Leave outta Babylon (Caricom)

[Willi]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ead/lead2.html

[Exile]

Hmm....US$702M deficit with TT...Peter-R...how much a dat yu getting?

[Peter R]

nat a quatty! I'm not an exporter nor am I even remitting to JA ... JA lose twice offa mi

[Exile]

Hmm....what bout professional skills? Dat no count?

[Don1]

Jamaica should use the threat of leaving Caricom and imposing duties on it's imports to wring concessions from the Roti Eaters on energy...and if they don't play ball...execute

That's what normal countries do.

We should not have permanent friends...only permanent interests

[Sir X]

Jamaica has no global economic or political balls,much less carribbean balls, the last time they did anything like that ,manley 70s when he took on the bauxite companies and suggested that opec set up a third world bank ,and of course S.Africa sanctioned for apartheid , we paid the price.

The time is ripe for visionaries like manley,with the Brics nation ,we have oppourtunities to move forward without ruffling the eagle feathers.......ITS BIZNIZ!

[Exile]

..and when yu stop import the cheaper stuff from TT, prices go up, consumers bawl, gov under pressure....yeah, let's get everything from China....then when the balance a trade gawn awry again...we go back to Caricom....but seriously shouldn't we be looking for sustainable solutions??? Educating our people that sweet water in teh form of 'Chubby' is not the appropriate drink for the lunch kit for our children, despite the small size....we shouldn't be importing water...or have TT companies setup in JA to build water tanks made from plastics...support our local businesses....stop harping on energy costs and look for more efficient ways to cut production costs...corporate offices wld be one....exec cars, free gas and unecessary frills....we cld go on and on...

[Don1]

i agree

[Don1]

I'm not saying withdrawal is a panacea. Jamaica needs to do a cost/benefit analysis of Caricom vs other alternatives and then do what the data suggests is optimal.... stay or leave. An econometric study shouldn't take more than a year or 18 months.

No permanent "friends" .... only permanent interests

[Willi]

We should pull out and negotiate a free trade agreement with the Greater Antilles.

At least we wont be fingered! LoL

[Time]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ead/lead2.html

Looks like JPS cost is a major problem. May be we need a competition is that arena.

[Willi]

Maybe Butch needs to leave outta likkle Baylon?
http://www.suntci.com/index.php?p=story&id=2497

http://www.suntci.com/index.php?p=story&id=2496

Dem nuh like wi and wi nuh like dem...LoL

[Willi]

All cayman ah bawl now:

The search for an economic game changer

April 14, 2012 admin No comments


Leadership is nothing but a reflection of the people and the well-known maxim, ‘every nation gets the government it deserves,’ which originated with Joseph-Marie, Comte de Maistre, may well be applicable in strengthening this observation.
Not too long after it came into office on a popular wave in 2009, the current UDP administration lost its shine and over the past three years, has faced protest after protest for many of the projects it proposed.
This is an administration that continues to face strident criticism for mishandling its mandate and for not achieving much in getting the economy going.
At a time like this one may well ask of the government what it is doing to create business opportunities and bring economic stability to the country. But the country may also ask itself, what it is doing to assist the government in this regard.
Are we productive enough? What are we – government and the private sector-doing to develop and promote indigenous Caymanian businesses?
Some countries can boast of innovations that see their cultural being exported in many different forms around the world. We may well cite neighbouring Jamaica in this regard, a country with a population of less than three million, which notwithstanding has a cultural brand that belies its size. This over-sized brand recognition has been built on the country’s achievements in areas such as Reggae music, such that this music form is the sought-after music on the continent of Africa. As many as 30 years ago, the music was alive and well in African hearts and has been an export commodity that has not only enriched its creators and purveyors, but has brought unprecedented recognition to the country.
This recognition has also been fueled by Jamaica’s achievements in the sporting arena and through the export of such things as its cuisine and world-renowned products such as Blue Mountain coffee.
What can we learn from this one example?
Every country has its own unique cultural forms that define it and that it can share with the rest of the world. Shouldn’t we be examining ourselves to determine what aspects of our culture and native products we can share with the rest of the world for our own material and social benefit?
Shouldn’t we be encouraging inventions that would sell a culturally-based commodity to the rest of the world; should we be able to do this, it could well prove to be the game changer for the way we do business because every Caymanian would have a chance to participate in this industry.
We have heard so much about the need to create a third pillar of the economy and hopes are resting on medical tourism as a possible saviour.
It is all the more urgent, given what has been happening to the country’s GDP over the past few years. The stark reality is that this has been declining – from $2,617.5 million in 2008, to $2,433.9 million in 2009 and $2,335.58 million in 2010.
Clearly, the Cayman Islands cannot continue to depend solely on the financial services industry and tourism, despite whatever successes they may have had in the past.
The time has come for a far more diversified economy, one that can harness the natural talents of a significant segment of the population to develop and promote the kind of cultural exports that have elevated many other small nations.
Let the discussion begin on what this new economic pursuit should be and both government and private sector should work in concert to harness the best ideas coming from such a discussion.
This is something that need not be left up to government alone and if the country cannot deliver on such a product, perhaps it is that both government and the people have fallen short.

Posted in: Editorial

[Don1]

The option I prefer is to work out a possible free trade with the US & Canada... If we spend an additional US$1B/yr with them.. that outlay could support maybe 25,000 jobs... peanuts.. but every mickle...

In return they could give us preferential access to their market for agro-industry exports, financial products and other benefits etc

We would also be better able target Jamaicans in those countries... with say 2+ million Jamaicans in N America that income pool should be around US$100B or ~7X Jamaica's GDP and ~4X Caricom's income without Jamaica

So better access to a far larger market than Caricom... and targeting people with a knowledge of and organic affinity for Jamaican brands and products

That is the successful strategy of Grace...Jamaica's #1 manufacturer

It's not rocket science

[Willi]

Canada will respond better when we come with the full G.A. kit and caboodle done stitched up. 30 million people market and no US qualms about Cuba....