Solution to the problems

[Morpheous]

OK I would like to hear some of your views on what solutions you would put in place if you were in a position to effect a positive change in Jamaica short or long term.

You can challenge others viewpoints but only where YOU will in return put forward your ALTERNATIVE solution to the problems.

I would want a independent committee that have TEETH to decipline, fire, fine or even imprison politicians that are connected directly or indirectly with violent crimes in Jamaica i.e. political crime during election time, sectarian crimes between supporters in opposing political areas.

I would also want targets set to educate/train the youths in the ghetto and other less privilige areas academically/technically so they can look forward to real jobs or starting up their own small businesses. This money would come from diaspora investments into these area setup by a goverment/private partnership to monitor success rates.

[Morpheous]

Re: Solution to the problems

Bump [img]/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Just as I thought [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70400-talktohand.gif[/img]

[niceniss]

Re: Solution to the problems

[ QUOTE ]
OK I would like to hear some of your views on what solutions you would put in place if you were in a position to effect a positive change in Jamaica short or long term.

You can challenge others viewpoints but only where YOU will in return put forward your ALTERNATIVE solution to the problems.

I would want a independent committee that have TEETH to decipline, fire, fine or even imprison politicians that are connected directly or indirectly with violent crimes in Jamaica i.e. political crime during election time, sectarian crimes between supporters in opposing political areas.

I would also want targets set to educate/train the youths in the ghetto and other less privilige areas academically/technically so they can look forward to real jobs or starting up their own small businesses. This money would come from diaspora investments into these area setup by a goverment/private partnership to monitor success rates.

[/ QUOTE ]

talk about pie in the sky my yute! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

who appoints this independent committee and who comprises it? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] how are their "teeth" granted?

me glad u a try still. atleast yuh recognise that politics is at the root of the problem. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]

[Hopyoneson]

Re: Solution to the problems

I say the Goverment should look closely at the Grants Pen model and implement the training and resource into the top ten communities that cause the most crimes in JA.

Close circuit Tv 24 hour monitoring for the areas that cause the most crimes and certain high traffic spots.

Releasing the money they are collecting from overseas calls in a timely fashion to revolutinize the education system and expand Jamal and HEART. Make it mandatory that juvenille and low risk offenders get the training while locked up in agriculture and other income generating skills.

Revamp our agriculture and rural model, pick certain cash crops to grow and concentrate on crops that we have the comparative advantage in. Legalize the weed and tightly control its cultivation exporting its by products such as hemp oil. Organize the farmers into coops growing the communiated chosen crop for export and local consumption. make it mandatory any hotels operating in Jamaica will buy x% percentage of crops locally.

Expanding the JSE to have a commodity markets to ensure the pricing of our agricultural products is market driven not ad hoc as it is currently done.

[KgnJa69]

Re: Solution to the problems

[ QUOTE ]
OK I would like to hear some of your views on what solutions you would put in place if you were in a position to effect a positive change in Jamaica short or long term.

You can challenge others viewpoints but only where YOU will in return put forward your ALTERNATIVE solution to the problems.

I would want a independent committee that have TEETH to decipline, fire, fine or even imprison politicians that are connected directly or indirectly with violent crimes in Jamaica i.e. political crime during election time, sectarian crimes between supporters in opposing political areas.

I would also want targets set to educate/train the youths in the ghetto and other less privilige areas academically/technically so they can look forward to real jobs or starting up their own small businesses. This money would come from diaspora investments into these area setup by a goverment/private partnership to monitor success rates.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm just seeing this since it was stuck dung a di bottom. Love your way of thinking big [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]. Until Jamaica demonstrate that it is serious about unethical behaviour in Politicians, the ism continues. In addition to politicians, corrupt law enforcement personnel needs to be addressed as well.

An image make over is a must! I suspect that Portia is trying to lift that image and continues to bump up against the old negative stereotypical thinking of: a-so-it-tam-from-back-inna-di-day-and-nothing-a-go-change! Therefore, an immediate effort to publicly tackle corruption would help clean up that immage going forward.

