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Jamaica approaching middle age
HENLEY MORGAN
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"I say that the mission of my generation was to win self-government for Jamaica. To win political power which is the final power for the black masses of my country from which I spring. I am proud to stand here today and say to you who fought that fight with me, say it with gladness and pride, mission accomplished for my generation. And what is the mission of this generation? It is reconstructing the social and economic society and life of Jamaica." - The late Norman Washington Manley, National Hero.
The question to be answered as Jamaica enters its 50th year under self-rule is: Has the generation since Norman Manley achieved progress, have we done better than the past, and by what measure? Individuals will come to their own determination based on what they see and what they experience. That makes progress relative. Like love it is often in the eyes of the beholder.
One does see signs of progress in the physical environment - in the high-rise buildings of New Kingston, in Highway 2000, in the new Transport Centre in Half Way Tree, in the Kingston container port, in the beautiful hotels along our coastal shores, in the ostentatious homes dotting the hillsides, and in so many other structural and infrastructural improvements. Mr Edward Seaga, in a recent newspaper article, The IMF and the fork in the road, lists among the bright spots the growth in the bauxite/alumina tourism and telecommunications sectors; the explosion of athletic talent on the world scene, the rise of the indigenous music form to mainstream status in the field of entertainment and the nationalistic spirit of Jamaicans living overseas who through remittances constitute the largest source of foreign exchange for the nation.
But as appealing and valuable as these developments are, they do not by themselves provide a total or an accurate measure of the social and economic progress of which Norman Manley spoke. For hard and conclusive evidence, one has to look to what the economists call the key economic and social indicators. These measures include Gross Domestic Product, public debt, inflation rate, cost of living index, imports and exports, Balance of Payment, Net International Reserves, Foreign Direct Investment, research and development, new housing starts, number of tertiary graduates, child mortality, life expectancy and the like.
Then there are the moral indicators which, although not spoken of or recognised to the same degree as the social and economic indicators, are essential to quality of life. These measures include teen pregnancy, children born out of wedlock, drug use, school drop-outs, juvenile delinquency, corruption, gang violence, domestic violence and a host of other behaviourally linked maladies which affect the moral health of a nation.
Taking the various measures into consideration, Jamaica's progress has been like a rolling plain - beautiful to look at but with modest highs and treacherous lows. It is when we assess the progress that has been made against Jamaica's vast potential that all will agree that as a country we have badly underperformed and missed the mark. We have undoubtedly made advances. But like "big boy" in local folklore, Jamaica is still immature; bungling its way through in a perpetual state of underdevelopment. Mr Seaga who sat in Parliament for 40 of the young nation's most crucial years now finds himself admitting, in the article referred to earlier, that Jamaica has "plummeted from a position of pride at Independence to the bottom of the ladder today".
But all is not lost. The Planning Institute of Jamaica has developed a vision for Jamaica. It states: Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business by 2030. In other words, the vision is for Jamaica to achieve first-world status by 2030. According to the PIOJ, four goals will have to be achieved to get us to that level.
(1) Jamaicans must be empowered to achieve their fullest potential.
(2) The Jamaican society must be secure, cohesive and just.
(3) Jamaica's economy must be prosperous.
(4) Jamaica's development must be in harmony with the natural environment.
That's the Jamaica the founding fathers at Independence were visioning when they penned the words of the National Pledge: "So that Jamaica may under God, increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race."
Some of us had expectations that at Jubilee - when in 2012 Jamaica celebrates its 50th Independence anniversary - there would be unmistakable signs that the country is on a trajectory that would take it on a path of progress towards the vision expressed by the words of the National Pledge. The year 2012 is made more significant for Jamaica by the fact that the Olympic Games will be held in London, the capital of our former colonisers and originators of the transatlantic trade in slaves.
People such as Yvonne Coke of Hands across Jamaica for Righteousness, who see a spiritual and historical significance in this, are fully expecting that Jamaica will be blessed with a treasure trove of gold at Jubilee, courtesy of our world-leading athletes. I heard one person militantly put it this way, "We are going to the capital of the former British Empire to take back what we were robbed of."
More significant than that, and well within our grasp, is the prospect of us taking back that which we robbed ourselves of over these past years since Independence: our dignity, pride and self-respect. In the Old Testament Jubilee, the Hebrews celebrated a year of perfect rest basking in the glow of their achievements. They emancipated slaves, restored hereditary property to the former owners and generally observed a happy time in which the great accomplishments of the Hebrew people were acknowledged.
It must be clear to the most optimistic soul that Jubilee for Jamaicans will not have the same significance as it had for the Hebrew people. There is not enough time between now and August 2012 to repair the accumulated damage of what the Sunday Observer described in its July 31, 2011 editorial as, "Fiscal policy failure since Political Independence". But if we start now to vision and work towards that new day, if we commit to being our brother's keeper and to be the "out of many one" enshrined in our National Motto, we will as a country arrive at middle age feeling worthy of the glorious future that is already predestined for "Jamaica land we love".
hmorgan@cwjamaica.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1UkIBNx8G
HENLEY MORGAN
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"I say that the mission of my generation was to win self-government for Jamaica. To win political power which is the final power for the black masses of my country from which I spring. I am proud to stand here today and say to you who fought that fight with me, say it with gladness and pride, mission accomplished for my generation. And what is the mission of this generation? It is reconstructing the social and economic society and life of Jamaica." - The late Norman Washington Manley, National Hero.
