Confessions of a … Montego
Bay Businessman
Written by his daughter.
When I was nine years old my biggest priorities in life were
to watch Tom and Jerry, Pink Panther, Donald Duck and Tiger Sharks. I also
loved to watch Thundercats and He-Man.
Especially He-Man. He-Man always saved the world in 30 minutes. During that time my father was my best
friend. I would see him when he came to get me on weekends, and he would talk
to me about everything, Politics, Sports, Tourism, Current Affairs, World
Issues, Politics and more Politics. And even more Politics. Did I mention also
Politics? Later when I became a teenager, my relationship with my father
deteriorated, mainly because of his alcohol addiction. But I will tell you more
about that another time. My father heavy use of alcohol helped him cope with
the hard realities and struggles he faced as a Montego Bay small business
owner. My father had an answer for every problem that was wrong with Jamaica. I
wondered why he was not the Prime Minister since he knew everything. So
everytime I would see my father he would talk to me about current issues. I
always wondered why he was telling me all this boring stuff that I had no
interest in. I couldn’t wait for him to take me home so that I could watch
Thundercats. I mean who cares about Edward Seaga and Michael Manley? My father
worked as a Contractor with a tour bus company.
Every decision that happened in Parliament to affect Jamaican small business
owners, especially the ones in Montego
Bay, my father would tell me. I didn’t want to hear about that. That was the
least of my concern. My father’s favourite preaching spot was the rum bar. In a
small community like Mt Salem, everyone knew everything that happened in our
small community. I heard some nights my dad would buy a drink for every man in
the whole bar. They would all discuss politics and by the end of the night, all
of them in the rum bar had solved Jamaica’s problems and had a plan about the
best solutions for Jamaica. I don’t know how they came up with their plans. I
think they had great wisdom and inspiration from their best friends Wray and
Nephew, Johnnie Walker Black and Red Stripe. Whatever the plans were, all I
know the next day Jamaica was in the same state.
My father was a very smart businessman, however he struggled
with his alcohol addiction. I enjoyed the times when my father was sober and in
a good mood. He would make jokes and buy food for all of his friends. It made him happy to be the one
to say, “Don’t worry about the bill, I will pay it!” I wondered how this man loved to buy food and
drinks for everybody and then complain about the economy and the IMF (International
Monetary Fund) the next day. My father was also a comedian, he loved to tell
jokes , sing and entertain everyone. He
was very well liked and popular in his community. He is very tall and used to
win all the Body Building championships at Mr Young’s Gym in Montego Bay. However
he struggled with his alcohol addiction. When he was upset with the politicians
he would go into a eight hour lecture
mode and complain about the IMF, how Manley is an idiot, how he hate the GCT
(General Consumption Tax) and a host of other things I knew nothing about .
So the point I am trying to make is that my father had some
good character and good intentions. But he was so pressured by the responsibilities
of life, trying to meet the unfair demands placed upon Montego Bay Small
Business owners by a corrupt government, trying to deal with his personal
issues …maybe of growing up without his own father, not having anyone to talk
to about his personal feelings and frustrations…so he turned to alcohol. He
turned to his best friends Johnnie Walker Black and J. Wray and Nephew. But his
alcohol addiction stood in his way of progress. It was eating away at his mind,
turning him into a monster, getting him into bar fights with whoever did not accept his Political theory.
So back to the Politics. As a Montego Bay Small business
owner, my father was swamped with bills and taxes. Of course my father would tell the government
his mind everytime he opened up a bill. I am not sure if they heard him cursing
them out, because the bills came back every month. My father enjoyed a season
of prosperity during the time of Mr Seaga’s
term. My dad is still waiting right now as I am writing this blog, for
Mr Seaga to come back in power. He was the most devoted member of the Jamaica
Labour Party. My father felt that after Mr Seaga’s defeat, Jamaica and the
Jamaican dollar went down a mudslide. But who cares? Not me. I was more
concerned about Thundercats. If the Thundercats knew about Jamaica, they would
have saved the Jamaican dollar. Anyway I would say my father put out his best
effort. He spent hours washing his bus, cleaning the engine, checking the whole
vehicle. Then it was time to get dressed. Have you ever seen a well dressed
JUTA Tour Bus Driver? He would spend hours shining his shoes, ironing his
uniform, went to the barber to get a clean shave. When he hit the Airport, my
father turned heads of women and men. Back in his time he was a tall ,
handsome, light skinned guy with hazel
eyes, built torso, bright white smile, He was very charismatic and well liked
at the Airport. In a small airport like Donald Sangster Airport everybody knew
each other (and everybody knew too much of each other’s business too, ) anyway
back to the topic. My father showed up on time and even sometimes two hours
before the flights were supposed to come in.
