We must first build strong institutions at home to project strength and influence outwards

DEAR JAMAICAN SENATORS:

PLEASE SAY NO TO A "PJ" COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

Former Jamaican Prime Minister, PJ Patterson just finished his North American town hall "Caribbean Diaspora Borderless Opportunities” accompanied by Grace Kennedy and Western Union. Opportunities for whom?. Should he be not supporting Diaspora Voting pursuant to constitutional obligation instead of a Caribbean Court of Appeal?

OUR INTEREST AS DIASPORA JAMAICANS CANNOT BE REDEFINED AS A CARIBBEAN INTEREST. The only true Corporate Social Responsibility that Grace Kennedy and Weston Union could Demonstration is to use their vast electronic database to allow Diaspora Jamaicans to be Registered and to Vote in the next General Election from overseas rather than appearing to supporting the denial of our constitutional rights to vote by sponsoring a town hall Event featuring Someone who most people belief is the Shadow Prime Minister of Jamaica and who may have been the chief Architect of the JLPNP alliance to sell-out Jamaica in the emerging neocolonial China presence in the Caribbean.

Jamaica is now officially a "One Party State" engineered by China with the death and silencing of any active oppositions; politically or otherwise through corruptible means and now voting to leave the UK Privy Council for a Caribbean base Court of Final Appeal under a cloud of lies told in silence.

“The cruelest lies are often told in silence. A man may have sat in a room for hours and not opened his teeth, and yet comes out of that room a disloyal friend or a vile co-conspirator to the rape of his country and people. And how many lives have perished because, from pride, or spite, or indifference, or that unmanly shame which withholds a man from daring to betray the desire of greed and self- interest, that at this critical point in our nation’s development, has but hung his head and held his tongue”.

Very dangerous when you can't even built strong institutions at home but you are voting for a Caribbean Court of Appeal. Can't build your house on sand, you need to build first strong institutions at home to project strength and influence outwards.

Far too often Black Nationalism had failed to build strong social, political and economic institutions to protect fundamental rights. National chauvinism is often a pile of quicksand on which our so-called leaders try to rally the masses.

Not to take way from the historical significance of the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804, but change has to come from deep within you: a lesson from the Haitian Revolution or else we are only creating little "papa doc's" when people's fundamental rights are not being respected by our leaders who amass huge wealth at the expense of the people and then move to France.

Despite its triumphant victory over Neapolitan French Army on Haitian Soil and the first to enshrine the conception of fundamental rights and freedom in its constitution Haiti also produces one of the longest reigning and brutal dictatorship in the Caribbean. “Papa Doc” went to France with his stolen $US billions. I have witnessed over the last few weeks these groups popping-up all over social media talking about transforming Jamaica and the Caribbean through their so-called change agendas, as if change has now become a commercial slogan; “Caribbean Diaspora-Borderless Opportunities”, but all what they are talking about is change they can live with....

 “Change you can live with” is no change, this is just "shuffling the deck", when however you change the cards, at the core of real leadership and governance are fundamental values and principles which governs how you with POWER relate to and treat those who are less powerful and using your position of power to embed these core values and principles into institutional and capacity building such that they become the core philosophy of the heads and people who are running those institution upon which the powerless depend on for the protection of fundamental rights, justice, social and economic equality.

THE DEATH OF DEMOCRACY

THE DEATH OF DEMOCRACY  IN JAMAICA UNDERSCORES THE NEED FOR A CENTER-LEFT GOVERNMENT (OBAMA DOCTRINE)
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THERE WERE OVER FIVE (5,000) THOUSAND SIGNATURES ON A PETITION TO STOP THE SALE OF ROARING RIVER WATER SHED YET THE GOVERNMENT OF JAMAICAN IGNORED THE WISHES OF THE PEOPLE.

Pluralism is at the heart of every functioning democracy. No society can say it is truly democratic when in a supposedly open and free society the active oppositions have not made their voice heard forcefully enough to effect changes that will improve the lives of the citizenry. No government can claim legitimacy over good governance and the rules of law when the very fabric of society which serves to protect and maintain these fundamental principles are rapidly being eroded through their lack of leadership in the ever increasing gap between the rich and the poor.

