OPPOSITION LEADER Edward Seaga has charged that the governing People's National Party (PNP) has lost control of the economy, the criminal justice system and other crucial areas of governance. He said the PNP has been reduced to a caretaker government incapable of providing economic growth after 11 years in office.
He also blasted the P.J. Patterson-led administration for "selling off" the country because of its inability to manage and asserted that the country was now in the deepest crisis it has been since Independence as it was now unclear who was running the Government.
Mr. Seaga was speaking yesterday at the JLP's constituency lconference for East Rural St. Andrew at the Donald Quarrie Comprehensive High Schoo where newcomer Dr. Ronald Robinson, was formally presented to constituents.
In pointing to what he said were weekly prison breaks, Mr. Seaga said the Government had recently considered putting the operations of the prisons into private hands, another sign that it was unable to manage.
He charged that the move to divest the state-owned Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) was also an indication of mismanagement by the Government. "They (the PNP) can't grow the economy as piece by piece they are selling out they selling out the banks, they selling out the insurance companies, they selling out everything because they can't manage," he said.
The Opposition Leader also said the JLP was opposed to the divestment of the Sangster International Airport. "What that means is that for you to come into your own country you have to walk through foreign soil to get there.
Somebody (is) going to own that piece of land that you call the airport, who is a foreigner, and you (will) have to beg pass to come into your own country," said Mr. Seaga. "This is a sign of mental deterioration and desperation in the minds of the People's National Party government."
The matter, he said, is to be discussed today at a sitting of the Standing Committee of executive of the JLP.
On the issue of crime and the drug scandal rocking the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Mr. Seaga said the Government's inability to grow the economy in the past six years had resulted in social and economic frustration, which in turn had led to an epidemic of crime in the country.
He noted that the breakdown of law and order had resulted in an increase in the number of robberies taking place, extortion of businesses and an increase in drug activity "to the point where we now have reason to believe that our police force has been seriously contaminated".
According to the Opposition Leader, when the police are compromised, the government was no longer in control of the country. He lamented that the country had reached the stage where the government has "lost control of the economy, lost control of running the various departments of government and now it is losing control of the criminal justice system." He said this had come about in such a manner that "we all have to be fearful and frightened as to what is in store for us in the future."
The JLP leader said it had never happened before where policemen at the very top of the Jamaica Constabulary are in the control of drug dealers.
Mr. Seaga, who was in an upbeat mood and clearly buoyed by recent opinion polls which shows the JLP making significant gains on the PNP, promised that a future JLP government that will restore faith in the justice system, create meaningful employment and produce literate graduates from the secondary school system.
He said it was not justice to kill a man because he smokes a (ganja) spliff while senior policemen are making millions dealing in drugs. "Stop worry bout di small fry and go get di big fish. Catch di whale and leave the sprat alone," he said to thunderous applause.
Bumbo! Siggi a play politricks to the Teeeee. "The country is in the deepest crisis since independence?" Is that to suggest that things were rosy before independence? For who? For Siggie, Sheara, Manly, Busta and the rest of the Bakra gang. For the masses of the Jamaican people? Naaaagh. The people have more power now than they ever had in our history. We just need to take it. We just need to cease it.
The interesting revelation from Mr seaga's comments is the skillful change of sides occuring in Jamaican politics. It happened before. At the inception of these 2 parties the JLP was to the left and the PNP was to the right. During the 70's 80's and a greater part of the 90's the JLP(despite its name) switched and became the 'conservative' party because the PNP went left. The JLP was for privatization of government run operations like the PWD,JPS,JOS etc. that's what Seaga ran on and it was them started the privatization efforts. The socialists, PNP, were for more centralized government running of these infrasctructures. Now we are having a flip flop again. It just goes to show you that these men have no real convictions 'they just want to be the rulers in the house of the rising sun'. at all costs.
The other skillful move on the part of Mr Seaga was to play on the small man with the Big fish small fry joke. He is reaching out to the spliff smoking segment of the population ??? "It is injustice to kill a man for smoking a spliff while senior blah blah ...". Why does a man not have the right to smoke a spliff yet other GUYs have the right to drink rum and bun cigarettes? The vices of these GUYs are always guaranteed while we are all brainwashed to see something evel in a spliff. Back Weh Siggie, and stop use man fi win yuh election. Siggie should realize that his time has come and gone. Give it up Siggie...
