From: richard@auvax1.adelphi.edu
Subject: Jamaica To Perdition - The Real Deal!
Organization: Adelphi University, Garden City NY
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 03:35:40 GMT

	Well,
	    I must admit that I like the fact that some hard issues are being
discussed about our homeland, though there is some confusion still abounding
about who I am in respect to what I have written.  Some simply did not fully or
accurately grasp what I am trying to bring to light, and it is in this respect
that I hope to clear up some confusion.  Indeed, certain individuals have gone
so far as to calling me a class conscious sellout.  I must laugh, because if
they knew me and what I have done (and am still doing) they would realize that
nothing could be further from the truth.  Still, though I do believe that the
message is valid no matter who the messenger is, as truth and logic stand alone
in my view, I will nontheless attempt to let those concerned know where I am
coming from with what I said.
	I was born in St. Andrew, Jamaica in March, 1969.  From that time until
now I have never left Jamaica for one complete year apart from two years spent
between Scotland and England at ages three and four when my father (Guyanese)
was obtaining his Opthalmology degree at the Royal College of Surgeons.  So, I
have been constantly in touch with the progression of Jamaican society.  Ok. I
admit that my father, being a specialist in Jamaica, automatically places me 
in the upper social levels.  This, I assure you, is simply a matter of
economics.  I am concerned about all people, especially the poor and black. Ask
any of the young so-called street urchins in Ligunea who Richie and Ronnie (my
brother) are and you will have your answer as to if I am some high class
socialite. I completely shunned all so called friends who even hinted at class 
superiority in their behavior, so I had very few as people of this type are 
very many.  Still, this is not about me, this is about how slavery created a
system of color discrimination and corresponding class division between
Jamaican people.
	Now...to those individuals who reiterate that Jamaica has always had
crime and problems....NO SHIT!.   And I have been through some of the worst of
it.  And it does not matter if there is worse or equal crime in Brooklyn or 
wherever else - we are talking about Jamaica only in relation to its own 
history - 
 
      <I hate to restate the obvious but for some people to get it one 
sometimes has to do the thinking for them>  

- now things have reached a head.  I love Jamaica just as much as the other
guy, but we have to start some dialogue and get to some solutions before the
opportunities to save Jamaica are gone or become increasingly difficult. I
absolutely hate some of the crap that has been going on, especially the
treatment of the poor by the police.  I feel almost how some conscientious 
whites must have felt after the Rodney King verdict - ashamed that in my land
of which I am so proud the police protect the wealthy and abuse the poor.  Yes,
I know that this has always happened but it is growing much worse.  That is my
focus.  Every negative thing is getting worse.  No weh no betta dan yard?  That
soon be done with, if not already. The only saving grace here is that guns have
been undere severe control. Otherwise, hello wild wild west. 
Look, we are out here in the big world talking about how Jamaica nice, and how 
some of us had a good time when we were there.  I don't know how they were able
to look past the suffering of the people and enjoy themselves. I am just one of
those types who cannot be really happy unless I know that everyone is at least 
doing a little better than surviving - and that must be the biggest question on
all visitors minds 
- How do the people manage to live? - 
especially when you see yourself blowing almost a grand daily just 
getting something to eat three times a day plus a little more. Focus on the 
positive things? Only a fool focuses on the positives of his sinking ship - we
need to talk and act NOW-NOW-NOW! Excuse my expeletives but FUCK all the 
BULLSHIT. I'll tell you some of what we need to do.