OUR VOTE IS OUR BOND - PLEASE CONTACT THE SECRETARIAT FOR THE PNP INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

THEY WANT YOUR MONEY BUT THE WONT GIVE YOU THE VOTE TO ENSURE GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT OF YOUR INVESTMENTS


PLEASE CONTACT THE SECRETARIAT FOR THE PNP INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TELL THEM THEY MUST TABLE FULL VOTING RIGHTS PROVISIONS AT THE CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK- FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
THE CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT
c/o The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade 21 Dominica Drive, Kingston 5, Jamaica
Telephone: (876) 926 4220 - 8 | Fax (879) 929 6733 Email: info@jamaicandiaspora.gov.jm or dca@mfaft.gov.jm

DEVELOPMENT VS. THE ENVIRONMENT

When we talked about development, we are not talking mining. We seem to limit ourselves to just one concept of development. The Cockpit is the Bread Basket of Jamaica and importing agricultural goods and food won't sustain Jamaica. The tourist industry imports all its food from the USA and other countries. Not even a Plantain could buy in the local markets. 

Commercial farming is not feasible, agribusinesses will depend on the produce from these mountains. Jamaica is over 80% mountains. Now, the issue of sustainability relates to the use of chemicals in land cultivation. which I think should be banned, as well as development pressures from the mining of bauxite. 

Now there was a time when young people would leave the country and find jobs in the city, that's not the case today, this too is impacting the environment in the Cockpit Mountains. Most of the sinkholes are clogged with garbage and so flooding too is occurring in the higher elevations. Jamaica since the early eighties has seen an explosion in the youth population. The challenge is how do you create opportunities for a large restless youth population who have the rug pulled out from under them when all of Michael Manley programs were dismantled by Saega and PJ.?

So when we talk about balancing development and the environment, it has to do with how we plan for and manage population growth. Population growth is also development. Underdevelopment is the inability to provide opportunities to a growing population.. Jobs, food, housing, education and healthcare. There is a direct conflict between continued bauxite mining and our water resources management. Economic Development Diversity is the key to resolving these conflicts. We must grow and create good jobs in research, engineering and high technology. The subservient jobs within the tourism sector are not enough to build and sustain a strong middle-class which is the fabric of a democratic society.

We aren’t the first to fight for progressive change and we won’t be the last.

The Jamaica Diaspora Sustainable InitiativeApr 22, 2015 — We are a movement of Jamaicans both at Home and Abroad who are willing to fight for real and lasting change. This isn't for everyone — we're Changing Jamaica Through Leadership, and we're proud of it. If you’re someone who'd rather get involved than sit back, if you refuse to be cynical about what we can get done together, then you should be part of this at www.ourjamaicavote.org

THE PARADOX OF UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

"Jamaica Falls 11 Places On Human Development Index, Risks Demotion AND Jumps 8 Places In Global Competitiveness Index. The rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer."

It is imperative that we understand what a cooperative democracy is. We need to fashion a new way of thinking about wealth and defining wealth. Wealth without welbeing is social poverty. We are not advocating redistribution of wealth we are advocating re-definition of wealth and ensuring that resources are consumed in a sustainable manner so your grandchildren children do not have to carry the burden.

Social poverty speaks to your mental and psychological wellbeing and can be attributed some of the heinous crimes we witnessed in our country. No society can afford all its citizens material wealth but at the same time no society should prevent individual from achieving their full potential. However, material wealth cannot be at the expense of social wealth, hence the goal of a co-operative democracy is to strike a balance between each through the practice of sustainable economic development.

Simply put, under a Cooperative Democracy the most venerable of citizen is the guaranteed the rights to seek justice in a court of laws when governments; their project, programs and policy is deemed to have contradict their rights as citizen instead of getting a bullet to the head. Guaranteeing rights is more than putting it on the books, it is building the institutions and funding these institution to protect fundamental rights.-Obama Doctrine.

We aren’t the first to fight for progressive change and we won’t be the last.

The Jamaica Diaspora Sustainable Initiative

Apr 22, 2015 — We are a movement of Jamaicans both at Home and Abroad who are willing to fight for real and lasting change. This isn't for everyone — we're Changing Jamaica Through Leadership, and we're proud of it. If you’re someone who'd rather get involved than sit back, if you refuse to be cynical about what we can get done together, then you should be part of this at www.ourjamaicavote.org

LIES TOLD IN SILENCE TO THE CHINESE TAKEOVER OF JAMAICA

The Silence of the Media and Opposition to the Chinese Take Over 

“The cruelest lies are often told in silence. A man may have sat in a room for hours and not opened his teeth, and yet comes out of that room a disloyal friend or a vile co-conspirator to the rape of his country and people. And how many lives have perished because, from pride, or spite, or indifference, or that unmanly shame which withholds a man from daring to betray the desire of greed and self- interest, that at this critical point in our nation’s development, has but hung his head and held his tongue?”

