares about Jamaica; one is not organised and the other is.
Each time the conference, this year called a "convention", comes around (it is held every two years), some people in Jamaica ask what is the point, say that nothing good comes of it, and describe it as a talk shop. Some people in the Diaspora say that the people attending the conference do not speak for them or represent their views. Others rightly question who the Advisory Board represents.
In order to provide the answers to those questions or counter the points, it is first critical to understand what the conference is about, who attends, how the board is formed and why it even exists.
In the USA there has existed, since 1977, an entity called NAJASO (National Associations of Jamaican And Supportive Organisations). All over the world Jamaicans have also set up organisations, ranging from alumni associations to help their schools back in Jamaica to non-profits focused on disaster relief. Still, other people want to and have set up lobbying groups that can speak up for or against certain policies, both in the countries where they now live and in Jamaica.
A previous administration in Jamaica, rightly recognising that the Diaspora should be more organised to better co-ordinate the various efforts, made sure no political interference materialised and arranged a conference where the idea of the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board was put forward.
This board was comprised of individuals affiliated with Jamaican organisations in specific regions of their country, focusing on Canada, USA and the UK. They were supposed to help build sustainable movements in each country and solicit the views of as many organisations and people as they could get, passing on these varying views to the Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
A movement connected across borders that represented more than just organisations was a smart move because there are far more Jamaicans abroad who are NOT members of organisations. At the 2008 conference a decision was taken to add Future Leaders Representatives from each country to the board as observers (no voting rights) to help with succession planning, and I was asked to serve on behalf of the USA since I was already the youth representative for the Southeast USA region.
Marlon Hill, the Advisory Board member for the Southeast region, was the person who got me involved in the movement. I originally had stayed away from it because I felt that it was too connected to the Government and was more talk than action. Marlon got me involved by pointing out that it would be far smarter for me to get INSIDE and help with making the changes I wanted to see instead of staying outside and criticising.
I accepted the challenge and have been working with him and other board members to enact reforms that we felt would address a number issues constantly raised by people on the inside and outside.
The criticism that the Jamaican Diaspora movement is not representative is both fair and unfair. It is fair because it is true. No entity represents the entire Diaspora and no entity probably ever will. It is unfair because the movement has NEVER claimed to represent the views of every Jamaican in the Diaspora.
The Advisory Board also has never claimed to speak for every Jamaican in the Diaspora. The only thing claimed is that the movement represents those who have got involved by sharing their views through their organisations or directly with advisory board members via e-mail, phone, events or conference calls and those who voted at the conference.
The current board agreed that a fundamental problem encountered by people who may want to get involved was that there was no clear way to actually get involved. When someone asked "how do I get involved?" the answer pretty much was to collect a phone number and e-mail address then rope them into the newsletter and conference calls.
In the USA it did not work like a club where you filled out a membership form. There wasn't even a website run by the various countries (the Government of Jamaica does run some Jamaican Diaspora websites but the board has no control over those).
Canada has a more mature system with a proper organisation and membership. The USA Advisory Board members have been working on creating a structure that would be more inclusive, be able to get more buy-in, provide clear instructions for how to get involved and provide a strong financial footing.
To date, the Diaspora movements have been funded out of pocket by Jamaicans in the various countries. The Government puts on the conferences, charges us registration fees, we pay our own travel and hotel expenses (with tiny discounts on Air Jamaica when possible), and the Government solicits sponsorship from the private sector to cover the other costs. The Diaspora movement has NOT been asking Jamaican taxpayers to foot the bill of organising Jamaicans abroad.
The structure for the USA has been circulated to people currently involved and has received great feedback. It has also incorporated feedback from some outsiders and should be operational later this year (the legal entity is already in place). Once that happens, any Jamaican in the USA will be able to go to a website, learn about the organisation, sign up to become a member if they agree with the goals, and then the movement can be very clear about those it speaks for and represents.
Another glaring problem I saw from the outside was the way in which delegates were selected to attend the conference. In the past, each region would be given a specific number of delegate slots and the advisory board member would then mobilise to drum up attendance. If more people showed interest than slots, some sort of system would have to be devised to decide who could attend.
The obvious problem with this was that the delegates at the conference were the ones who elected the advisory board member for the next term. Theoretically, an advisory board member could stack the delegates from their region in their favour to secure another term.
