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Michael Spence
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The Gleaner newspaper in Jamaica must be noted and congratulated for having survived in Jamaica since 1834, when slavery ended. It is a part of and a repository of Jamaica's history. It is 192 years old to date.
"Political power without economic power is incomplete. So when we celebrate 'Independence,' we have to ask: independence for whom?"
Every August 1, we mark Emancipation. Every August 6, we mark Independence. Flags fly. Speeches are made. But 188 years after slavery was abolished and 64 years after political independence, we must ask a hard question: free to do what, and with what?
Descendants of enslaved Africans make up roughly 92% of Jamaica’s population. Yet political power has not translated into broad-based economic power.
This is not a new argument. But it keeps getting drowned out by noise — like the periodic call for reparations from a British treasury that has repeatedly ruled it out. That debate is important historically. But in the present, it functions as intellectual theatre. It entertains, it angers, and it distracts. It does not put land, capital, or ownership into the hands of the average Jamaican.
"Jamaica has 262 miles of coastline. But access is the issue. Of 120 beaches, only 14 are public, and just 2 are free."
A viral TikTok clip recently reignited frustration when a young man pointed to “the beaches.” He wasn’t wrong to feel locked out. Jamaica has approximately 262 miles, or 422 km, of coastline. But access is the issue. According to the National Environment and Planning Agency, there are about 120 beaches island-wide. Only 14 are designated public, and just 2 are free to the public. The claim of “2.5 miles” may not be exact, but the sentiment is accurate: most of our coastline is behind hotel gates or private developments.
That same exclusion shows up in land. Government and civil society reports estimate over 500,000 people live in informal "squatter" settlements.In reality that figure could be disgracefully more than 1million.
The Ministry of Housing has named this one of our most pressing challenges. Add to that the long-standing concentration of commercial land, and you get the reality: a majority population with minority ownership.
Historical records matter. At Emancipation in 1834, between 311,000 and 450,000 enslaved people were freed in Jamaica. Without land redistribution, credit, or capital, emancipation did not equal economic participation.
Look at the economy today. Tourism accounts for about 34-35% of GDP. Since the 1890s, the sector has benefited from duty concessions on hotel inputs, tax holidays, and other incentives designed to attract foreign investment.
Those incentives assisted in creating jobs and foreign exchange even though only 15cents/US$1 is retained by Jamaica. Widespread ownership was/is not created.
Meanwhile, two other pillars keep households afloat: remittances and the informal economy. Remittances reached US$4.3 billion by 2025, roughly 14% of GDP, per the Bank of Jamaica. That is money sent from the diaspora to pay rent,mortgages,medical fees, school fees, and groceries. The informal sector accounts for a significant portion of economic activity. It is not a policy plan. It is a survival plan.
"You cannot be free on paper and excluded in practice from land, capital, and the primary industries of your country."
So what were we celebrating on August 1? Emancipation from chattel slavery, yes. And we should. But we were not celebrating economic power/emancipation. Nor the fact that 92% of the people own a disproportionate share of the land, the hotels, the banks, or the export industries.
Independence in 1962 gave us a flag, a parliament, and a seat at the UN. It did not automatically give us political power or equity in the economy built and sustained by our labour.
If the next 60 years are going to be different from the last 60, we need three things:
Land reform and titling to move hundreds and thousands out of squatting/informality and into ownership.
Capital access for small and medium businesses outside of tourism.
A model that includes local equity, not just local employment of labour.
Reparations may come. They may not. But we cannot wait. Political independence was step one. Economic independence is step two.
Until then, the question remains: Independence for whom?
Michael Spence
Michael Spence is a graduate of Cornwall College and the University of the West Indies. He is a trained teacher, a sociologist, and a writer for Bark Di Trute.
Micspen2@hotmail.com
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