Dear Dr. Kong:
I have been reading your blogs for a while now and have found them to be insightful and thought provoking. I was especially taken by the article in relation to 'Producing professionals for Jamaica' article.
For over 20yrs, since graduating with a first class honours degree and many years of senior management experience in the education field in the UK, I and many like me, have struggled to get a 'response' from the Establishment for enquiries of opportunities to invest our talent back in the country of our birth. Even after going back and trying to make appointments and countless fruitless telephone conversations with 'bureaucrats' with little customer care, has amounted to nothing. I agree with all of your 'Seven' reasons to be proud to be back, but how you 'establish' that critical mass of good role models is beyond me. One way might be to encourage the best of the best to come back home to help build the nation and not for them to return when they have retired. The trick surely must be to utilise the strength, energy, drive and experience of those models while they are still performing at their peak?
I am now approaching that time in my life where I am looking to retire and have been thwarted from contributing to that development. In case we misunderstand, I am not advocating a 'displacement' approach here, where 'those abroad' knows best and displace local talent. It takes all sorts and there can be added value from those who have seen it from the other side to be able to help reflect a more 'positive' and perhaps, proactive, approach to how life is. Some times it's not knowing what is possible that keeps us down. Without dreams where would we be? I am afraid there are times when you read and travel around the island, what you do see is despondency and a fatalism that tells you we no longer have dreamers; just people waiting for Godot!
Regards,
Karl Murray
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Dear Mr. Murray:
Thank you so much for your patronage as well as your insights into the Jamaica condition. There are several of us who would love to make a contribution but neither the government, educational institutions or even religious entities provide meaningful avenues to exploit the talents of our ex-patriots whether they are in the prime of their careers or retiring. In my informal survey, I don't find many people who are willing to come back and I don't find too many people who want them to return either. So, I guess we will continue to charge towards the precipice. All that notwithstanding, Jamaica was designated the third happiest place to live
Over the last twelve months since I have been back, I have spent over J$10,000,000 joining Caymanas country club, paying caddies, eating in restaurants, buying groceries, supporting my cell phone and international calling, purchasing an automobile, staying at hotels, giving computers to schools, contributing to various funeral expenses, aid to a family I adopted, donating to several churches, outright gifts to the needy and giving a set of golf clubs to my caddie. I also realize that physicians, nurses and dentists who I know will offer their services free at health fairs just because I ask. Mr. Garnett Myrie and I persuaded "Food for the Poor", an incredibly effective charitable organization to build 50 houses for the needy in the community where I grew up in St. Elizabeth. I have also been donating a great deal of my time preaching at various gatherings about preventive health and obtaining better access to health care to everyone who will listen. I am particularly motivated to just talk to young people about their options. Our government do not invest very much in late blooming children. Caddies at golf courses go to work seven days per week (70 hours) and work about 15 hour per week). When not working, they just sit. It would be marvelous to assign a teacher and a library to improve the knowledge, attitude and skills for 100 healthy, intelligent and motivated citizens. Everyone of them want to improve their condition. I also hate the fact that our society is so willing to give up on children who get labeled as "bad". This rush to judge our children as "good for nothing" is horrendous. If they fail, we fail; if they succeed, we all succeed.
I am not trying to be simplistic or identify "the solution" to our condition, but can you imagine the impact of even one thousand retirees returning with a modicum of zeal to help?
Sincerely,
Basil Kong
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According to Mr. ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID: (June 11, 2009) "With all these bureaucratic impediments, hurdles, obstacles, excessive regulations, Jamaica is definitely not open for business."
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I can sincerely identify with Mr. Murray. I am a trained Pediatrician with over 30 years experience in the management and operations of HMOs, community health centers, and ambulatory health centers. I was willing to work for the Children's Hospital in Kingston at a much reduced annual salary which I then declined because they wanted me to work for less than their original offer. The middle managers who are in charge of some of the most significant posts within the framework of government are more intent in maintaining their jobs as opposed to assisting Jamaica to be lifted above all expectations. Anyone that is not part of the solution is part of the problem and since all of these middle managers have been in place while the country has slidden into disrepair, they should be removed wholescale and a new crop of professionals installed that seek to improve the infra-structure of this wonderful island.
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