Recognising this issue, the entire board has supported the idea of elections taking place in the country of residence. Some people want an election at a national conference, which is what the UK recently had, while others want elections at regional conferences, which is where the USA most likely will go because of the geographic size (more people would be able to vote in a region than at a national conference just based on the cost to attend and the number of people that could be accommodated at one location). The goal is maximum buy-in and proper representation.
This solution would also immediately address the biggest problem with the old system of electing advisory board members at an event in Jamaica: only the people who could afford to fly to Jamaica had a chance to vote. That is not very representative as few people can afford the US$800 plus what it will cost to attend the upcoming one in Ocho Rios.
Who attends the conferences in Jamaica?
None of the attendees to past conferences have ever claimed to represent anyone other than themselves or their organisations. They speak only of their views and that is understood. Most people attend because they want a chance to be heard, to share ideas, to network with other people who share similar interests, to learn about what areas need the most help and to also find out what projects already exist and need financial or volunteer help.
Ideas that have come out of past conferences include the Jamaican Diaspora Institute (JDI), now based at UWI Mona, which was to be the operational arm of the movement, conducting research into how the Diaspora can be better leveraged, learning from other Diaspora organisations in other countries and identifying projects to be funded.
The skills database launched by the JDI this year also came out of a conference, and the funding came from the EU and UN so that Jamaica will now be able to build a database of Jamaicans abroad, including skillsets, areas of interest, willingness to return for work and projects in which they are involved. I helped to shape that database and thank Professor Neville Ying for involving me.
Other ideas included the Jamaican Diaspora Foundation which was to be the fundraising arm to support projects, and the Education Bond where Jamaicans abroad would purchase bonds at lower than market interest rates from the Government which would then use the money to build new schools and refurbish old ones. The bond has not yet happened for various reasons, but it was not for lack of effort on the part of the Diaspora.
While many people see the event as a "talk shop" and want 'action, not a bag a mout' as the song says, there has been action coming out of it, but sometimes the lack of action has not been the fault of the attendees. However, there is no question that more of the action items coming out of the conferences need to actually be executed and a real analysis has to be done to identify why some past action items have not materialised.
In 2009, I was part of the planning team for the Future Leaders Diaspora Conference that was conceived by Leo Campbell and Saffron Jackson, the Future Leaders Reps for Canada and the UK. It was supported by UWI, the private sector and the Government. We had aimed to attract over 100 young people from the USA, Canada and UK for the event, but very early on we all decided that the larger conference was missing a critical element: local Jamaicans.
To us young people, it was only sensible to make it as easy as possible to allow local Jamaicans to attend the conference so that they could share their own insights and views, share information on existing projects that could benefit from our help, form lasting relationships that would benefit everyone involved and help to build bridges between the Diaspora, especially first-generation Jamaicans (those born abroad to Jamaican parents) and local Jamaicans.
The UWI graciously offered to house the local and overseas Jamaicans on campus. My wife and I built the website for the conference and then converted it to the future leaders website after the conference, allowing anyone to register at JADiasporafutureleaders.com to stay updated, network with others and get involved (I know the url is a little long).
The upcoming "convention" has moved away from selected delegates, and now anyone can attend -- a good thing. However, it has a delegate registration fee of US$120 and if you are not staying on the property for around US$135 per night you have to purchase a daily pass for US$60 per day. That does not make it very accessible to local Jamaicans, which is unfortunate, because there are some in Jamaica who have specific misperceptions of the Jamaicans abroad and some Jamaicans abroad who have misperceptions about local Jamaicans and interaction would help to correct these issues (or confirm them in some cases).
Another aspect of the Future Leaders Conference that we are proud of is the fact that of the three days, the final day was dedicated to a day of service. We did not come to be tourists and go to attractions, we came to help and keep helping. On our day of service the young people spread out and executed projects in places like Rose Town and at Hope Valley Experimental. We painted classrooms and community centres, we interacted with members of the community and we formed lasting bonds while also leaving a lasting impression that showed we cared and not just talked about the fact that we cared.
Unfortunately, the larger "convention" has not seen it fit to follow the model of the Future Leaders Conference and incorporate a day of service, opting instead for a tourist destination so that attendees can take advantage of the tours and sightseeing outside of the event. These are ideas that have been shared a number of times by members of the Diaspora.
