A Fi Wi Concerns - Michael Spence

We read and listen the news that brings to us a daily diet of crime and violence while looking to the police, courts and prisons for a solution. I have come to the conclusion that we need to find ways to deepen the economic and democratic process engaging more people from all corners of Jamaica that they too can feel and eat their food legitimately. We cannot continue to lock down the economic system in the hands of a few while poverty increases rapidly increasing the likelihood of a people committing crimes and violence against their Jamaican brothers and sisters. In other words if you can allow a man/woman to provide his/her own sustenance you are likely to take away his/her propensity to engage in crime and violence. Special focus must also be placed in the direction of the youth population 15 to 35 years old.27/06/15

Most Jamaicans had their brand of number portability one phone in the back pocket to call Digicel friends and one in another pocket to call Lime people problem solved. Now with official number portability you may not know which number is for which company so you have to ask "wah kind a phone you a use" before the call gets underway you may have to "switch pants or bag pocket" to get the right phone that takes one minute or less to switch carriers. Why bother to go fill out forms, join lines and get into any bureaucracy to switch carriers because "wi deh pon a fast move my yute'. The official switching back takes 90 days my switching takes 90 seconds or less. Do not expect any wholesale switching officially because the people have their mode of switching well figured out for years and the companies just playing catch up. They want real switching lets see who will make rates of 10 or 5 cents per minute then you see switching. We just leave the more expensive call rate phone in the bottom draw of the dresser just in case we have to draw for it again. Remember during a hurricane you can't have one phone either just in case you know what. The truth is number portability is neither here nor there when it comes to practicality among the masses.27/06/15

Then how do you explain the fact that the most educated persons in this country are among the most parasitic unproductive in the population incapable of innovation, job creation and wealth creation .In other words they seem not to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to become real productive wealth creating citizens. Is it that they were mis-educated? Show me some really wealthy and highly educated people in Jamaica. It seems that the curriculum and what is taught in our schools and universities needs urgent realignment. Even if you look at governance with an abundance of  highly educated they constantly wrong the country instead of run the country27/06/15

Jamaica’s Verene Shepherd, Professor of Social History at the University of the West Indies, was yesterday elected to the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Well deserved Verene Shepherd, I never come across another person who know black people history so well especially Caribbean people history and always willing to share. I know of her through this radio station first during a cook off as part of your team “Sankofa”which I recall won Mr. Derby and anytime I hear her talking I know I will gain new knowledge so I always stop to listen. She is a great woman so I am not surprised that she would be elected to that UN committee or any related committee. Congratulations my dear sister all the best "big Up" on behalf of all your listeners and followers. Before I forget what does Sankofa mean.26/06/15

 I am no fan of indiscipline among motorists of any kind including taxi and bus operators but see an impending danger as the Taxi, bus and robot operators who are sufficiently integrated nationally to ignite spontaneous national chaos which would be an undesirable consequence of hard times compounded by draconian, undemocratic bad management of transport matters nationally. The corporate Area taxi operators withdrew their service recently as they protested the Transport Authority’s insistence that hackney carriages carry no more than three passengers. The Transport Authority (TA) should be immediately advised that they must always be directed by the law of the land and when in doubt back off and depend on the interpretation by a competent authority. If they cannot abide by that it should be immediately closed down, reorganized and staffed with competent people because they have been too often been an embarrassment to the government and the Minister who has had to intervene on too many occasions. This organization occupies an incestuous position seeming always to act in the interest of the Government owned JUTC in consort with the police and therefore acting to protect passenger loads. This is the action of a corrupt dictatorship which has no place even in a semi-modern democracy. Four passengers plus the driver allowed in a hackney carriage taxi Is reasonable and I am sure that our lawmakers and parliamentarians are not all idiotic, unconscionable and unreasonable people. Mr. Omar Davis should seek to deepen the democratic process while getting the GSAT math right regarding seating capacities. The TA and the police are pushing  harder but not smarter it seems. 26/06/15

Mr. Moreno the United States ambassador recently in a presentation has pointed out mangoes and beef patties as two items from Jamaica that could do well in the US market. Most of us are aware of that for a long time but there are some visible and invisible trade barriers that need to be removed or adjusted. The case for patties I believe is being ironed out and at least some is entering for example we have to make sure that monosodium glutamate among other things must not be present in patties going to the USA.Mangoes are not being exported and cannot be without being "hot water dipped” a process during which the mangoes are submerged in water for about 5-20 minutes at temperatures ranging from 104 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as 122 degrees or as approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) they cannot enter the United States.One should recall that boiling point of water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit to have a better perspective of the process. People should not go away with the impression that you can just export mangoes like you export yellow yams or pumpkins. Hot water dip facilities for mangoes would have to be established and approved under the supervision and guidance by the USDA. This process is however a phyto-sanitary provision to control fruit flies, weevils and other fruit borne insects. One wonders if there is any other cost effective, simpler, less cumbersome and similarly effective method that could be explored and employed to fast track the export of mangoes into the United States, but then, if Haiti can export mangoes why can’t we?  25/06/15

Corruption is an endemic part of the landscape and if you check out the "holier than thou" me and you sometimes more corruption can be found..The top, middle and bottom of the society are corrupt so all we will have is talk ,talk and more talk. The truth is most of us love corruption with or without the Office of the Contractor General(OCG) as long as we can eat a good food out of it "no problem" "a just the running's”. If we are serious about stemming corruption we have to Start at the top of the society. Are they willing to rock the boat? 25/06/15

I don't know what to say these heinous crimes in deep rural St Ann is cause for concern because there have been a series of guerilla type attacks on citizens and perpetrators seem to have disappeared into thin air. I know these places and these days when I hear people say country crime free I tell them to think again. Chances are I know these people but not their names it traumatizes me much less the direct family members and associates in the respective districts. I don't know what to say and the police are having difficulty catching the culprits this recent one and others. The police needs to have a rapid response helicopter for each parish in their arsenal because many of these places are like desolate jungles with entrances and exits to everywhere a perfect environment for criminal guerilla type attacks. To be effective night or day air support is needed.25/06/15

Michael Spence