So can you imagine his rage after
all his preparation and anticipation for a good business day, to sit at
the Airport, (after arriving two hours
early), to watch all the flights come in, and wait till night and not get even
one customer. NOT EVEN ONE CUSTOMER
!!! After waiting for TEN HOURS !!! And
watching full flights arrive in peak holiday season with happy, beautiful
tourists ready to have fun and enjoy the vacation for which they saved the
whole year ! Just skipping by him. So where did all these customers go? Well to
the All-Inclusives…my father HATED THE ALL INCLUSIVES !!! How was he supposed to survive and pay his
bills? So that was a typical bad day for my dad.
So how did he manage? Well only by God’s mercy. There were
some good days. My father after all his preparation, making sure his bus was in
excellent condition, making sure that he looked like Mr GQ, gave EXCELLENT customer service to the few customers who did
not come in on the all-inclusive package. You know, the one or two tourists who
couldn’t afford the all-inclusive package to begin with, and decided to risk
just visiting Jamaica with intentions of sticking closely to their budget. But because of my father’s Excellent customer
service, the tourist was usually so pleased that they ended up hiring him for
their whole two (2) week stay and with the Jamaican dollar at was it US $1 to
$50 JMD back in the day? He was able to pay his bills. He was always early to
pick them up, he took them to see the real Jamaica, to visit the small
restaurants, the local business places, the beautiful spots in Jamaica not yet
commercialized by the tourism industry, the small quiet beaches, the little
villages way up in the mountains, the quiet river spots. He knew all the best
little spots off the beaten track like the back of his hand. And it didn’t stop
there. The happy tourist or newlyweds or family reunion group would go back to
the land of America or England or Canada (or wherever they came from) and tell all their friends and show off their
amazing pictures that they got off the beaten path to their friends who only
had pictures of the over commercialized spots and pictures of other tourists.
The next visit they would bring more friends with them. So my dad had many
repeat customers. So that is how my dad survived. By giving great customer
service.
But my dad’s story, is the story of countless other small
business owners in Montego Bay. Jamaicans are not idiots. Everybody knows this
(except the government of course who believes the small business owners are
idiots). Millions of tourists pass through Montego Bay every year. Yet the
people are struggling to make ends meet. I don’t know the details of how the
whole system works. I should really take the time to learn though. But there
must be a way to help the struggling small business owners in Montego Bay. I am
talking about the higgler, the taxi driver, the jerk chicken man with his jerk
pan, the carpenter, the plumber, the sky-juice man, how are these people supposed to survive and
feed their families? There must be a way that the All-inclusives can share with
these small business owners. Wait, I have to tell you about the people who work
in the All-inclusives. The housekeeper, the janitor, the customer service desk
clerk, the waiters, the bar staff. None of these people are allowed to accept
tips. That’s right. You read that correctly. Let me repeat. NONE OF THESE STAFF
MEMBERS ARE ALLOWED TO ACCEPT TIPS !!!! If they are caught accepting tips they
are fired immediately. Let me repeat that.
IF THEY ARE CAUGHT ACCEPTING TIPS THEY ARE FIRED IMEDIATELY!!! So how
are they supposed to manage on the measly pay they earn after working for hours
and working overtime and double shift and on their day off, all with a bright
friendly smile and not being able to pay their bills. HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO
SURVIVE AND FEED THEIR KIDS ???!!! Where am I going with all this? Well these are the root causes for people losing their minds in Montego Bay. I am so
serious. Right now, to fix the country, their needs to be a team of Clinical
Psychologists and Psychiatrists in the country to fix the minds of first, the
Politicians, then the owners of the major revenue generating resources, then
the owners of the All-Inclusives, and
to educate the people and the children. There should also be some Clinical
Psychologists and Psychiatrists as members of Parliament to help make decisions
to guide the country. Don’t just send
for the Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists after a police-man shoots a
pregnant woman, or after some children kill other children and post the video
of the murder on Youtube. Then education should be free to College level. But
that is another story for another article. You have to change the mindset of
the leaders before you expect to see changes in the country. And I am going to
talk more about the mentality of the
leaders at another time.