A man who is afraid of change has no future cause the future is about change. You are in silent duplicity with crime, corruption, and social destruction and is hypocritical to the very cause he/she claimed they believe in. Self-denial is no form of advocacy for the social and economic betterment of Jamaica. We must stop being impostors and become true champions of real and lasting change.

Like those before I am prepared for the ultimate price in defending the rights of the poor and underclass.  This isn't for everyone — we're Changing Jamaica Through Leadership, and we're proud of it. If you’re someone who'd rather get involved than sit back, if you refuse to be cynical about what we can get done together, then you should be part of this VISION at www.ourjamaicavote.org

THE PEOPLE

THE PEOPLE

We owe it to the men and women who at the break of dawn at the bus terminals all over the island rise to the occasion to get us to work on time and with a cup of hot chocolate tea and two fried dumplings before the hot Jamaican sunrise above the crest of the Blue Mountain and back home with a sky-juice and a dozen patties to our families and friends as it sets on the beautiful shores of Negril. If this isn't commitment to nation-building by the hard-working poor people nothing is. Our leaders need to get out of bed and go observe honest, hardworking Jamaicans who are holding this nation together on thin thread by their dedication, they could learn a thing or two on how "prayer and work conquer all." As a working poor you have to have god to give you strength to face another day under the hot Jamaican sun in the midst of crime and corruption in high places.

We are no JLP or PNP, we are one people; "we are not many people out of two political parties" nor "we are out of many one people", "we one people with one aim one destiny" (Silbert 2016)-Vote for Cooperative Democracy for Sustainable Economic Development. We support the middle class of Jamaica not another class of people to grow business, educate their families, afford health care and to provide jobs and lift the poor out of poverty. A business-class who will invest in our productive capacity and not export our capital and profits to overseas accounts.

To develop a balance model economy base on the rules of sustainable development where our remittance dollars doesn't come in through the front door and leave through the back doors with no investment in local production but rather wasted on imported consumer goods.

JAMAICAN SCIENTIST ANNOUNCES BREAKTHROUGH IN DEVELOPING CANCER DRUG FROM LOCAL PLANT

JAMAICAN SCIENTIST ANNOUNCES BREAKTHROUGH IN DEVELOPING CANCER DRUG FROM LOCAL PLANT-Our unique range of mountains has given Jamaica an abundance of rich and powerful medicine..

Nature has given Jamaica one of its greatest resources, the 

Cockpit Mountains; a mystical mountain range stretching from east to west was instrumental in protecting the runaway slaves, now has a potential value of over $600,000,000,000 (US$600 billion). From creating three different growing seasons for fruits year round to having a surface area of more than twice the size of the island the rain water harvesting potential is in excess of US$35 billion. My ancestral homeland to keep and protect.

We aren’t the first to fight for progressive change and we won’t be the last.

The Jamaica Diaspora Sustainable Initiative

Apr 22, 2015 — We are a movement of Jamaicans both at Home and Abroad who are willing to fight for real and lasting change. This isn't for everyone — we're Changing Jamaica Through Leadership, and we're proud of it. If you’re someone who'd rather get involved than sit back, if you refuse to be cynical about what we can get done together, then you should be part of this at www.ourjamaicavote.org

A CALL FOR LEADERSHIP

WE MUST RISE TO THE CALL OF OUR NATION AS THE SPIRIT OF THE MAROONS SOARS THE SKIES GATHERING UP THE ARMY OF JAH FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE EARTH TO DEFEND OUR SPIRITUAL HOMELAND. THE VICTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL IS AS INEVITABLE AS THE RISING SUN ABOVE THE CREST OF THE BLUE MOUNTAIN. 

We aren’t the first to fight for progressive change and we won’t be the last.

The Jamaica Diaspora Sustainable Initiative

Apr 22, 2015 — We are a movement of Jamaicans both at Home and Abroad who are willing to fight for real and lasting change. This isn't for everyone — we're Changing Jamaica Through Leadership, and we're proud of it. If you’re someone who'd rather get involved than sit back, if you refuse to be cynical about what we can get done together, then you should be part of this at www.ourjamaicavote.org

OUR INTEREST AS DIASPORA JAMAICANS CANNOT BE REDEFINED AS A CARIBBEAN INTEREST

The only true Corporate Social Responsibility that Grace Kennedy and Weston Union could demonstrate is to use their vast electronic database to allow Diaspora Jamaicans to be Registered and to Vote in the next General Election from overseas rather than appearing to supporting the denial of our constitutional rights to vote by sponsoring a Town Hall Event featuring Someone who most people belief is the Shadow Prime Minister of Jamaica and who may have been the chief Architect of the political alliance to sell-out Jamaica.

