Dear Editor,

Why Professor Neville Ying, a highly educated man, would want to waste time on something he has no control over is beyond me. The people in the Diaspora Organisation might want to think what the priority of the organisation is and leave foreign governments alone.

Of course, we would like to see our brightest and talented youngsters showing off their skills in their particular fields in foreign countries. However, we cannot put pressure on the foreign governments to let them in. If the Jamaican Government doesn’t need its citizens, why do you think foreign governments are going to take them?

With more than 1,700 people murdered last year and over 500 already murdered in three months this year in Jamaica, nobody can tell me Jamaica needs its citizens.

The foreign governments set their requirements for getting a visa or work permit and no amount of lobbying will change that. These people follow rules and regulations, unlike us in Jamaica, who believe in talking to the “right person” to get things done.

The Finns have their Diaspora organisation here in Brussels, but foreign governments and their own government are not their priority. Their priority is to help the citizens of Finland who are living in Brussels to choose the right place to live, to recommend the best schools, the best gas and electricity company and Internet provider and so on. There is a church where the Finns and their families can go to worship, a library with Finnish books, TV rooms with Finnish programmes and shops selling Finnish products.

The Jamaica Diaspora organisations in England, Canada and USA must build solid foundations so that Jamaicans outside of the country can come together on a regular basis to discuss how they can help each other to be good citizens/residents in their adopted countries, which in turn would send a positive message back home.

We cannot ignore the fact that our citizens are carrying a bad name at home and abroad, and foreign governments are taking notice. We need to show other countries we are changing before they can change their policies.

The Jamaica Diaspora Organisation will continue to be a laughing stock if it continues to take up the wrong assignments just for publicity. People are tired of the publicity stunt and it is time to drop the half-baked ideas and come with real solutions that will help Jamaicans to stay out of trouble in their adopted countries.

Cloggy Seba

Brussels, Belgium

cloggyseba@hotmail.com