Building bridges through communication
The Diaspora movement has not done a good job of communicating its value to local Jamaicans or to many in the Diaspora. That partly comes from a lack of funds, a problem which we expect to be solved later this year, thanks to the proposed structure and non-profit status in the different countries.
However, the awkward relationship between the Diaspora and local Jamaicans is not helped when a few Jamaicans abroad demean locals by insinuating that they know how to run Jamaica better, that they would automatically make better members of parliament (the "foreign is better mentality" must be done away with), or when they make comments about the army needing to overthrow the Government to get out corrupt politicians (I have actually got into verbal arguments with people who said this and had to remind them that they would not live under such a coup, so it is grossly negligent to ever suggest such a thing).
Living abroad does not automatically make you smarter or incorruptible, so it would be wiser to use different reasons to justify why a dual citizen should be allowed to sit in Parliament instead of insulting local Jamaicans (I am prepared for the hate mail).
Each time a Jamaican abroad says something negative, it reflects badly on ALL Jamaicans abroad because each person is an ambassador whether or not they want to be. If they do something bad in their new home country, it reflects badly on Jamaica, and if they say something bad about local Jamaicans it reflects badly on the Diaspora.
Those of us who think differently must speak up more so that the negative comments are properly seen as fringe and not mainstream. In the same way, each time local Jamaicans say that Jamaicans abroad "run weh lef' yard" it reflects negatively on the country. Many of us have sought better opportunities outside of Jamaica that we simply could not get in Jamaica and then used those new opportunities to benefit the country, either flying the flag proudly and presenting a more positive image of Jamaica where we go, like Dianne Abbot in the UK; making money and then reinvesting it into Jamaica, like Michael Lee-Chin in Canada; or helping to fight for the rights of brothers and sisters, like Marcus Garvey did in the USA.
Local Jamaicans who deny the good that members of the Diaspora have been doing for decades merely ignore reality. Can the Diaspora contribute more? Yes, but that requires true partnership and not only with the Government. It requires true partnership with civic organisations, the private sector, non-profits, the media and citizens.
Why does the Diaspora matter?
In Closing The Distance: How Governments Strengthen Ties With Their Diasporas published by the Migration Policy Institute and edited by Dovelyn Agunias, Dr Macalou, the minister for Malians abroad and African integration at the time, was quoted as saying "the Diaspora does not require a ministry to contribute to Mali's development". He pointed out that Diaspora contributions were helping out long before a ministry ever existed.
This is the same for Jamaica. Members of the Diaspora have been contributing to the development of Jamaica in various ways long before any advisory board, conference or even independence. Failure to acknowledge that won't change the contributions in the future, but failure to harness it properly will not help it to reach its full potential. We have only scratched the surface.
A simple example is health care. Jamaica has a serious problem when it runs out of blood bags or when hospitals require patients to purchase their own needles, or suppliers require upfront payments for drugs because of the poor payment record of the Government. We have a serious problem when MRI machines and CT Scan machines are scarce and sometimes are not even working.
Members of the Diaspora have donated machines and money in the past only to see the machines fall into disrepair. A properly engaged Diaspora would not only be donating the needed equipment and supplies, it would also be supplying the TRAINING to MAINTAIN the equipment!
I remember learning how a member of the Diaspora worked hard to get a used firetruck from the USA donated to Jamaica's ailing fire brigade, only to find out after it was handed over that it was too wide for Jamaican roads and so was only suitable for service at one of the airports.
A real partnership would have a point person in EVERY ministry for the Diaspora to connect with to find out what is needed, how soon it is needed and how they can help either financially, donating what is needed and/or volunteering some time.
That actually was a proposal from the 2006 conference. It still has not materialised even though we bring it up at EVERY advisory board meeting.
Closing The Distance also says that "beyond their contributions to economic development, Diasporas with close ties to their countries of origin may also catalyse the adoption of new attitudes. Some of these, such as greater acceptance of new gender roles or lower tolerance for corruption, are conducive to development". That is quite true. The Jamaican Diaspora can be a real force for change.
Naturally, the people who benefit from the status quo are afraid of that, especially since many in the Diaspora can still vote in Jamaican elections (some in the Diaspora are still "resident in Jamaica" as required by the Constitution, but it is puzzling that non-citizens who are Commonwealth citizens can vote in Jamaican elections as long as they have been resident for the preceding 12 months from registration, according to Section 37(1)b of the Constitution).
