Jamaica! Jamaica! I Love You!: July 2013

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!!!

Jamaica! Jamaica! I Love You!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Is Uncle Demon Raising your kids?

Confessions of a … Montego Bay Businessman