PJ, he is a next one. Him doing the switch ting tooo. Him was there during the 'democratic socialism' movement of Manly. Now him get rich and switch. As Capleton say, big time sell out a gwaan be carefull who yuh let in 'pon di farm. Gogs!
dem a Gogs demaGogues piliticains a Gogs. dem a Gogs. demaGogues mek wi lik dem wid logs.
...Ok, don't hurt dem, jus' vote dem out.
Chapter 2.
The people need to rise up and take the country. I won't say 'take it back' because we never really had it. We always come close to having it but we always get sham. We got shammed when we transitioned from slavery to colonialism. We should have declared a better republic then using the model that Haiti had as a reference to do soimething better. We got shammed when we transitioned from colonialism to this fiasco we call independence. We should have opted for something more meaningful out of the the 'Caribbean federation' thing. Now we are getting shafted again by Gogs.
We the people need to rise up and take stock. We have the opportunity to declare a republic unlike any the world have ever seen. One that truly holds the brotherhood and equality of man the center of its creed. We don't need to follow any Machiavellian 'rights and declarations' crafted to fool the masses as we have seen in these 'model' constitutions. We can be truthful. We have a unique history. We can use it as our guide to declare the emancipation of man; to abolish the exploitation of man by men; to abolish the exploitaion of one country by another country.
We can truly craft a republic where youths have dreams and a means for achieving those dreams. Where the basic freedom guaranteed to all citizen without regard to race and religion is practiced and not just expressed in fancy documents.
The 21st century holds many promises of freedom for those who want to cease it. Some a look to the north. Three quarters of a century ago Marcus said 'LOOK TO THE EAST' now, man an' man a 'LOOK TO THE BEAST'. I look to Jamaicans, I look to Africans to make that move.
Stop the injustices and the violence will cease. Vote out the clowns and the circus will stop. People get ready! this is NOT baba bum time.
That is one of the more questionable statements I've heard all year. Maybe you should explain that one before I say anything more.
Using haiti as a model? Come on.
The only thing good socioeconomically about Haiti is that the slaves took the country themselves.
I won't say anything more other than that Haiti is now the poorest country in the western hemisphere (i'm sure you're aware of that) and their political and economic systems are in shambles. The country is in chaos.
Absent, and, usually, in spite of communism you are ALWAYS going to find a rich few attempting to exercise their will over a poor many. There are always going to be those who are greedy who use any means to get more no matter the cost to the country. Corruption abounds in those situations.
If you look at it, racism for the most part is probably based the same if not more on economic variables rather than ethnocentrism--which may be a secondary variable.
One of Haiti's problems is that it was a black country trying to maintain itself in a white world. Good luck. Did I say in a racist white world. People in power want more power, and what they can't control, they kill. They couldn't control Haiti, so how could we have expected them to support it.
Haiti's only solution is to be self sufficient. However, with lack of education, burgeoning population, poverty, greed by the wealthy, and ABSOLUTELY NO foreign investment to develop what is there. Well...you should knnow the result at this point; just watch the news.
My point is that sometimes you have to work within the system upon which you are dependent to advance. If you are able to be self-sufficient or independent, then that is another story. Jamaica has too much internal problems to be self-sufficient, among those are the problems which rock Haiti. I know you said do something better. More easily said than done, you must first be self sufficient.
My understanding is it is NOT getting better, it is getting worse. Worse now than just 2 or 3 years ago as reflected by increases in crime.
Jamaica needs to invest more in educating its people. An educated population will be more responsible (I know its easy to say in theory, but it is a model which works given time. It is also true in practice). We would think this might have some effect on controlling population growth.
Maybe the powers in place need to be replaced. But anything which leads to instability will be a SERIOUS blow to Jamaica. No foreign investment. Unless industry is developed at home, we have no hope of self-sufficiency. Unfortunately we are more limited in our valuable natural resources. The tourism industry is taking blows every day because of the increases in crime. We are hurting ourselves.
What we need is a leader who understands politics and socioeconomics and who is less driven by greed and more by an honest will to help the country. Unfortunately, our leaders think of themselves first and the country second. It is human nature, but it is not desirable for a leader.