Diasporas form lobby groups and push for change. There is no way around that. Some members of the Diaspora would love to see a human rights discussion at a conference, especially in the face of the high level of extra-judicial killings in Jamaica. Some also obviously want to talk about improving the police force (many people migrated because of crime but crime/violence was originally left off the agenda for this year's "convention" and we had to fight for it).
At the end of the day, the Diaspora movement will not always agree with policies of a government, but smart governments like that of Mexico describe "the expression of differences as constructive" instead of seeking to silence constructive criticism, attack the messengers and ignore the message or politicise a movement.
The Diaspora movement has done poorly at communicating its work in Jamaica, its achievements in the respective countries and at building bridges outside of the immediate people being helped by projects. Some local Jamaicans have done poorly at trying to understand the value of the Diaspora, seeking to alter their perceptions of those who have chosen to seek new opportunities or trying to understand how to turn "brain drain" into "brain gain" (and no, that is not done by charging developed countries for the migrants).
Hopefully the plans put in place by this last Advisory Board will help to bring about the changes that myself and many other people believe are needed. I took up a challenge to get involved and help reform the "system" from inside instead of shouting at it from outside. That has made me far more aware of the challenges that were being faced and I can only hope that our labour will bear real fruit.
The way forward is going to be very interesting and I hope that by sharing my experience via this medium, more local Jamaicans will have a better understanding of the "Diaspora", people in the Diaspora will have a better understanding of the movement and everyone will understand the challenges that are faced when people try to organise themselves to contribute to development.
David Mullings is the Future Leaders Representative for the USA on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board. He is on Twitter at twitter.com/davidmullings and Facebook at facebook.com/InteractiveDialogue
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1P6rj322d
DAVID MULLINGS
Sunday, June 12, 2011
THE column I had originally planned for today was going to focus on the Diaspora and arts, based on a workshop I attended at the Secretary's Global Diaspora Forum in Washington, DC, from May 15-17. But with the Jamaican Diaspora "Convention" almost upon us and the usual things being said in Jamaica and abroad that are said every time the conference rolls around, I felt that it would be much better to use this space to educate my readers about the event and the Diaspora, especially since I have sat on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board since the last conference in 2008.
First and foremost is understanding what "Jamaican Diaspora" means. The Oxford Dictionary defines Diaspora as "the dispersion of any people from their original homeland". So every single Jamaican and person born to a Jamaican who is not in Jamaica is automatically a part of the Jamaican Diaspora.
Members of the Jamaican Diaspora meeting at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.
There is a difference between the "Jamaican Diaspora" and the "Jamaican Diaspora movement", just as there is a difference between an individual who cares about Jamaica and an individual who has joined a group that cares about Jamaica; one is not organised and the other is.
Each time the conference, this year called a "convention", comes around (it is held every two years), some people in Jamaica ask what is the point, say that nothing good comes of it, and describe it as a talk shop. Some people in the Diaspora say that the people attending the conference do not speak for them or represent their views. Others rightly question who the Advisory Board represents.
In order to provide the answers to those questions or counter the points, it is first critical to understand what the conference is about, who attends, how the board is formed and why it even exists.
In the USA there has existed, since 1977, an entity called NAJASO (National Associations of Jamaican And Supportive Organisations). All over the world Jamaicans have also set up organisations, ranging from alumni associations to help their schools back in Jamaica to non-profits focused on disaster relief. Still, other people want to and have set up lobbying groups that can speak up for or against certain policies, both in the countries where they now live and in Jamaica.
A previous administration in Jamaica, rightly recognising that the Diaspora should be more organised to better co-ordinate the various efforts, made sure no political interference materialised and arranged a conference where the idea of the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board was put forward.
This board was comprised of individuals affiliated with Jamaican organisations in specific regions of their country, focusing on Canada, USA and the UK. They were supposed to help build sustainable movements in each country and solicit the views of as many organisations and people as they could get, passing on these varying views to the Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
A movement connected across borders that represented more than just organisations was a smart move because there are far more Jamaicans abroad who are NOT members of organisations. At the 2008 conference a decision was taken to add Future Leaders Representatives from each country to the board as observers (no voting rights) to help with succession planning, and I was asked to serve on behalf of the USA since I was already the youth representative for the Southeast USA region.
