Jamaica PM, Andrew Holness, is away with fairies. The PM seems to have conveniently ignored many of the pressing issues that Jamaica is currently facing and has instead declared that it is “doing well” with a robust economy and decreasing debt.
When we look closer, it becomes clear that many of his claims are far from reality and don’t even present the whole picture. So let’s dig in deeper.
Jamaica’s PM speech
Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness said his Government is committed to rebuilding the country from the “destruction of the decade of the ’70s which caused the greatest post-Independence flight of talent and skill and enterprise from our shores”.
While speaking at the 79th annual conference of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) he asserted, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is leading this transition and recovery and a new Jamaica is emerging.
Andrew Holness told supporters amid loud cheers that the Jamaican economy is fiscally sound, reporting growth, and the national debt is going down.
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Andrew Holness further noted that the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in the country’s history.
“Our objective is to fulfil Vision 2030; and I believe it will happen in my lifetime and your lifetime that Jamaica will become the place where you choose to live, work, raise your families, do business and retire in paradise.”
But how far does this pompous grandiloquence reflect ground realities?
Jamaica’s miseries
As reported in Reuters, the Jamaican PM Andrew Holness had to declare a state of public emergency in parts of the capital, Kingston and in some central and western parishes in an attempt to control rising crime linked to gang violence just a few days back.
Commissioner of Police Antony Anderson said 1,360 murders were registered in Jamaica between Jan 1 and Nov. 13, which is an increase of 6.8% over the same period in 2021.
Further, he stated that gang violence was the reason for 71% of those murders.
Although the PM has claimed that the economy is “doing well” but this increase in gang violence doesn’t bode well for a country largely dependent on tourism. The rising crime will have an adverse effect on Jamaica’s tourism, a country which has been ranked 13th most tourism-dependent economy in the world as per a report by the Caribbean Development portal.
If the govt is unable to control rising violence, Jamaica will soon lose its sheen as a tourist hub. Further, Jamaica’s gun problem shows no sign of ebbing. The majority of homicides in Jamaica are committed by guns.
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Moreover, the illicit trafficking of illegal firearms is another significant challenge for not just Jamaica but the entire CARICOM region. Jamaican gun control laws have so far failed to control gun violence. According to a report, more than 376 illegal firearms and over 7, 511 assorted pieces of ammunition have been seized by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) so far since the start of the year.
Also, only recently several commuters were left stranded as Jamaican taxi and bus operators carried out an island-wide strike after they voted to withdraw their service in pursuit of a traffic ticket amnesty from the government.
The cabbies are requesting the amnesty because they are frustrated with the more punitive road traffic ticketing system, as per reports
Thus, even though the PM is trying hard to paint a rosy picture for Jamaica but ground realities speak otherwise. Unfulfilled promises can’t keep people happy for long. The govt needs to deliver too and Jamaicans are watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oelRD8Kxg4