All due respect to the man them who lick the herb...but I suspect that the gravamen of Bunny Wailers platform will be the legalization of weed. While it may have positives (and I am not necessarily against it), I don't know if it will impart confidence to have herb smoke billowing out of Jamaica House.
It's funny how them fight gainst country like Jamaica, but don't fight gainst country like Holland, where it is legal to smoke it. WHY you may ask? Holland is a first world power, they are rich, and self sufficient, and don't need no support from nobody (meaning the U.S.A.).
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Obama/Biden 2012 - We need people who actually think in charge, though they should learn to lead!
Africa is not free. It is being bled dry by. You ever wonder why in the "elite" sports, Africa, our ancestral home, is represented by white people.
Africa is not free. Free Africa. It has the resources to make us all strong. We are made to war amongst ourselves in Africa to distract us from the real slaughter. Our own political and economic slaughter as a people from starvation due to theft of natural resources.
PEACE
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Obama/Biden 2012 - We need people who actually think in charge, though they should learn to lead!
Registered: 10/28/99
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Dart nuff respect mi breddrin ah long time. It's a very poor policy when the Govt only can raise revenue other than borrowing from divesting the statutory Govt owned ammenties, this displays one thing no economic policy and a failure to stimulate any kind of growth whatsoever. Cement Company, JPSCo now Sangster makes you wonder. Short term solutions are all this Govt has a vested interest or quick fix. There planning and organisation is non existent, there policies are woeful even the security of the island and our people is under jeopardy, simply serious times.
What is this I am hearing about PJ outbidding Bruce Willis for a chateau or something to that effect in France? Is he using our Tax dollars for his leisure?
Also what is this I am hearing about the very well minded Paulwell being caught by his wife with another &"% in bed.
Anyhow, if it is real, we already have the Haiti syndrome taking over, and he needs to be dealt with resolutely.
I want to know where him get the money from.
Star, things like that make man blood boil. So I hope you joking. If it's true, he is no better than any white man, an it just shows what I believe that it is economics which comes before racism.
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Registered: 10/21/99
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Bwoy mi tell you the situation touch mi heart bredda Dart. It seems like everybody a wait fi the US invasion, people no longer thinking they can make a difference and have no leaders with vision to look up to.
Registered: 08/11/00
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Once again forumites I must interject on this subject matter.From Earth to heaven I am so angry,confused,and most of all diappointed. Reading this bit of information has put tears in mine eyes and I am not a person moved by simle events but the passion, LOVE, Respect which I have for JAMAICA is much more than I have for myself. This is not an understatement!! I have devoted the last10 years to studying economics and politics here in the United States to return when I think I will be of some profitable use to Jamaica.My masters is completed in May of 2001 in Public Policy Economics, after which I will have 3 years to complete my quest and that is LAW SCHOOl which I got a deferment to UCONN(Aug."01"). In my heart I believe that I will one day become a very influencial leader in my HOMELAND. At this moment I feel powerless to help but my people please ban yu belly.I know that may seem hopeless to many but before I put myself first I do hope I am ousted before I can do destruction to my Country. The situation is growing evermore desperate for Jamaicans on the Island and Politicians are again playing tricks on the masses.A recent posting on the forum saw Opposition Leader Seaga critiquing the present government and its policies BUT those were his former agenda. Not only that he was being investigated by the FBI for alledgedly money laundering in the Caribbean plus possible fraudulent activities in acquring La Carinosa in St.ANN,The Grand Cayman Banking activites by him is also in question. But the U.S is fully behind illicit activities and he has major ties to the US government and their financial institutions.But everday bucket a go a well one day di bottom a go drop out.(BOB MARLEY) It is all political rhetoric on the masses who are deemed poor and ignorant. Colonialism is a B@#%! . He has a heart to sughgest why catch the small man and not the big man. I wonder if most of these big men ever take a look in the mirror. Please reply cause this hits the heart deepest. OUT OF MANY ONE PEOPLE. Long live Jamaica - NO FOREIGN INTERVENTION!!
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Give me half a chance and I'll make it one
Bwoy shaggy mi hear you star but you have things out of context.
