Dear Editor,

I have two frustrating incidents I wish to comment on. I am a Jamaican living in the United States for 20 years and I have travelled back and forth from our beautiful island. I must say that I have supported my Jamaican family and friends throughout the years.

I taught in Jamaica’s elementary school system, in the most depressed areas of Kingston from 1976 to 1989. I visited Jamaica in May 2011 and I decided to obtain an employment verification letter from the Ministry of Education. I went on May 27, 2011, and after I had waited a long time, salary clerk Ms Sharon Brown spoke with me. She gave me two forms which needed my past schools of employment, their addresses and the period for each employment. I jubilantly filled out the forms. I also thought I would have got the information the same day.

I taught in Jamaica’s elementary school system, in the most depressed areas of Kingston from 1976 to 1989. I visited Jamaica in May 2011 and I decided to obtain an employment verification letter from the Ministry of Education. I went on May 27, 2011, and after I had waited a long time, salary clerk Ms Sharon Brown spoke with me. She gave me two forms which needed my past schools of employment, their addresses and the period for each employment. I jubilantly filled out the forms. I also thought I would have got the information the same day.

After I waited for another long period, she informed me that I should return the following week. I told her that my departure date was in two days. She said I should have someone pick up the work verification letter. I asked a friend to do so and gave her a letter for the clerk – a reminder that I had already completed the requirements and that I had authorised my friend to pick up the information.

The second frustrating incident happened at the National Insurance Scheme office in Kingston. I went the day after my visit to the Ministry of Education. I was there from 8 am to 3 pm. Apart from the extensive wait and the nonchalant attitude of the workers, I was disappointed with the information that I received. After unnecessary periods of waiting, I received the NIS card. I asked the clerk to check the information they had on my work history and they said there was no history. I then asked the clerk why she issued the card if there was no history behind the card. She replied that she did not know. She informed me that the computer produced nothing about me – a computer could only produce what was put in it. How can anyone allow people to be employed in such sensitive areas who do not take their jobs seriously?

Editor, my business in the United States is to work, engage in academic and professional training to advance my status, then return to the island with my skills. Many of my Jamaican colleagues have wished me well. But they have said they would not return to Jamaica because it is too frustrating to live there. Editor, these are modern times – science and technology are at the height of advancement, but the people’s work ethics and attitude are in the doldrums. Many of us do not migrate for selfish reasons. We do so to help others who find themselves living in squalor, dispossessed of basic necessities and have no hope to emerge from the quagmire of despair. Some civil servants have become enemies of the public. They mirror the ill treatment meted out to us by the plantocracy who ignored our sufferings. Some – from clerks to managers – who are fortunate enough to hold a position in the civil service have a laissez-faire attitude. They are placed in sensitive positions to assist the public, yet they do not perform their jobs with pride and integrity.

Editor, my business in the United States is to work, engage in academic and professional training to advance my status, then return to the island with my skills. Many of my Jamaican colleagues have wished me well. But they have said they would not return to Jamaica because it is too frustrating to live there. Editor, these are modern times – science and technology are at the height of advancement, but the people’s work ethics and attitude are in the doldrums. Many of us do not migrate for selfish reasons. We do so to help others who find themselves living in squalor, dispossessed of basic necessities and have no hope to emerge from the quagmire of despair. Some civil servants have become enemies of the public. They mirror the ill treatment meted out to us by the plantocracy who ignored our sufferings. Some – from clerks to managers – who are fortunate enough to hold a position in the civil service have a laissez-faire attitude. They are placed in sensitive positions to assist the public, yet they do not perform their jobs with pride and integrity.

It must be remembered that our nationals living abroad are intelligent, strong and proud Jamaicans. We make regular contributions to the island by providing money to schools, churches and our families. We also contribute significantly to the tourism sector through frequent visits. Please give us an identity in the land of our birth. Do not undermine us.

Rosemarie James-Buckley

New York, USA