Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future
THIS is my last column for 2011, and just as Christmas is often a time for reflection, especially when families and friends get together, I have been reflecting on the past year of writing.
I find it unfortunate that at this juncture I could reuse, in 2012, some columns from earlier this year because little progress has been made on some of the topics I have covered and suggestions made. Progress is important, but when it moves too slowly there are risks that by the time the agreed changes are implemented it would be too late.
In the same way I am reflecting and somewhat disappointed, I am sure many people are reflecting on what Christmas used to be like in the past for them, comparing it to the present and wondering about the future.
Citizens and businesses thrive on certainty, and Jamaica is in an uncertain place right now. It is up to which party forms the next Government to move as quickly as possible to provide some certainty in the way forward. I had believed that Vision 2030 was certain, and reading through that document with timelines put in place through the Medium Term Socio-Economic Framework allowed me to imagine Christmas in the future in Jamaica.
Improved healthcare for all because more money was spent on health, thanks to an improved economy. A more efficient transportation system for people to be with family because real improvement had taken place and the trains were running islandwide again. People far less fearful because the police force was improved and more courteous. Workers in the tourism sector enjoying the winter tourist season even more because not only did more tourists arrive but they spent more money on their trip instead of seeing increasing numbers but less spend per visitor. Tons of Christmas lights in various towns because energy costs had finally gone down.
It is interesting to fit Jamaica’s situation into Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows him the family of Bob Cratchit where they are reasonably happy, but Cratchit cannot seek medical care for his sick young son Tiny Tim because he is not paid a decent wage by Scrooge.
Bob Cratchit represents an unfortunately large number of Jamaicans, but with no user fees Tiny Tim might be able to get medical care.
There is a slight chance, however, that there might be no medication or other supplies in stock. Who then is Scrooge? The government who cannot pay workers enough so that they could afford user fees? The businesses that underinvest in their staff? The IMF, following neoliberal economic policies that encourage cutting government spending in the middle of a recession and thus harming social spending?
Jamaicans in 2012 will be looking back on the past more than any other time. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed Scrooge his days of innocence and also some unhappy times, losing his girlfriend because of his decisions, the other children going off for the holidays and leaving him behind. Jamaicans will look back and see similar scenes on the national stage: Gaining independence, an innocent new country filled with hope but then having to watch most of our peers go off and enjoy far more than we have since.
Most of the countries that gained independence around the same time, having similar per capita incomes, have grown by leaps and bounds ahead of Jamaica. Their citizens have enjoyed far more since their independence and they have not lost as many citizens to migration. Decisions made by successive administrations have driven some people away, have driven investment in vital areas away and cost the country dearly in terms of performance.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come finally shows Scrooge how he is treated upon death because of his actions in life and also shows him that Tiny Tim is dead even though his disease was curable if Cratchit just had a little more money.
Some people certainly equate the IMF to Scrooge and would rejoice if its current form ceased to exist. In terms of the Government I would say the same. The workers who had a contract for salary increases were surprised that a government tried not to honour that contract so they cannot be blamed if they were to rejoice at the death of that type of behaviour.
How many Jamaicans have needlessly died because of our healthcare situation, the education system failing them and thus finding them on street corners hustling, or the failure for years to root out crime which claimed many innocents? How many Tiny Tims has Jamaica had?
The good thing about the future is that it can be altered because it is not yet written. Jamaica, like Scrooge, can change the path and have a brighter future, but it takes will and determination.
We already know what needs to be done, it is all written in Vision 2030. We just need politicians and citizens committed to seeing the plan through and getting us back on track.
Jamaica has benefited from many lessons since Independence and from the lessons of other countries that made similar mistakes. By the end of the story Scrooge said “I will not shut out the lessons that they teach” and I hope that Jamaicans share the same sentiment.
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.
David Mullings was the first Future Leaders representative for the USA on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board. He can be found on Twitter at twitter.com/davidmullings and Facebook at facebook.com/InteractiveDialogue