There is never a good or right time for a quarrel among family members, but the worst time for a falling out is in the midst of a crisis for which a resolution requires a unified approach in the interest of all.

Moreover, it is immature and foolish for one side of the contention to ignore the concerns of the other, as that can only worsen the conflict and make it harder to achieve agreement, obviously to no one’s benefit.

A perfect example is the current brouhaha between the Government and a section of the Jamaican Diaspora which is threatening the success of next June’s 10th biennial conference of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) in the key tourist resort city of Montego Bay, St James.

Foreign Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith’s attempt at Wednesday’s post-Cabinet media briefing to reassure the country that the conference is going to be “bigger” and “greater” than ever, without addressing the concerns, is most definitely not helpful.

What is needed is a move towards resolution because this contretemps could not have come at a worse time, right as the tourism industry is grappling with the unfortunate US travel advisory which has affected visitor bookings and which requires all hands on deck. Ask Tourism Minister Mr Edmund Bartlett.

For those who are late to the party, a group of Jamaicans in the US, trying to pressure the Government to engage more with the Diaspora, has registered the domain name under which the Foreign Ministry operates its engagement with Jamaicans overseas
— the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council
— effectively owning it.

At the same time, the Government is feverishly putting the finishing touches to the 10th Biennial Conference of the GJDC to be held June 16-19, 2024 at Montego Bay Conference Centre. The meeting calls Jamaicans overseas together every two years to discuss a plethora of issues.

The opposing faction wants to either boycott the event or stage a parallel conference to be live-streamed if not at the same venue, saying it wants to press home its message that its concerns must be heard on crime and violence, corruption, a poor health system in the homeland, as well as greater recognition of Jamaicans abroad.

A smooth working relationship between the Government and the Diaspora is not rocket science. Without the assistance of our Jamaican migrants, who knows how much worse off the country would be. The fact that remittances is our biggest foreign exchange earner settles the argument.

Yet these intermittent quarrels between the Diaspora and the Government, which pre-date the current Administration, never cease to amaze.

The Jamaicans have long been lamenting that the Government is only interested in getting their money and assistance with disasters, but not in recognising them, by allowing them to vote in elections or appointing a member to the Senate, for example.

Among the latest claim by dissidents is that the Government has ignored offers of support with fighting crime and violence, an issue which is top of mind for Jamaicans at home and abroad, and which is a source of embarrassment to them.

Families will have differences from time to time, but we resolve the problems, make up and move on. This is what is required now, not a pointless hardening of positions.