In 1838 the the model Haiti had was a metter model than the colonial system that Jamaica adopted or more accuratly got led into. Not that we should have copied it but we could have learned from it an put forward something better. The 100 and sixty years that followed and the effects it had on Haiti was due to deliberate policies of isolation from other coutries in the region and a raping of the masses by the bourgeois ruling class.
"Haiti is an experiment that we can not afford to let succeed" -Thomas Jefferson.
It is often times relevant to look at the causes and not just the effects.
I man dont proport to have all the answers to our islans problems but i amn know seh the real problem s we are seeing now did not start yesterday, they have started way back when we decided as a country to let the English colonial masters dictate to us which direction we should go in and why we should go there ... and some how creat a police state and now the very police who we gave all the power to are turning against the very establishment who gave them power to control the masses, Gentlemen i submit to you that the problem in jamaica did not happen overnight, while what Mr. Seaga says is true i can find alot of the same or even worse things in his administration too so its easy to stand on the sideline and take potshots at the courrent admin but when your in there doing it your self its hard , but i do agree with him on almost all of his cretique of how the Jamaican government is runned,
I have to go back to what a youth name Dart said in another post some time back ....THE JAMAICAN CONSTITUTION SHOULD BE EXPOSED TO THE JAMAICAN PEOPLE IN A PUBLIC FORUM......so the people them selves can see it for what is,its a document of theives, it was designed , writen , and printed by thieves and rapers and robers, from England remember when our constitution was writen it was writen when we did not have independence..and it was writen by the same plantation masters who held all the wealth and power at the time, Buster Mante and Norman Manley was hand picked by these same men.... if any cuntry man in the house let mi hear unno... (you cant let the fox hand pick the guard who will guard the hen house) thats madness...like Malcom X said the chickens have come home to roust,the answer to me lyes with the educated few who left the rock a while back who have a fresh perspective and somone who have bin in jamaica their whole life and grew up there and became an adult there and has left to better them selves abroad and see and feel the pain and know the need and have the education and compassion on his own people to stand up and take the hard blows for them , because there will be blows from the powers that be , no one wants to let go of power no matter what and thats why i said it will take a revalotion to bring about this change ....nothing less however if and when this change come about we must embrace it and REWRITE THE JAMAICAN CONSTITUTION and put somone who loves jamaica enough to give up his life for it when the gong gets tough and somone who has the brains and somone who dont come from the same system thats there now thats why i suggest somone from abroad , it will take more than one person but there has to be a leader with focus and vision and forsight and most important of all is compassion and education , we need all the expatreates to come back and build up the country ....we need people who are willing to make the hard sacrefices that it will take.. peace.. nothing can happen until the people them selves know the whole truth nothing can hapen until.........peace...
Registered: 02/16/01
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Loc: Toronto Canada
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The important thing to note is that Hatian created their own model (even though infested with corruption and doomed to fail) while we are still trying to figure out ours. It could not work because they were virtually isolated by the rest of the world.
They are still paying the price for fighting and winning what was rightfully theirs - FREEDOM. It was a great insult to the colonial powers to see a small island took on the might FRANCE and BRITAIN - and won.
We are still obiding by a British constitution - incidentally the British don't even have a written constitution for themselves.
The model that Jamaica should have followed was the 'Asian tigers' - more specifically that of Singapore.
Backup a little ....
Similarities : 1. Jamaica and Singpore relatively the same size. 2. Got their independence about the same time from Britain. 3. Population was about the same at that time.
Differences: 1. Jamaica was rich in natural resources and agricultural products - bauxite, sugar,banana, coffee and other non traditional products. Singapore had an almost barren land. 2. Jamaica had thriving tourism industry...Singapore had nothing the world was interested in seeing.
Did you know that the prime minister of Singapore - Lee Kuan Yew - came to Jamaica in the 1960's to investigate and possible copy the Jamaican economic model. He realised that Jamaica was doing so well that he wanted to copy what we were doing.
When he came and saw that most of our prosperity was due mainly to our natural resources he left with his head hanging and decided to invest 100% in educating his people.....now try comparing Jamaica to Singapore.
If BUSTA and Norman Manley (JC Old boy) had set the trend from then by educating the people of Jamaica we would have been a 'super power' right now.
