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Jamaicans in Gainesville
By David P Rowe
Gainesville is a big Florida city with a small university image. It is rather like Mandeville without the crime or the altitude. There is a small but energetic and influential Jamaican community here. Many of its members are students; others are migrants.
Almost all the Jamaicans here are anxious to assert their national character and have questions to ask of the government. Obviously I cannot reproduce all their questions, but in my capacity as an academic who routinely lectures on an invitational basis, I can summarise the questions and pose them as they were posed to me.
Why did Air Jamaica sell its London route and what will happen to the hundreds of millions of US dollars already lost by the airline? Will this debt be written off? Why was the sale to Virgin airline shrouded in secrecy? Why are so many financial issues concerning Air Jamaica steeped in controversy and non-disclosure? Why does the British press know more about our Ministry of Finance’s plans for Air Jamaica than Jamaicans at home and abroad do?
What is the prospect in Jamaica for young Jamaicans who are in the United States on students visas gaining employment in corporate Jamaica?
Do Jamaican banks and businesses still prefer British graduates to American-trained graduates?
When will Sister P or Bruce Golding visit Gainesville or North Central Florida? Have the Jamaicans in this part of Florida been forgotten? Is it too late for Jamaicans to return home to vote in the upcoming elections? Is it possible to determine online, whether a Jamaican overseas is still registered to vote in Jamaica? If this is not the case, why not?
When will the Government of Jamaica establish a sub-office of the consulate in Orlando, Gainesville or Tallahassee, to facilitate the needs of Jamaicans, primarily Jamaican students? Is the government aware of the number of Jamaican students matriculating at Florida State University and the University of Florida? Does the Government of Jamaica have a serious interest in the Jamaicans residing in Florida, similar to its focus on Jamaican residing in New York?
Why does the Government of Jamaica harass successful investment alternative companies such as Cash Plus, Lewfam, and Olint, in what is supposed to be a pro-business atmosphere? Is the government aware that Jamaicans in Florida have invested in these companies in order to have overseas school fees paid?
Why is crime such a serious problem in Jamaica? Why is the murder rate in Jamaica so high?
I tried with some difficulty to answer many of these questions. Gainesville residents are now used to having government in the sunshine, that is, government with complete transparency. They do not understand the way that things are done in Jamaica.
The students are particularly hostile to the perception of fiscal secrecy in Jamaica. The Prime Minister remains very popular although the perception is that her financial advisors are below par.
David P Rowe is a Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law and the St. Thomas University School of Law
By David P Rowe
Gainesville is a big Florida city with a small university image. It is rather like Mandeville without the crime or the altitude. There is a small but energetic and influential Jamaican community here. Many of its members are students; others are migrants.
Almost all the Jamaicans here are anxious to assert their national character and have questions to ask of the government. Obviously I cannot reproduce all their questions, but in my capacity as an academic who routinely lectures on an invitational basis, I can summarise the questions and pose them as they were posed to me.
Why did Air Jamaica sell its London route and what will happen to the hundreds of millions of US dollars already lost by the airline? Will this debt be written off? Why was the sale to Virgin airline shrouded in secrecy? Why are so many financial issues concerning Air Jamaica steeped in controversy and non-disclosure? Why does the British press know more about our Ministry of Finance’s plans for Air Jamaica than Jamaicans at home and abroad do?
What is the prospect in Jamaica for young Jamaicans who are in the United States on students visas gaining employment in corporate Jamaica?
Do Jamaican banks and businesses still prefer British graduates to American-trained graduates?
When will Sister P or Bruce Golding visit Gainesville or North Central Florida? Have the Jamaicans in this part of Florida been forgotten? Is it too late for Jamaicans to return home to vote in the upcoming elections? Is it possible to determine online, whether a Jamaican overseas is still registered to vote in Jamaica? If this is not the case, why not?
When will the Government of Jamaica establish a sub-office of the consulate in Orlando, Gainesville or Tallahassee, to facilitate the needs of Jamaicans, primarily Jamaican students? Is the government aware of the number of Jamaican students matriculating at Florida State University and the University of Florida? Does the Government of Jamaica have a serious interest in the Jamaicans residing in Florida, similar to its focus on Jamaican residing in New York?
Why does the Government of Jamaica harass successful investment alternative companies such as Cash Plus, Lewfam, and Olint, in what is supposed to be a pro-business atmosphere? Is the government aware that Jamaicans in Florida have invested in these companies in order to have overseas school fees paid?
Why is crime such a serious problem in Jamaica? Why is the murder rate in Jamaica so high?
I tried with some difficulty to answer many of these questions. Gainesville residents are now used to having government in the sunshine, that is, government with complete transparency. They do not understand the way that things are done in Jamaica.
The students are particularly hostile to the perception of fiscal secrecy in Jamaica. The Prime Minister remains very popular although the perception is that her financial advisors are below par.
David P Rowe is a Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law and the St. Thomas University School of Law