WE NEED TO GET RID OF THE SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL IMPEDIMENTS TO GROWTH THROUGH STRONG LEADERSHIP AND MORE TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT.

Any investment in the economy is only worthwhile when significant economic spin-off occurs in the economy occurs. Where huge debt were incurred in order to build our infrastructures we must ensure that the benefits of the immediate economic impact occurs now and not blindly rely on the long term net benefit that this government is forecasting since it may result in a negative rate of return on investment due the time value of money. Meaning it is better to have the benefits occurring now than later. This only occurs when your own workers are employed on the job, otherwise we are speculating about future benefits.

Another significant inference is the nature and types direct foreign investments we are attracting. We have witnessed over the last ten years, huge investments in our roads infrastructure and tourism, however, relative to the size of these investments the growth in GDP was at best marginal. For instance, some US$20 billion was invested in the Tourism Industry in 2013, according to Government Sources, yet the GDP was only US$14.79 Billion in 2013 and fell some 3% by 2014 to US$14.36 billion?

The economic leakages and why Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have not resulted in significant growth in GDP are twofold; (1) The consumption of imported resources (Energy, Goods and Labours) to facilitate or build the project here in Jamaica and (2) the ineffective and or abuse of our taxation policies like the tax waiver. We have very good consulting engineering and business people here in Jamaica, all the government needs to do is to practice good management of the nation resources and enforce good business ethics.

If you were to do a correlation between GDP and FDI and you will see my point. Mark you, this occurred under both administrations. We need to get rid of the systemic and structural impediment to growth. One of which is the need for strong leadership and more transparency in Government.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) cites that in most all-inclusive mass tourism package tours, about 80% of travelers’ expenditures go to the airlines, hotels, and other international companies (who often have their headquarters in the travelers’ home countries), and not to local businesses or workers. Of each USD 100 spent on a vacation tour by a tourist from a developed country, only around USD 5 actually stays in a developing destination’s economy.  UNEP cites several studies that approximately tourism leakage to be up to 40% in India, 70% in Thailand, and 80% in Caribbean countries due to factors such as foreign-owned operators, airlines, hotels, and imported food and products.

According to the World Bank for every expenditure of $1.00 in the Jamaican Economy the resulting impact or growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be equivalent to $4.20. Despite the significant rise in personal consumption expenditure due to the inflows of remittance between 1990 and 2013 growth in the GDP and subsequently the Jamaican Economy remains marginal at best. This enormous disparity between expenditure and growth in GDP is troubling and reflects significant economic leakages stemming from corruption and bad economic decisions like maintaining a floating dollar, constant devaluation, failure to reduce the cost of energy and a regressive tax system. In real terms the value of our GDP should approximately US$58 billion (estimated) instead of the US$14 billion.

We Need to Get Rid of the Systemic and Structural Impediments to Growth through Strong Leadership and More Transparency in Government.

Any investment in the economy is only worthwhile when significant economic spin-off occurs in the economy occurs. Where huge debt were incurred in order to build our infrastructures we must ensure that the benefits of the immediate economic impact occurs now and not blindly rely on the long term net benefit that this government is forecasting since it may result in a negative rate of return on investment due the time value of money. Meaning it is better to have the benefits occurring now than later. This only occurs when your own workers are employed on the job, otherwise we are speculating about future benefits.

The economic leakages and why Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have not resulted in significant growth in GDP are twofold; (1) The consumption of imported resources (Energy, Goods and Labours) to facilitate or build the project here in Jamaica and (2) the ineffective and or abuse of our taxation policies like the tax waiver. We have very good consulting engineering and business people here in Jamaica, all the government needs to do is to practice good management of the nation resources and enforce good business ethics.

If you were to do a correlation between GDP and FDI and you will see my point. Mark you, this occurred under both JLP and PNP administrations. 

The Auditor General of Jamaica Reports Bad Investment Decisions

DINNER ANYONE?

US$722 PER PLATE X 2.7 MILLION JAMAICANS =US$195,000,000 THE COST OF MOUNT ROSSER BYPASS HIGHWAY BUILT BY THE CHINESE FOR JAMAICA