The question to be answered as Jamaica enters its 50th year under self-rule is: Has the generation since Norman Manley achieved progress, have we done better than the past, and by what measure? Individuals will come to their own determination based on what they see and what they experience. That makes progress relative. Like love it is often in the eyes of the beholder.
One does see signs of progress in the physical environment - in the high-rise buildings of New Kingston, in Highway 2000, in the new Transport Centre in Half Way Tree, in the Kingston container port, in the beautiful hotels along our coastal shores, in the ostentatious homes dotting the hillsides, and in so many other structural and infrastructural improvements. Mr Edward Seaga, in a recent newspaper article, The IMF and the fork in the road, lists among the bright spots the growth in the bauxite/alumina tourism and telecommunications sectors; the explosion of athletic talent on the world scene, the rise of the indigenous music form to mainstream status in the field of entertainment and the nationalistic spirit of Jamaicans living overseas who through remittances constitute the largest source of foreign exchange for the nation.
But as appealing and valuable as these developments are, they do not by themselves provide a total or an accurate measure of the social and economic progress of which Norman Manley spoke. For hard and conclusive evidence, one has to look to what the economists call the key economic and social indicators. These measures include Gross Domestic Product, public debt, inflation rate, cost of living index, imports and exports, Balance of Payment, Net International Reserves, Foreign Direct Investment, research and development, new housing starts, number of tertiary graduates, child mortality, life expectancy and the like.
Then there are the moral indicators which, although not spoken of or recognised to the same degree as the social and economic indicators, are essential to quality of life. These measures include teen pregnancy, children born out of wedlock, drug use, school drop-outs, juvenile delinquency, corruption, gang violence, domestic violence and a host of other behaviourally linked maladies which affect the moral health of a nation.
Taking the various measures into consideration, Jamaica's progress has been like a rolling plain - beautiful to look at but with modest highs and treacherous lows. It is when we assess the progress that has been made against Jamaica's vast potential that all will agree that as a country we have badly underperformed and missed the mark. We have undoubtedly made advances. But like "big boy" in local folklore, Jamaica is still immature; bungling its way through in a perpetual state of underdevelopment. Mr Seaga who sat in Parliament for 40 of the young nation's most crucial years now finds himself admitting, in the article referred to earlier, that Jamaica has "plummeted from a position of pride at Independence to the bottom of the ladder today".
But all is not lost. The Planning Institute of Jamaica has developed a vision for Jamaica. It states: Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business by 2030. In other words, the vision is for Jamaica to achieve first-world status by 2030. According to the PIOJ, four goals will have to be achieved to get us to that level.
(1) Jamaicans must be empowered to achieve their fullest potential.
(2) The Jamaican society must be secure, cohesive and just.
(3) Jamaica's economy must be prosperous.
(4) Jamaica's development must be in harmony with the natural environment.
That's the Jamaica the founding fathers at Independence were visioning when they penned the words of the National Pledge: "So that Jamaica may under God, increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race."
Some of us had expectations that at Jubilee - when in 2012 Jamaica celebrates its 50th Independence anniversary - there would be unmistakable signs that the country is on a trajectory that would take it on a path of progress towards the vision expressed by the words of the National Pledge. The year 2012 is made more significant for Jamaica by the fact that the Olympic Games will be held in London, the capital of our former colonisers and originators of the transatlantic trade in slaves.
People such as Yvonne Coke of Hands across Jamaica for Righteousness, who see a spiritual and historical significance in this, are fully expecting that Jamaica will be blessed with a treasure trove of gold at Jubilee, courtesy of our world-leading athletes. I heard one person militantly put it this way, "We are going to the capital of the former British Empire to take back what we were robbed of."
More significant than that, and well within our grasp, is the prospect of us taking back that which we robbed ourselves of over these past years since Independence: our dignity, pride and self-respect. In the Old Testament Jubilee, the Hebrews celebrated a year of perfect rest basking in the glow of their achievements. They emancipated slaves, restored hereditary property to the former owners and generally observed a happy time in which the great accomplishments of the Hebrew people were acknowledged.
It must be clear to the most optimistic soul that Jubilee for Jamaicans will not have the same significance as it had for the Hebrew people. There is not enough time between now and August 2012 to repair the accumulated damage of what the Sunday Observer described in its July 31, 2011 editorial as, "Fiscal policy failure since Political Independence". But if we start now to vision and work towards that new day, if we commit to being our brother's keeper and to be the "out of many one" enshrined in our National Motto, we will as a country arrive at middle age feeling worthy of the glorious future that is already predestined for "Jamaica land we love".
hmorgan@cwjamaica.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1UkIBNx8G
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