I would not put too much into what Seaga is saying right now. He is the opposition so he has to talk like that.
I agree with you double b. One other thing that I've heard to be true. Something I consider to be a key difference as well. I understand that the eastern cultures incorporate more conservative, collective, disciplinarian values. This I believe grounded in religion, respect for tradition on elders. Particularly in singapore today. Jamaica doesn't have that I guess in part because we have no longstanding tradition of our own. That's probably been left somewhere back in Mozambique.
I follow you Ddread.
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Obama/Biden 2012 - We need people who actually think in charge, though they should learn to lead!
the answer to our problems in not found in other nations successes its found in our selves , remember what Bob said (NONE BUT OURSELVES CAN FREE OUR MINDS!!! )in other words we must come up with a soultion that can work for us , what works for another country might not work for us , as a matter of fact i am sure it will not work for us because there are no other people on the face of this earth like JAMAICANS we are a unique people with a different kind of culture we are not lake any other people on earth our music suggest this including our culture , we must tailor fit the new system to fit our uniqueness not try fo pirate somones elses system .. thats we have bin doing all this time to no avail... peace...
Another story and more attention....There was talk of getting together and create funds to establish a political party for the people and Jamaica....Is this idea still on???? When is the elections anyway?
I agree with you all,even Seaga but I wouldn't let him lead my country again but the most important point comes from Rudi.... We the Jamaicans living abroad....Now is the time to take the country back.
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They make the world so hard
Greetings...gentlemen, I share your grief immensely. As a matter of fact tears came to mine eyes when I see a man such as Mr. Seaga talking like that. He is one of the greatest arhitect and perpetrator of what's taking place in the country right now. Double B you are right, he will talk like that because he is on the other side of the fence right now but sadly what he is saying is true. Total manipulation of poor people's mind and way of thinking.
Assassin, Myyout, Atownrudi...much respect as usual. Gentlemen, we NEED TO START SOMETHING this is too frightening. We cannot just sit aside and watch tyrants take over and ruin our country like this !
Atownrudi...I respect your views immensely. We need to stop pattern our leadership and way of doing things against those of other countries. We are a unique set of people and no one knows the answer and solution to our problems more than us or should I say no one should know better than us.
Shaggey...whoever says Patterson is trying to out bid some rich guy in some foreign country for some foreign entity may just be right, I would not be surprised. Jamaica is going to end up just like Haiti. Pretty soon you are going to hear that Patterson grab all he can and run to another country, mark my word 'ites just watch it.
None of these guys are fit to run the country, none of them. They should all be placed before the firing squad or be burned at the stakes thats the honest truth. Poor people are SUFFERING gentlemen!!! I am so f**K**g mad you would never know. I am so sick right now, I will not say anything else. Let me go and calm my nerves, I will get back to you guys at a later time.
We have diagnosed the problem but like JT said we need to move past the rhetoric. If you guys are that passonate about our country the e-mail D Dreat at ddread_ja@yahoo.com so that we can try to be a part of the solution.
As I was heading up to Fort Lauderdale from Miami I remember how I man face jus screw up fi a five minutes(albeit because mi did hungry to, and you done know how man get vex quick when them hungry). Why? for the same thing you mentioned. I was going to mention something about it but I couldn't even bother. It seemed to me as well that we had all these plans to do something and just as we are on the fringe to take the next step, everybody hold to make somebody else make a move.
That is the kind of thing that leads people to not get involved, because everybody want everybody else to take the lead.
I know everybody busy. Believe me the reason you see me on line so much is that oft days I work from 9-10 or more. Tonight I anticipate till after 12 midnight.
I assume that is why everbody holds off, but still if all we going to do is talk, why even bother.
I better lock off now because I man a get hungry again.
Anyway, I have a major assignment due tomorrow, so I will be here during the break them.
MYYOUT. Yow, I have to wonder if I know you personally. I notice you based up in Gainesville. Except for a couple years between degrees, I was up at UFlorida for 10 years. Left in '98. Did the Caribsa thing as undergrad and was a founding member of the Caribbean Law Student Association. I don't know what their presence is like on Main campus right now.
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Obama/Biden 2012 - We need people who actually think in charge, though they should learn to lead!
