We are what we repeatedly do.

— Aristotle

CITIZENS in a functioning liberal democracy have not only a responsibility but a duty to be critical of government and those who wield power and authority in matters of public affairs and, indeed, all spheres of influences that have civic consequences.

Buddha, hundreds of years ago, posited a guide, some logicians say formula, for critical thinking:

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

Buddha’s guide is especially relevant to a country like ours where, according to Dr Peter Phillips, minister of finance, “the man who plays by the rules get shafted”.

The primary reason for the moribund state of Jamaica’s politics is the abysmal attitude of its citizens and their lack of involvement in making decisions that affect, and invariably decide, the quality of everyday life. There is a woeful deficit in critical thought. As a consequence, announcements are kings, promises are queens, and political dullards who have risen way above their levels of competence occupy princely perches.

Last Wednesday, ace Senior Observer Reporter Balford Henry brought to our attention another announcement of Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton. The story was curiously titled ‘Lights, Camera, Goodyear!’ Is this another train on a slow track to nowhere? The story said, inter alia:

“Plans are under way to transform the former Goodyear factory in St Thomas into a film production facility later this year.

“‘The project has been moving forward and the investors/project developers have recently concluded negotiations on the terms of a lease agreement with the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ),’ Anthony Hylton, minister of industry, investment and commerce, told the recently concluded sectoral debate.

“‘It is anticipated that the design phase of the project will be completed in the second quarter of the financial year, allowing for the handover,’ Hylton continued.”

Somehow this story rang a familiar bell. Where did I read it before, almost a year ago? Was this a regurgitation of an announcement already made? I did a little checking.

“Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton last Wednesday told Parliament that negotiations are far advanced for the lease of the 24-acre former Goodyear factory and complex as the site for the film lot.” (The Gleaner, May 27, 2014)

Note, Hylton’s almost identical refrain in the sectoral debate of 2014, almost one calendar year ago. Note, the narrative, “negotiations are far advanced for the lease of the 24-acre former Goodyear factory and complex as the site for the film lot”. Apparently ‘far advanced’ does not mean far advanced in the lexicon of Hylton. Why did it take almost 12 months to agree on the terms of the lease? Note, after one calendar year a lease has not been signed; just “agreement on the terms of the lease”.

Is the Goodyear property owned by the Government of Jamaica? Is the FCJ owned and controlled by extraterrestrials? Consistent with Obama’s — and scores before him — warning that all citizens must know the terms and conditions of agreements that are signed or will be signed on our behalf by the Government, Hylton needs to make public the terms and conditions of the lease that he says has recently been concluded.

Hylton really needs to turn some lights, camera and action on where this movie/film lot project is going; or not.

A story published in The Gleaner of April 14, 2014, titled ‘Slow going for St Thomas film park’, inspires little confidence, even in the most blindly optimistic.

“When Industry Minister Anthony Hylton spoke in the Sectoral Debate last year, he announced that the old Goodyear factory near Morant Bay, St Thomas, would be converted into a film park.

“Nearly one year later, the old factory still lies idle. The zoom lenses that were expected to be sliding as a result of the works of Reelvibez Studios have been static, and there are no signs of flashing lights at the property. In fact, the much-heralded film park has not got off the ground, but Kaiel Eytle, Reelvibez’s chief creative officer, is insistent the plan is not stillborn.

“‘When the project was initially announced it was real early in the process. We were just getting the concept together,’ Eytle told The Gleaner.”

On May 21, 2015, Hylton will have to ‘put up or shut up’ on the US$5 billion announced investment by Krauck Systems and Anchor Finance Group LLC for the logistics hub. Thousands are waiting to grab one of the 10,000 jobs that were promised. Are they waiting in vain, as Bob Marley crooned?

The country must not forget what Minister Hylton told us at the Montego Bay Conference.

“MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton has announced Cabinet’s approval of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with an investor group that has expressed ‘solid interest’ in investing US$5 billion in a series of logistics-related infrastructure projects.

“According to Hylton, the investment will transform the ‘business landscape for logistics in Jamaica’.

” ‘[It will] position the country for increased investments in related sectors such as manufacturing, outsourcing, financial services, tourism, and of course agribusiness and creative industries; industries such as those that we will be discussing over the next few days,’ Hylton noted as he addressed yesterday’s opening of the two-day Jamaica Investment Forum 2015 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.” (Jamaica Observer, March 12, 2015)

The definitive nature of the narrative is conspicuous. It sounded in March that ‘the deal was signed, seal and delivered’. Since then, dark clouds have gathered and a storm looks certain to rain on Hylton’s parade.

I anticipate that Hylton will come up with nothing more than hot air come May 21. Will he resign? No!

A principle called…

The present Simpson Miller Administration does not understand the word accountability. Did Richard Azan, Phillip Paulwell, Noel Arscott, Dr Fenton Ferguson, or A J Nicholson resign for political misdeeds/sayings? In other self-respecting liberal democracies they would have been placed on the political scrap heap. The People’s National Party (PNP) does not dare take any action against former mayor of Lucea, Shernet Haughton. And she knows it only too well. We seem to be in a race to the lowest common denominator. Jamaica is the sick man of the Caribbean.

The PNP has been using a strategy of political bait and switch for decades. Too many have been conditioned like Pavlov’s dog not to be critical of those who are supposed to manage power on our behalf. As a consequence of the Ostrich approach to life — that too many have embraced — we have too many with the least ability reigning. Rapid self-perpetuation is their primary preoccupation.

