NOT so long ago people in various countries mounted waves of protests by gathering in metropolitan centres and as of one heart sat in on night vigils to demand regime and directional change.

In recent days in several British cities thugs and looters went on a rampage, and taking advantage of the “civil approach” of British police officers and probably a poverty of hopelessness they had what amounted to a free-for-all.

In Chile student unrest has boiled over into street clashes with the security forces. The unrest in Syria which began in March has seen President Assad releasing the full might of his military machine against anti-government protestors and the death toll is inching to 2,000. Armed fighting, famine and massive human dislocation have reduced Somalia in the Horn of Africa to a state that has had no effective central government since 1991.

The great United States of America is effectively leading the charge in what seems set to be a double-dip recession, and bets are on as to which of the European countries will first find the solutions to their ongoing economic problems as the reality of the last recession revisits.

To say that the world is in turmoil is an understatement and to many, it is a scary place to be in at this time, especially if one is trying to raise a family.

There has been no street unrest in Jamaica because our people know what would be expected as a blowback by the local security forces. But enough hopelessness and economic uncertainty exist among our people to scare the JLP government silly as it views its electoral prospects in 2012.

Of late I have become afraid to venture out too much in public where I am known. Last Tuesday at around midday just before I left for a meeting with two members of the PNP, who wanted to give me a brief slide presentation of the much-awaited Progressive Agenda, I stopped by a shop to reload on mobile credit. A young man (35 years old) I knew walked up to me and said, “Missa Mark, mi a beg yu a money fi buy some food. Mi nuh eat from mawning. ” I summoned my ‘other side’ and simply said, “No”, but it pained me to do so.

At minutes to 4 pm when I returned and stopped by to “lyme” with some of the men gathered there, he approached me again. “Yuh can help mi now, Missa Mark.” I pretended not to hear him.

According to government figures, poverty levels have increased as follows: 2007: 9 per cent, 2008:12 per cent, 2009-16 per cent, 2010: 20 per cent. In the same period real GDP in $ billions has been steadily falling: 2007: 510, 2008: 506, 2009: 490, 2010: 484.

It matters little how much the dollar is stable, interest rates are down and the NIR is up. The reality is, the little man and woman at street level are very much worse off than they were in 2007, the year the JLP took power. According to the PNP, “The Progressive Agenda is a document that reflects the new direction. Because of the rapidly changing economic face of the global economy, the document has gone through several iterations to reflect current conditions.”

Dr Winston Davidson and Anthony Hylton (former minister of foreign affairs in the last PNP government) both assured me that, “We did not arrive at the final document by just placing nice words on paper. The country has had enough of that. All of what drives the document is data-driven and it is all based on measurable outcomes.” One aspect of the business philosophy that I particularly like is the reality that only by linking to the global supply chain can businesses in countries like Jamaica truly prosper and survive. I look forward to making more detailed comment on this document which is certain to generate much discussion in the coming months.

It is an exciting document that takes the PNP into almost scripting what I see as the ultimate mission statement. It is to be officially launched on August 17. The PNP’s Manifesto for the 2012 election is to follow.

Does the JLP government have any mission statement guiding it or is it still playing “ketchy shubby”?

Gran Bahía Príncipe apologises

In response to a less than satisfactory vacation stay by members of my family at Gran Bahía and the publication of same in last Sunday’s Wignall’s World, the general manager of the hotel, Ricardo Esteban, e-mailed me the following:

“On behalf of the management and staff of the Gran Bahía Príncipe Hotel, I offer my deepest apologies for the unfortunate situation that your family experienced whilst visiting with us in July.

“I arrived at the hotel to take up the position of general manager the same day that your family arrived. Two days after my arrival it was with great regret that I learnt of the inconveniences that they had encountered and I met with Ms K and your father to offer my apologies and to assure them that the issues mentioned would be resolved. Ms K and I had what I thought was an amicable conversation and she extended good wishes for my future endeavours and as a gesture of good faith, I sent special amenities to their rooms.

“It is important to note that your feedback is welcomed, as it is through communications like this that we are given an opportunity to assess and evaluate our performance as well as to ensure that we maintain and deliver the level of service expected from our valued clients. However, please rest assured that all the mentioned issues have been taken care of so as to not have any recurrences.

“I would like the opportunity to correct the perception you now have of the resort by extending an invitation for you and your family to spend an evening with us, at a mutually convenient time, to dine in one of our specialty restaurants and to enjoy our nightly entertainment.

“I strongly believe that it is only through listening carefully to the opinions and suggestions of our guests that we will achieve the level of guest satisfaction and quality service that we strive to achieve. This is the mandate that I plan to achieve during my tenure.

“I hope to be given the opportunity to meet with you in the near future.”

observemark@gmail.com