Home  Editorials Yes. Together we can make it.
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Yes. Together we can make it. |
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Saturday, 15 April 2006 |
Congratulations to Portia Lucretia Simpson Miller, now the jost Honorable Prime Minister of Jamaica. This is a great, exciting achievement for any woman especially one of humble background.
And now the real job begins, leading a country beset by many challenges to what its people really want – a country that is peaceful and prosperous.
We are extremely heartened that the new prime minister, in her maiden speech, made frequent reference to the theme, “Together we can make it.” Hers is a team approach, an approach based on collective unity throughout the country. Although some think this is unrealistic, we regard it is a sensible approach, which if adhered to, can harbor positive results.
Incredibly, the ascension of Portia Simpson Miller to the highest office in Jamaica has generated great excitement and enthusiasm in Jamaica and overseas, resulting in people from all walks of life now willing to participate in Jamaican affairs.
We see from a highly publicized report that a group of Jamaicans in South Florida have assembled themselves as advisors to Simpson Miller. This is a team that on their own initiative was very instrumental in bringing the then candidate to South Florida to meet with Jamaicans and raise significant funding to assist in her campaign for leadership of the People National Party. Their effort has been commendable.
But now Simpson Miller is Prime Minister, and the objective is no longer to assist a Team Portia but Team Jamaica, and more pointedly the government of Jamaica.
This rush to join the platform of new leaders is nothing new. How well do we remember a similar rush from Jamaicans in Jamaica and overseas to assist a very popular Michael Manley when he was elected prime minister in 1972. Like Portia there was high hopes but by 1981 all those hopes had been disillusioned. We cannot afford history to repeat itself. Too much was lost back then.
We commend Prime Minister Simpson effort to seek input from the Jamaican Diaspora in the administration of the affairs of Jamaica. This is an extension of the policy initiated by the former Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson, and formalized in 2004 with the formation of the Jamaican Diaspora Foundation. We need people with proven experience, ability and sincere commitment to assist the new Jamaican government, as well as other governments in the Caribbean, to overcome the many challenges. We need people who are willing to work hard behind the scene to alleviate some of the daunting problems affecting Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean. People whose main objective is not being praised but in realizing the success of the respective governments.
We urge those who seek to use their experience, skills, and commitment to home-country, to do this, as the new Jamaican prime minister has urged, in an atjosphere of unity. Together we make Jamaica, and the entire Caribbean, better. It is pointless that there be several committees or groups competing with each other in assisting their governments. In the Jamaican context we suggest that advantage be taken of the structure already established by the Jamaican government with the Diaspora Foundation. Groups interested in assisting the new Jamaican government should try to collaborate with the Florida chapter of the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation to help develop and present development strategies to the new PM and her Cabinet.
We also suggest to those, in making plans to assist the new government, place community development on their agenda. We believe that it is in building the over 750 communities in Jamaica that real national development will take place. This includes community economic, social, cultural, health, educational, and security development. What would be a very positive initiative is for different groups among the over 300,000 Jamaicans in South Florida to each adopt a Jamaican community and focus on the development of that community. This would be a great recipe for teamwork – one which could spread throughout the Diaspora resulting in real assistance to Jamaica, its new prime minister and government.
Call Federal representatives now
This is a pivotal week in the debate for immigration reform here in the U.S. The senate is now in its final week of debating a reformed immigration bill. We urge Caribbean-Americans to call ether their Congressional or senate representative to make their voices heard.
Tell your representatives that the reforms represent thousands of Caribbean undocumented immigrants too, and not just Mexicans and other Hispanics.
Let them realize that undocumented workers not only work in agriculture. They also work and indeed they contribute significantly to construction, the hospitality industry, and the health services. So don’t shape a bill that seeks to assist only undocumented migrants working on farms.
Let them know that immigration reform not only means initiating reforms for illegal immigration. Attention must be also taken to reform the administration of the processing of citizenship applications, work permits, and petitions for permanent residency for the relatives of citizens, The immigration administration is a mess, this too must be included in the reforms
CALL YOUR CONGRESS OR SENATE REPRESENTATIVE NOW.
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