At the risk of sounding like I'm thinking backwards, I would like to see the National Youth Service re-introduced to engage the youths. I have to think deeper about the funding of course, but volunteerism helps to instill ownership and pride in the young.

[KgnJa69]

Re: Solution to the problems

Dr. Dudd post in the thread "The Madness Must End"!

[ QUOTE ]
Some years ago I authored a whole topic on the subject. including analysing the submissions by others on the topic.
The tipic wass in the archives.
incidentally many of the policies being put in place and introduced by both parties originated right here.
I sW THE TOPIC BUT SOMETIMES i LIKE TO STAY BACK AND WATCH OTHERS,BECAUSE I TEnd to be overpowring and some posters seem to feel intimidated to post if I do.
That has been the case in college too. My input has been restricted in most discussion,for that reason.
On here i am a bit more involved,because the future of the country means so much ,I can't afford to observe and not act.
With regards to th edebt
Jamaica does not have a 'massive debt' problem.
What it has is a massive lack of productivity.Irrespective of how much they lower debt. the productivity of the population wil not improve as a result. What the government's most urgent action is to invrease the productivity of the workers.
This will not happen until the country has adequate infrastructure to realize the productivity of it's lands.
This is because even if they produce 200,000 hotel rooms and increase the visitors to 10 million per year,the income of the workers will still be low,and their abillity to afford habitable homes will be jjjust like in Cayman (not even the police they can afford to pay the rents).
All of this is cause by an imbalance in developement. Jamaica needs irrigation. It needs irrigation,not only on the plains,as most people think,but in the hills too. they are going to say it wll be too expensive,but it can be done very cost effective. It only take some thinking.
Irrigation in Jamaica should not require tghe use of so many pumps,because Jamaica is a very hilly country that has high rainfall in the hills.

[/ QUOTE ]

[JM1]

Re: Solution to the problems

Here are some random thought Morpheous. Emphasis on random.

The work must start with the poor.

Poor people cannot be engaged in nation building in any serious way while they are hungry and have no rights.

The government needs to get serious about seeking debt forgiveness. Nothing anybody propose here will ever get done if most of the GDP is committed to repay loans.

The government must insure access to basic minimum of protein/calorie intake. Not years old chicken neck and back from Tennessee that "Free Trade" and the IMF mandated , but local food, from local farmers who need the support as well. Children will be fed nutritious meals at school and a food stamp program that is meaningful will provide access. Farmers will have a dedicated source of income and not have to compete with rotten food being dumped from abroad at below cost because First World countries will not allow it on their markets.

Money freed up from debt forgiveness must be channeled into housing solutions so people can live in dignity, pay teachers a living wage so that talented educators won't be running to Cayman and Bermuda the first chance they get and refurbish and build schools.

The lack of human rights must end if the police are to be trusted enough by poor people. Without their trust they cannot do anything about crime. It is only when the people and the police work together that crime will be brought under control. People who live in a given community know who the gunmen are and where they can be found. But they don't trust the police and in many cases fraid for police more than they fraid of the gunmen. Bigger and better guns can't do it. Rogue policemen who beat up, lock up and kill without any consequences must be removed from the force. Laws must be enforced equally. Can you imagine a group of police driving into Norbrook and shooting up Mr. Big's house on the pretext that a gunman was seen there at some unknown time in the past and there are no consequences ?

Tighter controls of our borders. Who are these Colombians and other foreign nationals without any visible means of support within our communities ? Why hasn’t Operation King Fish focused in them yet. Too many sprat and no Marlin getting caught.

Lock up the politicians who steal money from the public purse and/or who are involved with drug dealing. The bigger heads know who they are. But none of their hands are clean so nothing ever gets done.

Diasporic involvement in nation building. The brain drain can be reversed but there is no serious intent on the part of the government to involve the diaspora. Just a lot of yapping at meetings. Millions of Jamaicans with extraordinary talent exist outside the island borders yet we are employing the same old expats from the same old places giving them the same old preferential treatment that is denied to home grown talent. The "oonu tink oonu betta than wi" mind set must go. How come you don’t say that to the Englishman or the American and save your badmind for me?