Marlon Hill, the Advisory Board member for the Southeast region, was the person who got me involved in the movement. I originally had stayed away from it because I felt that it was too connected to the Government and was more talk than action. Marlon got me involved by pointing out that it would be far smarter for me to get INSIDE and help with making the changes I wanted to see instead of staying outside and criticising.
I accepted the challenge and have been working with him and other board members to enact reforms that we felt would address a number issues constantly raised by people on the inside and outside.
The criticism that the Jamaican Diaspora movement is not representative is both fair and unfair. It is fair because it is true. No entity represents the entire Diaspora and no entity probably ever will. It is unfair because the movement has NEVER claimed to represent the views of every Jamaican in the Diaspora.
The Advisory Board also has never claimed to speak for every Jamaican in the Diaspora. The only thing claimed is that the movement represents those who have got involved by sharing their views through their organisations or directly with advisory board members via e-mail, phone, events or conference calls and those who voted at the conference.
The current board agreed that a fundamental problem encountered by people who may want to get involved was that there was no clear way to actually get involved. When someone asked "how do I get involved?" the answer pretty much was to collect a phone number and e-mail address then rope them into the newsletter and conference calls.
In the USA it did not work like a club where you filled out a membership form. There wasn't even a website run by the various countries (the Government of Jamaica does run some Jamaican Diaspora websites but the board has no control over those).
Canada has a more mature system with a proper organisation and membership. The USA Advisory Board members have been working on creating a structure that would be more inclusive, be able to get more buy-in, provide clear instructions for how to get involved and provide a strong financial footing.
To date, the Diaspora movements have been funded out of pocket by Jamaicans in the various countries. The Government puts on the conferences, charges us registration fees, we pay our own travel and hotel expenses (with tiny discounts on Air Jamaica when possible), and the Government solicits sponsorship from the private sector to cover the other costs. The Diaspora movement has NOT been asking Jamaican taxpayers to foot the bill of organising Jamaicans abroad.
The structure for the USA has been circulated to people currently involved and has received great feedback. It has also incorporated feedback from some outsiders and should be operational later this year (the legal entity is already in place). Once that happens, any Jamaican in the USA will be able to go to a website, learn about the organisation, sign up to become a member if they agree with the goals, and then the movement can be very clear about those it speaks for and represents.
Another glaring problem I saw from the outside was the way in which delegates were selected to attend the conference. In the past, each region would be given a specific number of delegate slots and the advisory board member would then mobilise to drum up attendance. If more people showed interest than slots, some sort of system would have to be devised to decide who could attend.
The obvious problem with this was that the delegates at the conference were the ones who elected the advisory board member for the next term. Theoretically, an advisory board member could stack the delegates from their region in their favour to secure another term.
Recognising this issue, the entire board has supported the idea of elections taking place in the country of residence. Some people want an election at a national conference, which is what the UK recently had, while others want elections at regional conferences, which is where the USA most likely will go because of the geographic size (more people would be able to vote in a region than at a national conference just based on the cost to attend and the number of people that could be accommodated at one location). The goal is maximum buy-in and proper representation.
This solution would also immediately address the biggest problem with the old system of electing advisory board members at an event in Jamaica: only the people who could afford to fly to Jamaica had a chance to vote. That is not very representative as few people can afford the US$800 plus what it will cost to attend the upcoming one in Ocho Rios.
Who attends the conferences in Jamaica?
None of the attendees to past conferences have ever claimed to represent anyone other than themselves or their organisations. They speak only of their views and that is understood. Most people attend because they want a chance to be heard, to share ideas, to network with other people who share similar interests, to learn about what areas need the most help and to also find out what projects already exist and need financial or volunteer help.
Ideas that have come out of past conferences include the Jamaican Diaspora Institute (JDI), now based at UWI Mona, which was to be the operational arm of the movement, conducting research into how the Diaspora can be better leveraged, learning from other Diaspora organisations in other countries and identifying projects to be funded.
The skills database launched by the JDI this year also came out of a conference, and the funding came from the EU and UN so that Jamaica will now be able to build a database of Jamaicans abroad, including skillsets, areas of interest, willingness to return for work and projects in which they are involved. I helped to shape that database and thank Professor Neville Ying for involving me.
Other ideas included the Jamaican Diaspora Foundation which was to be the fundraising arm to support projects, and the Education Bond where Jamaicans abroad would purchase bonds at lower than market interest rates from the Government which would then use the money to build new schools and refurbish old ones. The bond has not yet happened for various reasons, but it was not for lack of effort on the part of the Diaspora.