Hylton’s seeming missteps are merely symptomatic of a cancer that is rapidly growing on our country. Announcements are gospel, and those who are critical of the putrid state of affairs are vilified and crucified economically. What a great democracy!

Golda Meir, a former prime minister of Israel, said: “I was never so naïve or foolish as to think that if you merely believe in something it happens. You must struggle for it.”

Those of us who have had the benefit of education must continue the struggle of asking questions and holding government to book.

A few months ago the Minister of Finance Dr Peter Phillips told the country among other things in an article ‘Government to set up poverty reduction unit’:

“Cabinet has authorised the establishment of a National Poverty Reduction Unit as the country continues to grapple with rising unemployment and poverty levels.

“The decision was disclosed by minister with responsibility for information, Sandrea Falconer, at a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday. She said the unit will be located at the Planning Institute of Jamaica.

“She also said an announcement on the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) would be made in Parliament before the end of the month.

“Yesterday, Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips disclosed that the Government has identified $4 billion to fund the programme. However, the finance minister was not clear about the source of the money.” (The Gleaner, February 9, 2012)

Minister Phillips needs to tell us how much of a reduction in poverty has happened as consequences of the work of this committee and its successor. We want the verifiable evidence, Dr Phillips.

The country must not forget that the above announcement was re-announced earlier this year: ‘Government to establish poverty committee to address economic fallout’

“The Government says a poverty reduction committee is to be created to deal with fallouts caused by austerity measures as a result of Jamaica’s economic reform.

“Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips made the announcement during a special press briefing this morning at Jamaica House on deliberations that took place at last Thursday’s Cabinet retreat. He notes that the decision came out of a focus on the social safety net in light of the reform programme with the International Monetary Fund.

“He says that the basic elements of the economic reforms programme should be sustained to continue on the path of debt reduction and to unlock growth in the economy. However, Phillips adds that it was also decided that more attention is needed in relation to ramping up more growth in the economy.” (The Gleaner, January 26, 2015)

There is a new paradigm in our politics developed by the PNP: The re-announcement of announcements.

‘Poor, poorer, poorest’

While this Administration is deluging the country with announcements to win an imminent election, poverty has been increasing.

“Poverty increased to one-fifth of the Jamaican population, according to the just-released Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions 2012.” (Sunday Observer, November 30, 2014)

This is not surprising since unemployment is also on the increase. While some argue that good things are happening in the economy, they don’t seem to understand that the majority of ordinary Jamaicans are fetching hell. It is not that good things are not happening in Jamaica. Good things have always been happening in Jamaica. Whatever good things are happening are not benefiting the masses of downtrodden and alienated. The mathematics is simple.

“The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting a 7.5 per cent increase in the number of unemployed persons in January 2015 compared to January 2014.

“It says, in January, the number of unemployed persons was 188,100 — an increase of 13,000 when compared with 175,000 last year January. The unemployment rate for January 2015 was 14.2 per cent compared to 13.4 per cent in January 2014.

“In particular, the unemployment rate among youths aged 14 to 24 years was 34.5 per cent for January 2015. This was an increase of 1.2 percentage points when compared with 33.3 per cent in January 2014.

“There was also a slight dip in the employment rate for January 2015 when compared to January 2014. STATIN says the rate stood at 85.8 per cent in January 2015, which was a 0.8 percentage point decline from the 86.6 per cent in January the previous year. The figures provided are from STATIN’s January 2015 Labour Force Survey, conducted December 14 to 20, 2014.” (The Gleaner, April 30, 2015)

Jamaica is systematically being made poorer and poorer.

“The Jamaican economy should, by right, be booming. The island is just a 90-minute flight away from the United States, the world’s biggest market, with which it shares a language. It is on the shipping route to the Panama Canal and has a spacious natural harbour in Kingston. It is politically stable, without the ethnic tensions that have riven other Caribbean nations.

“However, the country’s economy was stagnant long before the credit crunch. In real terms, Jamaicans are no richer today than they were in the early 1970s. And most of the island’s enduring problems, like its public finances, are home-made.” (The Economist, July 2012)

This Administration is foolishly relying on foreign direct investments, like the singular Chinese investment in the highway project and interest in the pie-in-the-sky dream of the logistics hub to marshal growth in GDP.

It is axiomatic that small- and medium-sized businesses are the chief builders of local economies, not multinational firms. The loyalties of multinational companies are grounded primarily in raw profit motives and their interests in local economic development are often transient at best. [Note, growth and development, though related, are different.]

I believe this the PNP has led the worst Administration since Independence, except for the Patterson regime. Michael Manley at least pioneered pieces of social legislation that have benefited ordinary Jamaicans. Patterson, and his chief lieutenant Dr Omar Davies, then finance minister, led as the financial infrastructure of this country was devastated. Davies’ scorched-earth economic policies are accused to have played a role in the demise of nearly 40 major financial institutions and nearly 45,000 small- and medium-sized companies.

Jamaica must never forget that Dr Davies was finance minister during some of the country’s worst times.

There was 12 per cent [less than one per cent per year] economic growth over a 14-year stretch. While the global economy was booming, and the vast majority of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean achieved economic growth between three and five per cent on average, Jamaica faced much turbulence. In 1971, just before ‘betta mus come’, the Jamaican economy grew by 12 per cent in a single year.

Our country is heading in the wrong direction, and fast.

When you do the wrong thing, knowing it is wrong, you do so because you haven’t developed the habit of effectively controlling or neutralising strong inner urges that tempt you, or because you have established the wrong habit and don’t know how to eliminate them effectively.

— W Clement Stone

Garfield Higgins in an educator and journalist. Send comments to higgins160@yahoo.com.