Who is responsible for Jamaica’s rubbish?

The attitude of people I have come across to in Kingston to rubbish has been worrying to me.  To throw a plastic bag or a sweet wrapper out of the car window out into the streets without a care in the world was a shock to me.  The fact that JA has such a delicate eco balance and that the rubbish so obviously ruins the landscape, i was at a loss to understand this behaviour. 

And the problem seems to be escalating and spreading out onto the shorelines accordng to this letter - to Ochi – where are the anti plastic bag initiatives?   And I definitely agree with this guy that the inner cities need to be the first to origanise a proper clean up and education campaign.

Jamaican crime policy

Are the JLP’s anti crime policies any different to the PNP’s? The crime rate has jumped up since they took over power (by some 22 per cent) so have there actually been any policy changes to account for this? I listened to a recent interview of Bruce Golding on the BBC (May 2008 on The World Today BBC World Service). He says that the crime has been carried over from the PNP, typical politician, blaming the previous adminstration – he outlines to get a working police force which has integrity, secondly he says they are employing a strategic approach to deal with the root causes of cirme – ie. poverty and getting young people into jobs to give them options away from crime.

Bruce Golding says they have set up an anti corruption arm of the police force and he says they have made 30 arrests so far and that this shows they are moving aggressivley on this. Anyone who spends more than five minutes in Jamaica quickly understands the corrupt police and the woefully inadequate measures to stamp it out. There may be planty of enquiries and supposed investigations but there are rarely any real outcomes.

In all this bad news, he tries to talk up the economy and says tourism is doing well and he talks up giving free access to schools and removing hospital charges.

Jamaican Economy and global finance

I went to a talk today by a group of business experts on how the world is being effected by the financial troubles in the United States.   It seems that the west – namely the US, UK, Ireland and Spain are likely worse effected with some knock on effects likely on the emerging economies of Asia – China’s incredible growth rate is likely to slow down as it’s exports take a knock.  Africa it seems will largely escape unscathed and this is where Jamaica may face a similar fate.  Firstly, Jamaica may actually benefit from US money problems because Jamaica’s debts are controlled by an IMF dominated by free market and liberal ideology.  Given that this thinking is being discredited by the huge nationalisation and government intervention taking place, the IMF could start thinking differently before issuing its’ various ill thought out conditions, usually attached to loans, as in insisting on the privatisation of certain industries or by demanding competition and reduced import tariffs to the detriment of a fragile local economy. 

This film is probably appropriate to watch when you get time.

So maybe, Jamaica’s debt conditions will be relaxed to allow the Jamaican economy a chance to flourish.  This is some hope for the future, probably a little optimistic but I have to start off on a positive note given the woes being faced throughout Jamaica’s economy.   The government probably ought to press for a relaxation of its debt conditions and put some protective import tariffs in place – after it has sorted out its own damaged industries of course.   

It seems that African banks do not have large investments in the international money markets - this could also be the case with Jamaican banks but I’m not sure about that.    If so, that will protect them from the shocks being faced by the US and British banks. 

There is a huge dependence between people in the US and Jamaica – so remittences will probably fall – directly hitting a lot of Jamaican pockets.

More jobs are going in the already hurricane damaged agricultural sector as banana farmers quit their jobs. – ethanol production will be growing as the Brazilians take over the sugar cane estates – see more about this here so it seems Latin America may again be coming to Jamaica’s aid. 

The Jamaican dollar is slipping against both the US dollar and the euro – not good news as this is increasing inflation which is also on the increase as imports get more expensive.  The answer I think has always been to try and break the dependence on imports but this in practise means giving up those luxury goods that are seen every day on American cable TV which is beamed into every home on the island.

Jamaican Prawns – an eco diasaster

I came across this blog post about the prawns/shrimps/janja of the Rio Grande in Eastern Jamaica and how they used to be so big and plentiful and now are kinda mutant and few in number.  One of the many huge and worrying ecological problems the island currently faces. 

In a pool at Portland, Jamaica, near the Rio Grande, two fishermen search for giant shrimp. (Oscar Hidalgo for The New York Times)

read full article in the International Herald Tribune

Jamaica’s Dons

Jamaica’s dons represent a contradiction.  To be feared and respected at the same time.  Community leaders and criminals.  The don of Tivoli Gardens allows Passa Passa the weekly dancehall night to take place in an area often in the grip of gang warfare .  Here you can see the party and yes the dancefloor has the main road running through the middle!  One time when I was there, an army truck filled with armed soldiers passed through which was a little surreal.

Now even the government are having to recognise their power.  With the continued rise in the crime rate and with government policy fast running out of ideas, the Public defender Earl Witter has suggested including the dons in the consultation process to sort out what to do about it.  Find out more about this here….

The answer to gun crime? More guns apparently.

I read in despair this news that Jamaica’s National Gun Rights Association (NGRA) is calling on the Firearm Licensing Authority to immediately speed up the processing of the thousands of firearm applications which the group says are on file, so that they can defend themselves against attack.  The answer to gun crime ? More guns.  How funny people are.

Jamaica’s murder rate rises inexhorably

The figures show a 22 per cent rise on this time last year. The numbers show a tally at 1105 up to the end of August compared to 968 recorded last year. Not only murders, but a ten per cent increase in rape. Just when you think it cannot get any worse than this and it goes up and up. Here’s the detail

Pictures posted from the funeral of Spragga Benz’s son here show the human face of grief and sorrow behind these figures. From Yardflex.

Spragga at his son's funeral with his 6 year old daughter

Haitians in Jamaica

There have been many connections going on between the two islands.  I met a whole group of Haitians one time in Portland, they were being looked after by the Salvation Army there, having fled Haiti due to the political violence at that time.  Now, there seems to be a thriving trade in guns and drugs.  This has developed further it seems now into a trade in women prostitutes.  There is apparently an increasing number of go-go dancers in the strip clubs of Jamaica – from Haiti.  This in turn is reported to be causing tensions between the women.  Read more about this here

Vybz Kartel Rumours

Dancehall artist – one of my favourites infact has been subject to rumour recently, rumours about his death and that of his family.  I was on the bus today in South London and heard a woman say that she heard a rumour that Kartel had died.  Well, of course he is NOT DEAD and I didn’t believe it for a second as I thought I definitley would have heard about it before sitting on the bus (for some reason, I thought I would know before the woman on the bus!) .  Well, having checked it out… it turns out Kartel’s mom has been getting threats and the police have been round to her house and told her to change her numbers and be extra careful.  Read more here

Kartel got into trouble for this picture brandishing weapons

A blog wobble

I had started to get disillusioned with this blog, so quickly after starting it, i was thinking, what’s the point of it really?  everything that i find on the internet anyone could find, but that’s true of other blogs, but we still read them, i still read them.  it occurred to me that you might very well be interested in the things i am also interested in so, with renewed vigour… I continue.