While many people see the event as a "talk shop" and want 'action, not a bag a mout' as the song says, there has been action coming out of it, but sometimes the lack of action has not been the fault of the attendees. However, there is no question that more of the action items coming out of the conferences need to actually be executed and a real analysis has to be done to identify why some past action items have not materialised.
In 2009, I was part of the planning team for the Future Leaders Diaspora Conference that was conceived by Leo Campbell and Saffron Jackson, the Future Leaders Reps for Canada and the UK. It was supported by UWI, the private sector and the Government. We had aimed to attract over 100 young people from the USA, Canada and UK for the event, but very early on we all decided that the larger conference was missing a critical element: local Jamaicans.
To us young people, it was only sensible to make it as easy as possible to allow local Jamaicans to attend the conference so that they could share their own insights and views, share information on existing projects that could benefit from our help, form lasting relationships that would benefit everyone involved and help to build bridges between the Diaspora, especially first-generation Jamaicans (those born abroad to Jamaican parents) and local Jamaicans.
The UWI graciously offered to house the local and overseas Jamaicans on campus. My wife and I built the website for the conference and then converted it to the future leaders website after the conference, allowing anyone to register at JADiasporafutureleaders.com to stay updated, network with others and get involved (I know the url is a little long).
The upcoming "convention" has moved away from selected delegates, and now anyone can attend -- a good thing. However, it has a delegate registration fee of US$120 and if you are not staying on the property for around US$135 per night you have to purchase a daily pass for US$60 per day. That does not make it very accessible to local Jamaicans, which is unfortunate, because there are some in Jamaica who have specific misperceptions of the Jamaicans abroad and some Jamaicans abroad who have misperceptions about local Jamaicans and interaction would help to correct these issues (or confirm them in some cases).
Another aspect of the Future Leaders Conference that we are proud of is the fact that of the three days, the final day was dedicated to a day of service. We did not come to be tourists and go to attractions, we came to help and keep helping. On our day of service the young people spread out and executed projects in places like Rose Town and at Hope Valley Experimental. We painted classrooms and community centres, we interacted with members of the community and we formed lasting bonds while also leaving a lasting impression that showed we cared and not just talked about the fact that we cared.
Unfortunately, the larger "convention" has not seen it fit to follow the model of the Future Leaders Conference and incorporate a day of service, opting instead for a tourist destination so that attendees can take advantage of the tours and sightseeing outside of the event. These are ideas that have been shared a number of times by members of the Diaspora.
Building bridges through communication
The Diaspora movement has not done a good job of communicating its value to local Jamaicans or to many in the Diaspora. That partly comes from a lack of funds, a problem which we expect to be solved later this year, thanks to the proposed structure and non-profit status in the different countries.
However, the awkward relationship between the Diaspora and local Jamaicans is not helped when a few Jamaicans abroad demean locals by insinuating that they know how to run Jamaica better, that they would automatically make better members of parliament (the "foreign is better mentality" must be done away with), or when they make comments about the army needing to overthrow the Government to get out corrupt politicians (I have actually got into verbal arguments with people who said this and had to remind them that they would not live under such a coup, so it is grossly negligent to ever suggest such a thing).
Living abroad does not automatically make you smarter or incorruptible, so it would be wiser to use different reasons to justify why a dual citizen should be allowed to sit in Parliament instead of insulting local Jamaicans (I am prepared for the hate mail).
Each time a Jamaican abroad says something negative, it reflects badly on ALL Jamaicans abroad because each person is an ambassador whether or not they want to be. If they do something bad in their new home country, it reflects badly on Jamaica, and if they say something bad about local Jamaicans it reflects badly on the Diaspora.
Those of us who think differently must speak up more so that the negative comments are properly seen as fringe and not mainstream. In the same way, each time local Jamaicans say that Jamaicans abroad "run weh lef' yard" it reflects negatively on the country. Many of us have sought better opportunities outside of Jamaica that we simply could not get in Jamaica and then used those new opportunities to benefit the country, either flying the flag proudly and presenting a more positive image of Jamaica where we go, like Dianne Abbot in the UK; making money and then reinvesting it into Jamaica, like Michael Lee-Chin in Canada; or helping to fight for the rights of brothers and sisters, like Marcus Garvey did in the USA.
