Resignation — Final words

Yes, I resigned from all Government boards effective August 31, 2010, and this is the end of my debate section, and the floor is open to others. I wish to be clear that I explained my reason for resigning to the ministers and ministries to whom I reported, and the boards which I served. I did so truthfully and respectfully and indicated my total lack of malice. I reiterated to all the media that I had never had any interference from any minister on any of the boards, and that I bear no malice towards them in any way.

The media are searching for some great story to bandy about, and like the fight promoter Don King, they are seeking a lucrative heavyweight bout. In spite of my qualification in the weight category, I have no wish to participate in any such promotional event.

I will not be joining any political party; I have not withdrawn my service from the nation except in the specified areas; and will continue to hold the interests of my fellow citizens in high regard and focus on trying to help to make Jamaica a better place within the bounds of my own compass.

My actions are my own personal choices and are not intended to be seemingly representing others. One of the philosophical steps in proving the existence of God is that mankind has a free will. What you do with it thereafter is a personal choice for the individual. So for those who wish to understand anything further about my actions, feel free to read Psalm 15.

I conclude this section by promising to make recommendations in my columns that I think can help our nation go forward, until such time that I run out of ideas, the Observer removes me or I leave this world. I am a born Jamaican, and I hope to die as one.

The Business Observer of September 1, 2010, reads: ‘Ja may have 3 billion barrels of oil’. Wow! Eureka! Glad noises and jollification for all! I refer to my column in August 2009 entitled ‘What if’, where I raised the question about our finding oil. At that time I was fairly certain that there were significant deposits to be proven, but I decided to ask you to use your brains, not mine. So I asked what we were going to do with it when it happened, and what plans should be in place in order to ensure that the use of the proceeds would dramatically improve our nation-building efforts and not leave us like Nigeria. I asked my 4th form Principles of Business students to debate the matter.

For a group at the average age of 15, and mainly living in depressed communities, I was pleasantly surprised at their thoughts on the matter and how their life experience thus far gave them a realistic and responsible outlook. No student wanted to have a “bling out” with the sudden windfall. Students were divided on whether we should use it ourselves or sell it and use the money.

Those who wanted to keep and use it did not think through the environmental hazards until this year following the Gulf oil spill. Those who wanted to sell it were convinced that tourism would have a more lasting development and that a pristine environment would best enhance those efforts. All later agreed that oil-generated power was not in the long-term interest of Jamaica.

This is the thinking of a group of 15-year-old students, most of whom have never left the confines of narrowly defined communities in Kingston, and who don’t know where Hope Gardens is (except for the Jamaica College students). This question should have been a topic for planning and civilised debate among our parliamentarians.

So I ask the Third World Band to re-record their hit song and dedicate it to parliamentarians with new words, “now that we’ve found oil what are we gonna do with it”.

I go back to another column of March 2009 entitled ‘Understanding a country’s strategy’, in which I made clear reference to the Chinese policy on mineral resources, and deduced that they would require our bauxite reserves. So to think that it is only a benign gesture to fund some loans to us in our current “bruk pocket” state has got to be so naïve. So I draw an inference which says that there must be some money in it for someone, or that someone is not thinking and reasoning at all, or both. In any scenario there has to be a quid pro quo that is not in our favour.

I hope the two references from my previous columns answer the questions that were asked in relation as to whether I share my knowledge with the leaders. Yes, I do, and I share them with all Jamaicans who care to read and understand. It is there, and I will continue putting it there for all to read, and I also hope it will be printed in Braille so as not to exclude the visually challenged citizens.

My recommendation is a retrospection of who has built the most durable roads in our island, and the simple answer is the bauxite companies. An inspection of roads built by them in the 1960s will prove that.

So if I were a decision-maker, I would look at tax relief for road building at agreed prices, that could be lower based on quantity and existing machinery (probably totally depreciated), and this would, in turn, provide a large employment base, PAYE tax, housing contributions, education tax, and increase consumer spending by Jamaican workers, not imported Chinese workers. The bauxite companies could also capably handle the supervision of the projects.

Your comments and further contributions are invited and my much promoted pugilist future gives way to Homo sapiens, the Thinking Man. Resigned? Retired? Not at all, just Retreaded.

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