So fast forward to the present. When I read the news and
hear of the things that are happening in Montego Bay now, suddenly, all the
things my father said to me over twenty years ago started to make sense. You
see, when you teach a child something, no matter how young they are, their mind
stores this information subconsciously. When they are old enough to understand
reality, suddenly everything you tell them comes back to memory. Actually these
news reports haunt me. I try to ignore them, I stopped watching the news, I try
to focus on the more important things in life, like the fact that Kanye West
and Kim Kardashian named their baby North West…but my mind and conscience drags
me back to the reality of what is facing my native city. Right now Montego Bay
is experiencing the consequences of decisions made over twenty years ago by
Seaga and Manley. Sorry to all those people whose feelings I have hurt and if I
lose you as a friend, I am truly sorry to see you go. GoodBye. I stare in disbelief (and denial) as I read
the news. Many people remember a time in Jamaica when there was stability.
Before the Jamaican dollar began to slide.
I truly believe every Politician in Jamaica should have to do a
mandatory course in Psychology. Learn about Maslow’s theory of basic needs.
Because if basic needs are not being met, these are the actions people will take. Presently I read the news
in disbelief (and denial) that Montego Bay, my beloved city where I grew up,
formerly known as the friendly city where people greet you with warm
hospitality and bright smiles is now considered “Scamtego Bay” the head
quarters of major scam rings that have scammed US residents of millions of
dollars, elderly returning residents also being targeted, senseless murders ,
children killing children, a society
that has become so desensitized to murder that children are killing each other
and posting videos of the murder on Youtube for entertainment?
Montego Bay’s problems will not be a quick fix. They can
send all the kids to jail. They can lock up all the small businessmen suspected
of being involved in scam rings. They
can lock up all the criminals. The problem will still be there. The people they
need to lock up are the heads of government, the owners of the all-inclusives,
the people who have the monopoly on Jamaican resources, who lease our land to
foreign companies, collect the revenue generated and do not re-invest into the
Jamaican economy (how do these people sleep at night?). The decisions that are made now, are what
determines the state of Montego Bay in the next twenty years. The state of Jamaica in the next twenty
years. What can people do now? They cant
change the whole system, but they can start by teaching the children. You cant
control the government, but you can control your own household. Children are
never too young to learn. Start talking to them while they are young. Even if they don’t understand at the time you
teach them, they will understand in time.
How are poor people expected to sit and watch millions of
tourists visiting their home who are paying top dollar to stay in five-star
international $500 US dollar per night
rooms, expected to welcome them with warm friendly hospitality and bright
smiles, and at the end of the day, the government tells these people that they
can only pay them a measly pay because there is no money to pay them. This is
why the people in Montego Bay are going crazy. A reason as simple as that. At
the end of working each week, a person cant even relax and enjoy the finest
beaches in the world because they are owned by the all-inclusives. If a man
wants to enjoy the beach with his family, he has to pay a large fee. He cant take his family to a
nice restaurant, or enjoy the best attractions in his own country. Then he has
to sit and watch millions of people enjoy his country while hearing his stomach
growl. It’s as if you hire an agent to bring guests to your home for a party in
order to make some money to buy food to feed your wife and kids. The Agent
invites some guests to your home and
backyard for a party. You give the guest your best hospitality, your guest
tries to pay you, but the payment is taken by the Agent , someone you trusted
when you hired them to represent you. At the end of the party, your Agent tells
you there is no money and you are left hungry. Now what do you tell your wife
and kids? Are they idiots? Will you be able to look your kids in the eye, hear
their stomach growling and say to them, Mommy and Daddy cant provide anything
for you to eat because there is no money. And your kids will ask you, but Mommy
and Daddy, where is all the money that your friends brought to the party? Where
did it go? A reason as simple as that. Wait there is more, suddenly the agent
tells you in order to enjoy your own backyard, you will have to pay.
