I had intended to write about the economic situation in Europe, the impasse in the USA on the debt ceiling, and the fallout effects on Jamaica and other developing nations. However, local events have again intervened and I express my condolence to all who have been affected by the brutality of common and ignorant criminals in their efforts to enslave whole communities.

Tomorrow, August 1, 2011, is celebrated as Emancipation Day – a day known to us Jamaicans as “Augus Mawning”. It celebrates the freedom of the slaves of Britain in 1834, 177 years ago. It commemorates a special day for people transported against their will to the colonies to provide free labour for the sugar plantations owned by those who would become the most affluent people in Europe, a legacy of money that lasts until today.

The period of slavery in Jamaica was not without its moments of revolt, labour sabotage, or violence. We commemorate the efforts of leaders of the struggle for freedom with our National Heroes – Nanny of the Maroons, Sam Sharpe, Paul Bogle and George William Gordon. At later dates we also recognised Marcus Garvey, Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamante.

However, our struggle was not confined to our own initiatives but was assisted by the efforts of many white people who disagreed with the fundamental injustice that slavery meant to those who suffered the indignity that accompanied this often brutal system. So many will remember the names of those who opposed this system in Britain and made appeals, rallied support, and forced the hands of the British Parliament. We should be equally respectful of those people as well.

The joy that accompanied that “Augus Mawning” must have been ecstatic in some places, subdued in some, and celebrated in churches by others. For many the true experience of freedom did not dawn until after the period of Apprenticeship in 1838, when they were finally able to leave the plantations and move toward the prospect of being free landholders.

For many of us the toil had only just started, and the Jamaican dream of having our children educated and able to move upward towards economic independence was a single step to be followed by others. So many children of former slaves have now lived the dream of their oppressed forefathers and now claim the privileges associated with the ownership of wealth. But they have largely forgotten their roots, and seek to emulate the behaviour of the former British landed gentry, and fail to remember the sacrifices made.

Still others did not make the effort, or may have failed in the attempt to move upward and now seek to gain those privileges by deceit. The many scams, dishonesty, lack of integrity, drug dealing, tax evasion, and other crimes support a lifestyle that allows those people to be “accepted” without paying their dues. Therefore, we open our doors to the rich and notorious and don’t even do a “fit and proper” to see if they should become the role models for our children.

The financial institutions that give the average working person hell as they try to open an account and have them declare their sources of income are the same ones that welcome the millions for investment with a “blind eye”. This is not confined to Jamaica, but seems to be the way of the international money laundering from Switzerland, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, to most offshore destinations, many of which are British protectorates.

Similarly, those without the necessary social and visa credentials operate local scams, protection rackets, gang control, intimidation of whole communities of law-abiding people, and destroy our country. They destroy the dreams that the average Jamaican hopes for their children and grandchildren. Those who can, leave, and those who cannot are numbered in the polls as the 60 per cent of young people who would migrate, if given the chance.

We the once proud people, who cast off the bonds of slavery to live our dream, are now dwelling in a new country called “Abandon ship”! The land of wood and water now means take the wood, build a boat, and join our Haitian brothers in a trip by water to escape. My friend, Dr Aggrey Irons, has stated that he is not taking any sea trips, for the last time his ancestors had a boat ride it was a one-way ticket from Africa. So I guess we will not be leaving any time soon.

So what are our options? History suggests that there are limited but well-known options when countries reach the degree of savagery that Jamaica has, and not many of these are pretty. The first historical reference is to the military/police hit squads taking out the terrorists one by one in a secretive operation. The second is military intervention often described as a coup. The third is civil disobedience often generated by a general strike. The fourth is an armed civilian uprising. The fifth is by means of the ballot box. The sixth is to seek an external intervention from a friendly invader.

All of these options have been taken in countries near to us in this hemisphere, and to think that we will be insulated in the face of disaster and oppression is a dream. We are reaching the stage of a tipping point that may cause widespread bloodletting and chaos to be unleashed on us all. But among the choices are the third and the fifth which represent a step forward in a democratic process, whereas the other four result in dictatorship or indentureship. Those are not pretty and have dire consequences.

As expected, Douglas Orane has spoken very directly to the situations confronting our small nation and has given his own scorecard on the serious examinations that should have been passed by government, parties, and the private sector. He is the one with the courage to speak out, but then he represents one of the few Jamaican businesses that have defended the country over the decades – GraceKennedy. Along with Jamaica Broilers, NCB, Lasco, and a few others who have traditionally defended decency and nationalism, the field is narrowing.

The Desnoes and Geddes families no longer speak for the Jamaican icon, Red Stripe, and the Lascelles Group and Appleton rum are also silenced by overseas ownership. Gone are Life of Jamaica, Mutual Life, Island Life, Dyoll, several local banks and many other former outstanding and upstanding businesses and patriots. We are left with far fewer voices that defend our country and our society from abuse by criminals and corruption. At the time when we need strong voices and leadership, most have migrated or capitulated.

So we seem to have accepted the inevitability of the less democratic violent methods, over the democratic process. I have not accepted this because to do so means revolution and dictatorship, and I have no wish to be a refugee in a foreign land. I will simply be like my Cuban counterparts, a jailed dissident: either way I will not be free, and like those who stay, I will be a captive in my own land.

Please remember to register to vote. It could save your future.