Jamaica - So “not ready” for the world stage!

Every time I start to think about writing on this topic, I quickly calm down and forget about it. However, tonight I was thinking how not ready Jamaica is to run business the way it is done on an international level. You know what makes my blood boil? All these “franchises” which have sprung up in Jamaica over the last 10-15 years. And if it’s not them, it’s the local companies who TRY to run their business like a “foreign franchise”. These types of businesses are all about standardisation. If you don’t believe me, read the “McDonalization of Society” by George Ritzer. This sociologist has it down to a tee when he discusses how these multi-national companies are more or less “cookie cutter” businesses where everything is exact leaving very little waste. Anyway, these large companies who like to sell burgers and pizzas and everything unhealthy, have scripts or some sort of hybrid script that their staff must follow….but this is not to be in Jamaica. Some of these places have staff that make you feel like you’re bothering them by simply appearing at the door. In fact I don’t think you can get a free pizza anymore in Jamaica, if your order isn’t ready within 30 minutes. I suspect it’s because they know they would have given out their entire stock free of cost. On Saturday night I ordered 2 medium pizzas for a get together and when I arrived at the pizza house only one pizza was done. I even arrived later than the time they stated the order would be ready and it still wasn’t ready. When I asked the supervisor what the problem was, she simply said “It soon ready”. Of course I protested and told her I had called 45 minutes ago and was told 20 minutes. She claimed I called 42 and 45 minutes ago….oh please!

Then the other set of people who annoy me are my cable providers. They have this so called emergency number which is never answered when I call. One Sunday morning I was without cable for 6 hours and even missed my favourite show. I started to call the emergency number from 7 am and even up to noon, nobody answered. So, I made it my point of duty to call the emergency number at 2pm to find out exactly when was considered to be emergency hours. The gentleman said that an emergency is between 9 am and 9 pm daily! Now shouldn’t I just switch providers just for that? I am still thinking carefully about it. As for my local supermarket……I keep punishing myself by shopping there frequently due to the close proximity, but I am tired of hearing cashier woes and why I must join a line where an individual has half the supermarket’s stock in their cart, when I need to cash 2 items.

Jamaica is just not ready to do business the way business is done on an international level. Our people still believe that to give service is to be servile. We know nothing about service and this is why it surprises me that this is exactly what we would like to sell and call ourselves COMPETITIVE!!

Kern Spencer in hot water!

Well mi dear ma and pa…..oonu hear the news? Ex-Junior Minister of whats it nots it inna HAT WATA! Mi nah mek bad ting mek laugh nor am I passing judgement….It is very unfortunate that someone as young as himself can consider himself finished in the political arena. But what struck me as odd was that all this bulb prize giving, mi neva get even a one watt bulb fi miself! But it seems that what is in the darkness must come to light……Here are some lessons from this story:

  - when yuh start tief small yuh will grow and tief big

  - Don’t apply for any job as any assistant to any official and then watch them TIEF and not say a word….yuh gwine jail to!

- The same knife weh stick goat stick sheep

- Tit for tat: You lock up my people and I’ll lock up yours! Even if it takes 18 years!

What’s your view?

Bermuda’s way of dealing with rogue children!

Now people, from Saturday I have been hearing this news item on Jamaican news and today in the Jamaica Gleaner, about a Bermudian member of parliament, David Burch, who is convinced that when you have “bad bruk pickney” you must punish parents as it is the parents whose responsibility it is to ensure that children are socialised properly. The article goes on to say that the man doesn’t know if this is done anywhere else in the world, but it shouldn’t stop him from proceeding with this position. Yes, it sounds great on the face of it….and it sounds like something we should proceed with here in Jamaica. However, the problem with Jamaica is that the parents 9 out of 10 times probably can’t be found. But, this calls into question, the infringement on human rights. I mean seriously…..if I have a child who is wayward and I have tried my best in all MY power to correct the child and the child goes against the societal norm, what makes me eligible to go to prison? Also, there is this assumption that prison is the ultimate punishment. I wonder what the street person who wants to be shielded from nature’s elements would say? By the way, rent in Bermuda is astronomical that perhaps jail may be a better housing alternative for some. Wouldn’t it be better for the state to say “hey since you can’t raise your own kids, we will deem you as unfit and so we will have to throw your child into some sort of rehab programme where they learn to conform to our values”?