So these kids who grew up seeing mommy and daddy get used by
their own government have decided to take matters in their own hands. They
don’t have any morals (mommy and daddy were away from home working hard and too
busy to teach them morals and values…and when mommy and daddy came home, they
drowned their sorrows in alcohol or marijuana…(well I never saw my dad using
marijuana, but this drug is used widely in Jamaica as a way to relax). They
have decided to form scam rings, they have turned to crime, they see where they
can make more money selling drugs than working for a descent job, they want to
enjoy the best attractions and live the lifestyle that they see tourists living
in their own country. They don’t know that most of these tourists saved for
maybe a whole year to live like a king or queen for two weeks, then they go
back home to their foreign country and to their 12 hour shift jobs. They want
to wear
the nicest clothes, build mansions to compete with the five star
international resorts, they kill returning elderly residents, they murder for
no reason. Maybe I would have been a criminal too if it wasn’t for God’s grace.
While growing up, I was fortunate to always be surrounded by older folks who
shared their wisdom. I was also fortunate to be raised by Christian families
who taught me morals and values. Who took me to church and sat down and read
the Bible with me.
I just want to spend a little more time talking about some
of the tourists that visit Jamaica. Like I said above, most of these tourists
saved for maybe a whole year to live like a King or Queen in Jamaica for two weeks, then they go back home to
their foreign country and to their 12 hour shift jobs or to their 3 or 4
jobs. They slaved away at their jobs like
zombies with only their dream of going to this “fantasy island” Jamaica for
their vacation or honeymoon or family reunion as motivation to keep working. So
when they arrive in Jamaica, they are living out their fantasy, they are
wearing their finest clothes that they just bought and maybe even still have
the store tag so they can return it when they get back home. So they are
wearing the finest clothes, they are buying the most expensive food or liquor
or staying at the $500US per night five star luxury resort. To the uneducated Jamaican, (and please note
that many Jamaicans are educated and do not think in this manner and do live by
morals and values), he or she is seeing the fantasy of someone who slaved all
year to be able to afford to come to Jamaica (They also walk around half-naked,
still in expensive bikinis, partying like there is no tomorrow, smoking weed
all day, doing things they would never do back in their own home country)…they
are living their fantasy. However, the
uneducated Jamaican may think this is the lifestyle that this tourist lives
everyday back in their home country. So they see everyone who steps off a plane
as a walking dollar sign. Which is not true. So this poorly educated
Jamaican seeing this for twenty years, comes to the conclusion that everyone who
steps off a plane is rich. Then since the all-inclusives do not allow the
tourists to mingle with the locals, the uneducated Jamaican who did not benefit
from any of the money these tourists brought, goes home hungry to his family
and starts to plot how to get his share of the
foreign dollar. This is why it is so extremely important to educate our
children so they understand the tourist is just like you and me, but that
tourist worked hard for a long time to be able to afford the luxury lifestyle
for two weeks. And the child needs to understand that they too should study
hard get a job, work and save money to be able to enjoy a vacation in a similar
manner.
So is all hope lost for “Scamtego Bay” (formerly known as
Montego Bay), the rest of Jamaica and the young uneducated Jamaicans? No. Where
there is life. There is always hope! There are many young people who just like
me were fortunate to grow up around people with values and morals. Many young
people are right now trying to rebuild our communities, trying to initiate
fundraising activities to re-invest in Jamaica, forming youth clubs and
organizations to help children engage in productive activity and stay out of
gangs. It will be a slow process to undo over twenty years of damage, but the
process has to start somewhere. Yes there are young Jamaicans who have realized
the dream of their hardworking parents by graduating with their various degrees
from Colleges all over Jamaica (and the world). These children are the sons and daughters of
the the higgler, the taxi driver, the jerk chicken man with his jerk pan, the
carpenter, the plumber, the sky-juice man, the hand cart man, the housekeeper,
the janitor, the customer service desk clerk, the waiters, the cook, the
dishwasher, the bar staff, the JUTA tour bus driver, and other owners of small
businesses, who all labored with just the dream that one day their kids would
have a sound education, keeping them
going. These children who are now adults are bursting with fresh new ideas, new
initiatives, and are ready to breathe new life into our communities, into the
government, into the economy; ready to make changes, to challenge or remove old,
rigourous ways of doing things and replace with new efficient systems. They
understand how to use resources that the land has, instead of waiting for the
government to provide solutions. Where there is life there is hope!
So to collect my thoughts,
my major points are:
Learning Subjects like
psychology should be a requirement for all members of parliament; there
should be Clinical psychologists as well as psychiatrists as members of
parliaments when these people are making decisions that affect the lives of 3.5 million Jamaican
people;
People whose basic
needs are not being met will start to go crazy; This is why the people in Montego
Bay are going crazy; kids who grew up
seeing mommy and daddy get used by their own government have decided to take
matters in their own hands.
