“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” These words are attributed to Carl Sagan, renowned astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author.

Some — maybe quite innocently — and others, for reasons which are obvious to the discerning, have been saying in public spaces that the miscreants who are spreading pernicious lies in the wake of Hurricane Melissa should simply be ignored. That is exactly what those who suckle all their sustenance from individuals who spew religious fanaticism, superstitious claptrap, along with those who drink poison from conspiracy theorists and pathological liars want. Just ignore them? Really?!

Well-thinking Jamaicans must never, ever do that. Don’t be silent! Do not be tricked! Understand this: Some bad faith actors are paid. Hirelings and their confederates will betray Jamaica for a mess of pottage. That’s reality!

PAID!

Believe it, there are some persons in Jamaica today who are paid to spew very vicious lies. Their employers have deep pockets – similar to the traitors who import illegal guns which are used to murder dozens of Jamaicans and or otherwise used to create mayhem.

In all likelihood some of those who pay peddlers of pernicious lies are importers of illegal weapons. Some among us are heavily invested in creating chaos by any means necessary.

If you think that some among us are happy that October 2025 saw Jamaica achieving the lowest number of murders in 25 years, you need to ‘wheel and come again’, as we say locally.

Believe it: Some are quite happy that the hurricane landed on our shores. At the time of writing, the death toll was at 45. There is immense devastation. Yet some use the severe hurt of many of our countrymen to create more hurt. These brutes are paid to “say prayers to the devil”. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Well-thinking Jamaicans must never surrender the soul of this country to these traitors. They are destroyers of lives and livelihoods.

Traitors! Yes, because their actions are akin to those of Judas in the Bible. Then again, maybe I do Judas an injustice here, because when Judas realised that he had done wrong he had the decency to hang himself. I do not think those who concoct and spew pernicious lies have compunctions even of Judas.

History has taught us that when good people remain silent and allow deceivers to go unchallenged the results are always catastrophic. Celebrated American novelist Mark Twain said: “A lie will go ‘round the world while truth is pulling its boots on.” When Twain said this there were no social media platforms like the ones we have today. Twain made that remark at a time when the elites controlled media, primarily newspapers. Elite control effectively meant having the power to not only determine what especially ordinary folks thought, but invariably the frequency. Today media and control are quite different. Among other things, some bad liars can lie in real time. Happily, we who put a premium on truth can rebut in real time too.

The 30 pieces of silver — and in some cases much less — which some are being paid to spew lies about Jamaica on social media will melt like “butta ‘gainst sun”, as we say in local parlance.

“Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but later his mouth is full of gravel,” says Proverbs 20:17. There are many examples of this type of descent around.

Those who deal in national betrayal will ultimately get their comeuppance, ruination.

“The people who manufacture lies for a livelihood especially on social media platforms don’t read your articles, Higgins,” some will doubtless bellow.

I believe some do. I also believe some of their employers do too.

The acrimonious e-mail responses which I often get when I “step pon dem caanh”, as we say locally, tell me that some of them feel the prickles or “macca” which I often set in their path.

Understand this, though, I am much more interested in preventing well-thinking Jamaicans from becoming pawns and/or prey for the mentioned traitors and destroyers, for that’s how good folks ultimately defeat these hoodwinkers.

Carl Segan was right: “Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

MORE OF US

I am convinced that there are far more good people in Jamaica than bad faith actors.

The huge outpouring of generosity by thousands of Jamaicans, especially since the passage of Hurricane Melissa is a tonic. I am heartened by the praiseworthy response from the local business community and dozens of noted individuals. I am very encouraged, too, by the hundreds of especially ordinary Jamaicans who have come to the rescue specifically of fellow Jamaicans in western Jamaica.

Yes, some Jamaicans under the guise of donations have sought to get rid of things which should have been sent to Riverton City Dump weeks ago.

Yes, some supermarkets and related businesses have used the passage of the hurricane to jack up prices significantly.

And, yes, some of our countrymen have been unreasonably demanding particular food items and refusing others.

Some among us need to remember that we did not give anybody anything to “pud dung”, as we say locally.

Admittedly, our society, clearly, still has a lot of maturing to do. Still, I am, for the most part, very proud of how most of my countrymen have behaved in the midst of the horrific damage that has been done by the hurricane.

The late journalist extraordinaire Wilmot “Motty” Perkins frequently said on his talk radio programme: “One of the biggest failures of successive governments has been their inability to properly tap into the huge potential of the Jamaican people.”

Journalist and scholar H L Mencken made similar comments decades before Perkins. Mencken said: “No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have researched the records for years and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

I agree with both men.