1.  Create jobs.  How?  Develop local industry.  How? End the importation of
foreign goods and give local goods a chance.  Now to the confused individual/s 
who stated that local goods were better than foreign goods....Really now. That
is only applicable to very few relatively cheap goods like Ketchup or bread or
locally produced goods like jerk chicken and escovietch fish.  Kellogs
conflakes and Grace cornflakes were placed side by side.  Kellogs has
scientists, top machinery, and at least a hundred year start on Grace and is 
thus much better in texture, etc. Still, Grace is at least tolerable, but could
improve if it got a chance...but that old Jamaican highminded-but-poorness. 
They would rather buy Kellogs at several times the cost of Grace. Increasing
the cost of foreign goods via taxation just does not work in Jamaica.
Shoes?  No one buys Bata bouncers anymore - its Nike or Reebok or Travel Fox. 
Who imports them?  The wealthy whites, asians or browns etc.  Who loses?  The
poor blacks etc. Look at the recent devaluation.  People either went one of two
ways - they either got much poorer or much richer.  Some stocks saw a more than
a 300% increase - maan, millionaires were popping up everywhere. Also, store
owners that had bought goods at previous dollar rates now sold them at the
higher dollar prices.  And when the dollar came down a bit - they bought goods
at the lower dollar price - but sold them at higher dollar prices saying that
the stocks being sold were purchased during the higher dollar rate period. 
This went on until people began to wonder when that old stock would ever be
done.  The rich get richer, and the poor die (Mutabaruka).

2. Severely prosecute all acts of fraud.
How?  develop some kind of impartial 'untouchable' prosecution team to try the
cases.  As highminded living became more widespread and people's bank accounts
weree depleted due to soaring costs of living - the scandals have ensued. 
Bank tellers were running off to the USA or Europe having embezzled millions of
dollars, often US dollars. Some banks were conducting illegal purchasing of
foreign exchange on the black market, which was only discovered when one of 
their secret couriers was set up and robbed of millions of US$.  
I do not have to tell you how this kind of behavior hurts the country. 
Big business owners often cheat on import taxes. The biggest scandal to go down
before I left was a car importation scandal in which about 40 1993 Benzes, 
Pathfinders, BMW's, you name it, were coming in DUTY FREE!  
Now,for the uninformed, car duty is 300% of the original cost, 
part payable in US dollars. Of course, these cars were reserved for the 
(shhhhh! - rich people).  There was a big uproar.  These persons were called 
upon to pay their share of duty.  Now, the normal habit of the government is to
print the names of the guilty for all to see, but these persons are apparently
above the law and as far as I have heard none have been prosecuted or had their
names revealed despite mounting public pressure. actually - car duties are due
to be dropped soon - whether some of these cars will be sneaked in under the
new lower duty is a probable speculation.

3.  Improve the transportation system.
How? - reinstate government control. I sorely miss the jolly buses of my school
days.  They were slow and clumsy but you could at least breathe in them, and 
they got you to your destination without injury to yourself or any one else on
the road - and all schoolers were quite welcome. 
Privitization only results in road hogs who will do anything to fill their
vehicles. So much waste in crashed vehicles and human lives lost...not to
mention the hours spent trying to get into one and the unnecessary
counterproductive stress at the beginning and end of every work day.  It was
surely less costly to the Nation to keep it under government control.

4.  Environmental awareness and protection.
How?  By any god damn means necessary.  Tourism is our main export now that 
weed has been mostly done away with.  We cannot afford to let our environment 
continue to be degraded in the way that it is being now, or we can kiss the 
pretty blue seas and white sand beaches goodbye. I have yet to hear of any 
serious work being done in this area.  What are they waiting on? Tourists to 
stop coming back?...It kills me sometimes.