Every Sociologist (and anyone who has done a basic Sociology course), knows that the agents of socialisation are the family, school, church, media and peers. So how can the parent be blamed 100%? If one of the other tenets are stronger than say the family, doesn’t society also have some responsibility to the demise of the child? Yes, the family can control how strong/weak the other agents are, but to what extent? Suppose I have a child with a psychological or maladaptive problem, but I don’t have the means to recognise same or even have the funds (the poor usually suffer the most and are the least able to have this checked)to have my child diagnosed, should I be penalised as well? Has this been thought through properly from a POLICY perspective? I am hoping that the sentiments of one man won’t be the basis of a policy that could have long lasting negative effects. What’s your view? Think we should try that in Jamaica?

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080225/int/int2.html

Jamaica’s bad behaving school children!

Jamaican teachers have taken a stand that they will no longer tolerate the impish, rude, violent and classless behaviour which takes place in our schools. The story of the Ocho Rios High School teacher is the straw that has seemed to have broken the camel’s back. A male teacher was accosted by a student’s father and uncle and duly threatened. However, the parent, one Mr. Cobb is defending his position saying that he did not threaten the teacher. The situation is well outlined in today’s Observer at:

http://jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20080218T210000-0500_132688_OBS_TEACHERS_PROTEST.asp

The story begins where a young student was caught cheating during an examination. The examiner asked him to hand in the paper which he refused to do. Instead he attempted to hand it in at the end of the exam. When the teacher refused to accept it he went for his big brother who came in and bullied the teacher, trying to force him to accept the paper. What a cheek! Then weeks later, the same teacher was at the gate collecting entrance fees for a musical taking place….again the big brother was up to no good. He tried to force himself in without paying. Then the father and uncle of the unruly imp decided to go and deal with the matter themselves. To show you how the society has sunk to an all time low, the father addressed the teacher as ‘big man, I come to find out what wrong and why you chuck mi son”, followed by his brother who said “if it was out a road a would a different supp’m”. The father did not view this as a threatening stance whatsoever and claimed the teacher was not threatened.

Now seriously, is it any wonder why Jamaica is the way it is? This is what school has come to. Parents now want to beat the teacher. Parents themselves have no social skills and therefore cannot pass them on to their children. This is why I would never teach in the public system. As I have said in a previous post, teaching is not just imparting the subject matter. It is about disciplining people’s “bad bruk pickney” and being a counsellor, parent, confidante rolled into one. Personally these children belong in a boot camp and not a school……and let me say it’s an all round problem…..because if they aren’t trying to kick the teacher in the groin, they want to spit in their water. This is a national problem and not a “uptown/downtown” or “rural/urban” problem. As we have seen in the case of a prominent uptown school, children will spit in your water and force you to drink it. These are the beasts we have in our schools now. More power to the teachers, because I wouldn’t be caught dead in these classrooms and at the rate we are going, home schooling will soon be the classroom of choice. I wouldn’t want my children to interact with half the children around the island!

Jamaican journalist expelled from Grenada??