Most tourists who visit Jamaica are living their fantasy; most of these tourists
saved for maybe a whole year to live like a king or queen for two weeks, then
they go back home to their foreign country and to their 12 hour shift jobs.
Some of them have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet. The uneducated
Jamaicans (and please note again that many other Jamaicans are educated and do
not think in this manner and do live by morals and values) may think this is
the lifestyle that this tourist lives everyday back in their home country. So
they see everyone who steps off a plane as a walking dollar sign. Which is not
true. The educated Jamaican knows the
importance of making the visitors stay pleasant because a happy visitor will
come back the following year.
Invest in your children’s education; Even if you don’t have
money you can invest your time.Teach your kids morals,don’t wait for the
teachers to teach them, instill these principles at home. Sit and read the
Bible with them, take them to church; Start talking to your kids about current affairs from a
young age, be real with them and explain to them how hard you work for
everything you have; Let them know that nothing worthwhile comes easy or comes
to them for free. Even if they don’t understand at the time you teach them,
they will understand in time. They will have a firm foundation to stand on in
times of trouble; Education will help to lift the country and its people out of
poverty. Educated children will understand the value of hard work. Subjects
like psychology should be a mandatory
subject to be learned by all
students and I think education should be
free up to tertiary level; A well
educated population will lift the country out of poverty. They will understand
how to use resources that the land has, instead of waiting for the government
to provide solutions, and trying to plan how to scam elderly Americans; If these young minds are able to scam people out
of millions of dollars, imagine if those minds were educated and their mental
energy put to work on positive and meaningful projects? Imagine the millions
they would make to help lift Jamaica out of poverty?
The government should
develop a system where small business owners are benefitting more from the
revenue generated by Tourism, the majority of which is going to the
all-inclusives; programs should be put into place to educate small business owners; educated people will demand accountability
from their government. If you are a
small business owner, seek help on how to manage your business, Turning to
alcohol and marijuana is not going to make your problems with dealing with a
corrupt government go away. When you get over your hangover or get down back
fom your high, the problems will still be there waiting for you. If you are
struggling with abuse of alcohol and marijuana, get help before it is too late;
try to educate yourself on ways to make your business successful, go to the
library, talk to your local politician, make them accountable for their
promises they made when they were running for election; always do your best at
whatever you do and your hardwork will pay off;
All hope is not lost! Many young people are right now trying
to rebuild or communities, trying to initiate fundraising activities to
re-invest in Jamaica, forming youth clubs and organizations to help children
engage in productive activity and stay out of gangs. They understand how to use
resources that the land has. They do not sit down and wait for the government
to provide solutions. If you are one of those young people who are eager to
help your community but have not yet started, (for whatever reason), WELL THIS
IS YOUR CALL TO ACTION! Go join forces
with the others who are working to rebuild your community. Where there is life
there is hope!
For those of you who may
read this and continue to say to
yourself, “It’s not my problem, I have a nice job and my family is safe and we
are doing fine.” Well if you are doing fine, stop complaining about the crime
in Montego Bay and the rest of Jamaica and don’t be surprised if one of your
family members get murdered. If we are to determine what Montego Bay will look
like in 20 years. These are some of the major things we have to do. And my
Dad…well we don’t have the best relationship, I am even angry at him for some
of the decisions he made, but now I am beginning to understand why he thinks
the way he does and why he made some of the decisions he made. Despite his
struggle with alcohol, he always talked to me about current affairs from a
young age. This has made me very community service oriented. I don’t accept all
of his ideology, but I am beginning to understand him and well like I said, he
is still waiting for Seaga to come back to power…so please pray for him…
The Lyrics to Thundercats
I just want to give a shout out to everyone who grew up
watching Thundercats. Do you see the types of cartoons kids are watching
nowadays? Anyway here are the lyrics! Enjoy!
Lion-O:
Thunder, thunder
Thundercats, ho
Thundercats
Are on the move
Thundercats are loose
Feel the magic
Hear the roar
Thundercats are loose
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thundercats!!!
Thunder, thunder
Thundercats, ho
Thundercats
Are on the move
Thundercats are loose
Feel the magic
Hear the roar
Thundercats are loose
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thundercats!!!
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