The resilience demonstrated by most Jamaicans reassures me that we will rise bigger and stronger. Some years ago, in a series of articles here, I said at the end of each: “I am betting on Jamaica, full stop.” I still am. I strongly believe we will overcome.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS!

Six Sundays ago I said here that Jamaica must not waste the opportunity of the crisis caused by the hurricane. Among other things, we have a glorious opportunity to fix some of the long-standing but surmountable problems with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), National Water Commission (NWC), the telecommunications companies, and glaring inadequacies regarding several services offered by the banks.

For obvious reasons some days before the hurricane landed I tried to access cash from an automated teller machine (ATM) belonging to one of the major banks. The first machine was out of service. Three others in the Liguanea area were out of service too. I journeyed up to The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. That is where I found a machine where I was able to get cash. It is not an exaggeration to say the mentioned experience is commonplace all over Jamaica.

Banks in Jamaica are making billions of dollars in profits. Every year the profits of the banks skyrocket. I don’t envy them because people are in business to make money. I get that. But what of the comfort of the customers who enable these banks to make the billions?

Doing business with these banks seems tantamount to punishment. Sometimes I really feel that way. Contrary to what some people think, when you put your money in a bank you are giving the bank a loan. Surely it is not unreasonable to have access at any time.

The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) needs to do its job. If the BOJ continues to fall down on the job, what do we do? Hire Mickey Mouse? When we have to visit several machines to get access to our funds there is a huge cost to us in terms of time and money. Insofar as I know, no penalty is imposed on the banks when customers cannot access funds from ATMs in a timely manner. Bank fees are almost always going up. But services offered by the banks are not keeping abreast? Something is very wrong here.

But rural folks say, “Time is longer than rope.” I agree. Hint, hint, for decades a certain telephone company gave us very shoddy service. They went under fast when real competition hit them in the pocket. Having ATMs that work properly is a low-hanging fruit. Let’s pick it now.

On June 29, 2025 I said, among other thing, here: “Persistent low and no economic growth can only be alleviated via radical change, not small improvements, as I see it. Decades of economic lethargy and decline cannot be remedied with the application of familiar palliatives and customary tinkering. More is needed, and it is needed fast.

“For starters, I believe Jamaica needs a new and radical energy policy. This must include a totally reconstituted arrangement with the Jamaica Public Service (JPS). Cheaper and more reliable energy must be the focus going forward. Energy poverty is a reality in Jamaica. Energy prices in Jamaica are several times higher than our competition, near and far. This is a recipe for de-industrialisation as it will affect the manufacturing that we still have. Long-termly, this will make Jamaicans poorer.”

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport Daryl Vaz said at press conference on Tuesday July 1, 2025 that the Administration “will not be renewing the Jamaica Public Service’s (JPS) all-island licence to supply electricity without re-negotiation of the current terms, and is open to exploring other contracts with interested parties”. (Jamaica Observer, July 1, 2025)

In the mentioned article, “Vaz also indicated that the Government’s position was that the licence itself, which was signed for a 20-year period and gives JPS the power to operate, was ‘flawed’, resulting in ‘flawed service’… ‘In the meantime, the Government of Jamaica is going to start looking at our options, [those] options include any and everybody. Whoever it is that we end up going to the table with for a final negotiation for a new licence with new terms, as of May 2027, will be terms that are favourable to the Jamaican people.”

Vaz has said publicly that he will exit politics before 2030. That is when the next general election is due. I hope he stays, at least until 2030, for the sake of the Jamaican people.

Vaz, on the basis of verifiable results, is by far the best public utilities minister since political independence. And he is one of the best Cabinet ministers since 1962, again on the basis of verifiable results. These are results that have impacted public sentiments, positively.

KUDOS!

I think the major telecommunications companies and the National Water Commission (NWC) have been making slow but important improvements – certainly compared to the banks. I have found the NWC to be somewhat responsive. The telecommunications companies are generally on the ball, albeit that I did have a very negative experience with one of the two major telecoms some days before the hurricane. The company took three full days to restore my Internet service. The interruption was the result of damage to fibre optic wires on my roof. Good Internet service is an indispensable resource in this day and age.

Again, let us use the opportunity of the passage of Hurricane Melissa to pick the low-hanging fruits. If we squander this opportunity we will suffer the negative social and economic consequences for decades. A word to the wise should be sufficient.

Very often customers have to drive around to find working ATMs.

Garfield Higgins

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport Daryl Vaz  (Naphtali Junior)

Garfield Higgins is an educator and journalist. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.