Local Jamaicans who deny the good that members of the Diaspora have been doing for decades merely ignore reality. Can the Diaspora contribute more? Yes, but that requires true partnership and not only with the Government. It requires true partnership with civic organisations, the private sector, non-profits, the media and citizens.
Why does the Diaspora matter?
In Closing The Distance: How Governments Strengthen Ties With Their Diasporas published by the Migration Policy Institute and edited by Dovelyn Agunias, Dr Macalou, the minister for Malians abroad and African integration at the time, was quoted as saying "the Diaspora does not require a ministry to contribute to Mali's development". He pointed out that Diaspora contributions were helping out long before a ministry ever existed.
This is the same for Jamaica. Members of the Diaspora have been contributing to the development of Jamaica in various ways long before any advisory board, conference or even independence. Failure to acknowledge that won't change the contributions in the future, but failure to harness it properly will not help it to reach its full potential. We have only scratched the surface.
A simple example is health care. Jamaica has a serious problem when it runs out of blood bags or when hospitals require patients to purchase their own needles, or suppliers require upfront payments for drugs because of the poor payment record of the Government. We have a serious problem when MRI machines and CT Scan machines are scarce and sometimes are not even working.
Members of the Diaspora have donated machines and money in the past only to see the machines fall into disrepair. A properly engaged Diaspora would not only be donating the needed equipment and supplies, it would also be supplying the TRAINING to MAINTAIN the equipment!
I remember learning how a member of the Diaspora worked hard to get a used firetruck from the USA donated to Jamaica's ailing fire brigade, only to find out after it was handed over that it was too wide for Jamaican roads and so was only suitable for service at one of the airports.
A real partnership would have a point person in EVERY ministry for the Diaspora to connect with to find out what is needed, how soon it is needed and how they can help either financially, donating what is needed and/or volunteering some time.
That actually was a proposal from the 2006 conference. It still has not materialised even though we bring it up at EVERY advisory board meeting.
Closing The Distance also says that "beyond their contributions to economic development, Diasporas with close ties to their countries of origin may also catalyse the adoption of new attitudes. Some of these, such as greater acceptance of new gender roles or lower tolerance for corruption, are conducive to development". That is quite true. The Jamaican Diaspora can be a real force for change.
Naturally, the people who benefit from the status quo are afraid of that, especially since many in the Diaspora can still vote in Jamaican elections (some in the Diaspora are still "resident in Jamaica" as required by the Constitution, but it is puzzling that non-citizens who are Commonwealth citizens can vote in Jamaican elections as long as they have been resident for the preceding 12 months from registration, according to Section 37(1)b of the Constitution).
Diasporas form lobby groups and push for change. There is no way around that. Some members of the Diaspora would love to see a human rights discussion at a conference, especially in the face of the high level of extra-judicial killings in Jamaica. Some also obviously want to talk about improving the police force (many people migrated because of crime but crime/violence was originally left off the agenda for this year's "convention" and we had to fight for it).
At the end of the day, the Diaspora movement will not always agree with policies of a government, but smart governments like that of Mexico describe "the expression of differences as constructive" instead of seeking to silence constructive criticism, attack the messengers and ignore the message or politicise a movement.
The Diaspora movement has done poorly at communicating its work in Jamaica, its achievements in the respective countries and at building bridges outside of the immediate people being helped by projects. Some local Jamaicans have done poorly at trying to understand the value of the Diaspora, seeking to alter their perceptions of those who have chosen to seek new opportunities or trying to understand how to turn "brain drain" into "brain gain" (and no, that is not done by charging developed countries for the migrants).
Hopefully the plans put in place by this last Advisory Board will help to bring about the changes that myself and many other people believe are needed. I took up a challenge to get involved and help reform the "system" from inside instead of shouting at it from outside. That has made me far more aware of the challenges that were being faced and I can only hope that our labour will bear real fruit.
The way forward is going to be very interesting and I hope that by sharing my experience via this medium, more local Jamaicans will have a better understanding of the "Diaspora", people in the Diaspora will have a better understanding of the movement and everyone will understand the challenges that are faced when people try to organise themselves to contribute to development.
David Mullings is the Future Leaders Representative for the USA on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board. He is on Twitter at twitter.com/davidmullings and Facebook at facebook.com/InteractiveDialogue
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1P6rj322d