When I read this article I had to laugh:

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/index.php?news_id=6078

Now let me just say that this is why I truly believe the CSME is a very serious joke! Under the CSME professionals are supposed to be able to move around from island to island without let or hindrance. I should be able to take up a job offer anywhere in the 15 member states without this type of thing happening. But this is not to be in Grenada. Now let me say that I believe that the average Jamaican has no use for the CSME or its principles. Why? Because when a Jamaican says they “gawn a foreign” it isn’t south of Jamaica for the most part. I have travelled to several Caribbean islands south/east of Jamaica and once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. I have never given it a serious thought to pack my grip and head to anywhere like Grenada, so why treat the woman like this? To start with she is a professional and to finish, I doubt highly she was looking to set up house down there. And to show you how a simple error could cost you a criminal record, there was the misreading of the “get out of here” date. She read it as August 2, 2008 while the immigration officer meant 8th February, 2008. Oh how funny that is! But alas, it seems that one has to get some certificate to prove that they are a “skilled worker” and deserving of being on other Caribbean soil on legitimate business. Well BOO to you Grenada! I have never been to you and I certainly won’t be seeking work on your shores! Also, the type of Jamaicans that they seem to want to attract are more interested in the North American lifestyle….we left country a long time ago!

Jamaica’s Tourism and Economy

You know…one of the funniest Ministers of government I have come across is the Minister of Finance, Audley Shaw. He is funnier than the Minister who claimed that the “saf-e-ty” of Jamaica’s visitors, is paramount but not quite as funny as that rural MP-turned Junior Minister who likes to visit and speak with his “consequency”…(Oh JNN did him a bitter injustice when they repeated that “consequency” broadcast daily)….but he’s (MOF) getting there.

Clearly he must be joking when he says that we should use the US recession as an opportunity for growth, rather than view it is a sign of distress for us all. While he mentioned that “oil price is going to go down if we have a recession. Interest rates are going down, commodity prices are going to moderate, inflation will moderate in the new fiscal year,”….and yadda yadda yadda…..BUT what piqued my interest was his view on tourism. He claimed that American tourists would cut out European vacations in lieu of one to Jamaica….straight to Jamaica? Well first of all I want to ask him….what empirical data he has in claws that could substantiate that statement…..because as far as I know….even if Americans were going on the cheap….there is certainly Cancun which is MUCH cheaper than coming to Jamaica. Also…who says Americans were rushing to Europe for a vacation? If you pick up any business or world magazine, you’re likely to see that it is the Europeans, in light of the weak US dollar, who are rushing to the US to make purchases and vacation….they simply can’t afford to shop in Europe…even when the Canadian dollar surpassed the value of the US$, CBC news from Toronto brought to the fore, how some Canadian retailers were feeling the pinch as many persons rushed south to get a bang for their buck. So…where could this alarming logic come from? I mean seriously now…..Jamaica has a way of targeting what I call “cheap” tourists. We are satisfied with 1000 people coming to spend $1.00 each, rather than 2 tourists, spending $500.00 each…which in turn would ease the pressure off some of our natural and man made resources. Islands such as Barbados and Grenada on the other hand, enjoy welcoming high end customers. When you go to Barbados, they let in plane loads of people hassle free (not us Caribbean people of course) and there are so many private jets on the runway with the “who is who” who have jetted in. Bermuda, I know definitively, is beyond the reach of the cheap tourist and price their product to attract wealthy, repeat business. So why have I made this point? Because in time of struggle and strife, it is the high end customer who can recover from exogenous shocks faster and easier than low end potential tourists. Therefore, I am of the view that it is this type of tourist who won’t be THAT adversely affected and will continue to vacation during bad periods. I also believe that unless your tourism product is at least 80% geared towards such persons, then I can see no logic in that argument whatsoever. Well, even the Gleaner editorial had to attack it shortly thereafter because really…..the days of people being so stupid to believe in every thing they hear……ARE OVER! We are reading and we are following what is happening in the world….so please….wheel and come again Mr!

Jamaican Girl’s RSS Feed

Here I am…back again. Over the last week, several people have asked me if I have an RSS Feed…well I am not really a “techy” so I hope this works. If you want to follow my posts up to the minute, I think this is the RSS Feed for the blog:

 http://jamaicangirl2007.wordpress.com/feed/