There is a small number of people who have control over a large portion of the retail/business sector. Is their money staying in Jamaica ? In the case of the tourism industry the answer is no. How much is the economy really benefitting from the incentives being given to persons investing in this sector ? Is the benefit of the incentives being afforded those in this sector being maximised or are the deals being made out of Parliament's reach benifitting only a few ? Can you say Air Jamaica ? We need a new order of business when it comes to taxpayer's money !

[Sinco01]

Re: Solution to the problems

JM1 .. point taken .. but apart from Education, yuh need Health .. more Doctors, Nurses, Hospitals & clinics, Fire Depts w/Trucks

But like Dr Dudd says .. productivity is needed.

I have always advocated more dams and irrigation ... replanting Blue Mountain forests with coffe under growth ... terracing ... improve infrastructure water supply and electricity tops my list .. encourage business expansion .. the use of solar energy .. private cars must get at least 50 mpg everything else 40 mpg .. re-open and probaply expand the railroad .. rebuild sections of downtown Kingston...

We need to find a way to get out from importing so much "foreign stuff" ..

[wolmersboy]

Re: Solution to the problems

Instead of recruiting high-level ex-pat police, I would bring in the folks who train entry-level cops in England, Germany, US etc. to train our new cops. This would be the first step to make the force more professional and community-oriented. I would pay the police more, also. I want to attract the best and brightest out there to become police officers.
I strongly believe that if we get a better grip on crime, more people with the initiative, drive and entrepeneurial spirit will return and re-invest in Jamaica and help to lift the country out of the rut it is currently in.

[wolmersboy]

Re: Solution to the problems

Almost forgot: sell Air Jamaica. Immediately. The government has no business running an airline.

[KgnJa69]

Re: Solution to the problems

[ QUOTE ]
Almost forgot: sell Air Jamaica. Immediately. The government has no business running an airline.

[/ QUOTE ]
Isn't Air Jamaica privately owned and run by Buch? I thought he bought it off the Government a ;ong time ago... I could be wrong.

[JM1]

Re: Solution to the problems

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Almost forgot: sell Air Jamaica. Immediately. The government has no business running an airline.

[/ QUOTE ]
Isn't Air Jamaica privately owned and run by Buch? I thought he bought it off the Government a ;ong time ago... I could be wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

December 23, 2004

The Jamaican government is regaining control of national carrier Air Jamaica in a debt swap as its majority shareholder decided to pull out of the airline, officials said on Thursday.

Finance and Planning Minister Omar Davies said Air Jamaica would revert to full government control within weeks and the debt-laden carrier would be recapitalized.

"Air Jamaica will be restructured and we will sell it as soon as it is possible to do so," Davies told reporters.

Air Jamaica, beset by rising wage bills, high fuel prices and the lingering impact on Caribbean tourism of the September 11, 2001, attacks, has racked up debts of more than USD$560 million. About USD$236 million of that amount is owed to the government.

Since a private group, headed by hotel mogul Gordon "Butch" Stewart, took over the airline in 1994, it has lost USD$682 million. The private group owns 78 per cent of the shares, with the government owning the rest.

"I am relieved that I am giving up this airline," Stewart told journalists.

The 35 year old carrier transports 55 per cent of all passengers to Jamaica, and its pilots are among the highest paid in the industry, with senior pilots earning in excess of USD$234,000 a year.

Stewart is being replaced as chairman by Vin Lawrence, an engineer and close associate of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, and veteran banker Aubyn Hill is replacing long-time chief executive Chris Zacca.

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

[wolmersboy]

Re: Solution to the problems

Thanks, JM! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Solution to the problems

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks, JM! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
Still maintain that the government has np business in theaieline business?
If you do ware you willing to pay a premium to visit jamaica if the government gives up Air Jasmaica and the resultant reduction in seats cause price increase on tickets to Jamaica?
Not to mention the other visitors.

[n.c.rootswoman]

Re: Solution to the problems

<font color="blue">WATER treatment facilities</font>
Put the prison system on infastructure [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70402-thinking.gif[/img]