	I could go on and on, but I hope you see the folly in continuing to say
'Jamaica nice' when it is most definitely not that nice anymore.  Go take the a
cold shower in reality.  Look at how tourists mockingly laugh at the saying 'No
Problem'. See for yourself how many hours school children have to wait just to
get to school to learn.  Do you know the main problem in teenagers in Jamaica
is today? (that is, short of early pregnancy & sexual abuse).  Ulcers.  Stomach
ulcers from stress and poor eating - and I am not surprised.  
So much shit is going on, I do not know how those well wishers missed it.  
Perhaps they move among the rich, and therefore may have blissfully bypassed 
the bigger picture for the rich live better than we do in the USA.
I for one move amongst the rich and the poor.  I have seen the stark contrast
in their lives, and I know clearly the reasons for it.  There is no doubt in my
mind exactly what is going on, and I suggest that the unaware go listen to the
revalations of Mutty (Wilmot Perkins) who springs forth the truth on Radio while
risking his life.  People have been done away with for less.  Like I have said,
I am a tolerant man, and I stress the word tolerant.  I know to expect a certain
level of behavior and crime and etc., but between last Christmas and this 
Christmas there has been a serious social upheval 
- no doubt linked to the dollar's fluctuations and the Shabba Rankinism in 
popular culture.  As to my  reference 'Uptowners acting like Downtowners', 
I think it explains itself.  Uncouth, crude and unmannerly behavior has never 
been a positive attribute, and to see those who know better jump out of their 
suits to get down and dirty in all senses of it is unsettling.  
Now, with drug abuse rampant, underage pregnancies rising, people
becoming irritant and rough, etc, etc, I again pose the question: What Will
Become Of The Land? 
Politicians never leave office without settng up some business for themselves...
Businessmen and criminals now work hand in hand to promote their mutual
interests....people who talk out are mysteriously dying - all it takes is some
paid and desperate kid to walk up behind you and put a slug in your brain as
you step out of your car -  anywhere, at any time.  I tell you this because I
myself have witnessed businessmen and politicians handing out guns to gang
members in a St. Anderew ghetto I used to hang out in. One gunman I knew put it
like this 
"Mi a go get wha mi waan fi myself, an anyting whe come inna my way,
mi jus a go blow it weh.  Nuttin naah stap mi."
I have dozens of real life examples of why Jamaica is indeed going to
Perdition, and if you wish I can print them for you to make your own Judgement.
It is reality, cold and rough, that we are dealing with.  Serious developments
and trends that are unravelling the fabric of Jamaican society.  How many other
places in the world have as high per capita a death and criminal injury rate
while in peacetime.  I dislike operation ARDENT but would be even more fearful
without it.  Criminals used to rob and leave.  Now they will acid you even if
they get what they want, or shoot you in the head.  This never used to be the
case.  They have robbed whole buses and thrown acid indiscriminately while
escaping.  A female friend of mine narrowly missed losing half of her face in
one such incident. An unfortunate lady recently had acid thrown up her skirt.
Is this the Jamaica that you boast of to your friends?  Is this the kind of 
Jamaica you are proud of?  Is this the kind of Jamaica that is preferable to 
Brooklyn or wherever? Many Jamaicans there do not even value their own culture 
as they try their best to look, talk and walk like Brooklynites or Brixtonites,
with that little smack of Jamaicanism to link them with hip and happening world
famous Jamaica.  
I am tired of explaining what is obvious, yet ignored by many. We have to do 
something.  I raised these questions as I want input and criticism from you 
all, before sending a finished letter to the Daily Gleaner.  I risk my life 
saying what I say.  There arethose who are making a killing and do not want 
the dollar to come down - and they run the show. They have spread their stories
to make the people complacent despite hardships.  Large public events like 
carnival are supported by the govt. to make the people suffer 'peacefully'. I 
hope to reveal the conspiracies that must exist.  Look - Tourism is at an all 
time high, Jamaica is cleaner and more modern than ever.  All American goods 
are avaliable.  Malls, new buildings and expansive hotels are popping up 
everywhere that rival the best in Miami - yet the dollar is at it's worst in 
history.  I have never seen such disparity in all my life.  Something is going
on, and Black people are paying the ultimate price.  I am going to do my two 
cent's worth for Justice, and I look forward to your help.  Jamaica is a small
example.  Do not accept what is being told to the public by any government, 
press, or related source.  Look instead at who benefits, and who looses.  
Somalia - did you know that it is full of oil and that American companies had 
been given carte blanche to take it out by the govt. prior to the overthrow?  
Who benefits man.....and who looses out.

Peace...but NOT before Justice!

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Richard L. Dennison               -\--/-  Internet: richard@auvax1.adelphi.edu
President, Caribbean Club        |  \/  | Fone:(516)352-1926 Fax:(516)877-3296
Chairman, Afrikan Concerns Assn  |  /\  | Caribbean Cultural Awareness Club
Editor In Chief, AFRIKA UNBOUND!  -/--\-  Adelphi U., Garden City, N.Y. 11530
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