ALMOST 80..AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED …
The more things change - the more they remain the same..
Every story I write from an elderly is a story written on their behalf...
My almost 80-year-old elderly friend has served time in prison for murder but was released on good behaviour after serving 15 of her 25-year sentence for what was considered…. “A crime of passion’.
She was a member of the upper middle class of Jamaican society, and like most Jamaicans, came from a poor background, but was determined never to stay in that gutter of poverty. At the age of 21, she bought her own house, and her own car and became part of what late Prime Minister Edward Seaga labelled the INFORMAL COMMERCIAL IMPORTERS
Now at almost 80, and having spent some of her most productive years behind bars, she laments that nothing has changed. “It’s the same 21 families and now their offsprings and a few other people who have my colour who can say they have attained some wealth. But the majority of the people still live in poverty.
“Why you think the crime so high? Where are the guns coming from in this country?. You think the little young boys in the inner city can afford to bring in guns and bullets at the rate they coming in, she questions. If the Minister of National Security knows that 200 guns are coming in a month, why has he not been able to nab the culprits? I couldn’t imagine that we still have water lock-offs and no new damn has been built and we are still hearing that we must conserve. “
I was born before independence and after 50-odd years, I walk into the Half ay Tree post office and there is not even a fan. It’s the same HWT post office, with no improvement. The heat is overwhelming and no form of sanitizing, no taking the temperature or practising social distancing. No wonder the virus is spreading so fast she noted. The elderly go to that post office to collect their pension, and no consideration is given to them. They stand in line and in the heat as it was 50 years ago.
She says the financial institutions seem to be only concerned with charging customers and have not been able to come up with creative ways of financial services to assist the elderly. “I have been asking what of reverse mortgages? Why can’t companies like #Jamaica National and #Victoria Mutual develop a reverse mortgage for the elderly as other countries have done so that older people can continue to live in dignity till their ending days”. Look at how this could create employment for skilled labourers and help to reduce crime because the funds could be used to renovate our properties and even afford us the opportunity to rent with the Air B and B programme still gaining popularity even in Covid times. Painters would get work, masons, carpenters…. And the building society could recoup their funds from getting the same property to sell, if funds aren’t being repaid or if the elderly dies. We can't carry anything with us”.
“I've paid my dues and am still being punished by society”, she notes. She has offered her services as a counsellor to even the government to counsel women in abusive relationships as someone who has been down that road and not even a response she notes. I know what it is to live with abuse.. know how it can damage you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Who better to hear it from than the person who has lived it?” We could help reduce the crime rates caused by the abuse..but no one wants to stop the bleeding! The more things change…the more they remain the same.. she concluded.
Writer, Lois Grant
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| Lois Grant |
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EAT A FOOD POLITICS AND ECONOMICS
ReplyDeleteEven when your party wins you lose.
We blacks make up 98% of Jamaica but own 5% or less of the Jamaican economy.
Always remember "THOSE THAT GAVE ECONOMIC POWER HAVE REAL POLITICAL POWER"
Political.power is the ability to organize governance and everything in your country in your own interest.
There is a 2% of Jamaica's population that own 95% or more of Jamaica and economy.
Those are the people that have real political power that goes with real economic power.
Open your eyes those
people do not make noise, talk the loudest,ring bells,blow horns,fill motorcades,block roads,waving green or orange flags, beat tambourines,run backa dem,lose limbs or lives in accidents in deadly shoot outs or stabbings.
They are as safe in the country as American or other tourists.
Yes the economy is growing ,ask yourselves who are the real beneficiaries building their economy.
A reminder, those 2% who own 95% of Jamaica and its economy.
The rest of the 98% inhabitants some may be able to "EAT A FOOD".
EAT A FOOD POLITICS AND ECONOMICS
ReplyDeleteEven when your party wins you lose.
We blacks make up 98% of Jamaica but own 5% or less of the Jamaican economy.
Always remember "THOSE THAT HAVE ECONOMIC POWER HAVE REAL POLITICAL POWER"
Political power is the ability to organize governance and everything else in your country in your own interest.
There is a 2% of Jamaica's population mainly non African slave ancestry owning 95% or more of Jamaica and economy.
That is where real political power resides.
Let's Open our eyes those
people do not make noise, talk the loudest,ring bells,blow horns,fill motorcades,block roads,waving green or orange flags, beat tambourines,run backa ,lose limbs and lives in accidents,or, in deadly shoot outs and stabbings.
They are as safe in the country as America's 3million tourists/foreign visitors to the island with a 0.16/100,000 compared to 45/100,000 chance of being murdered for the regular Jamaican inhabitants.
Yes the economy is growing ,ask yourselves who are the real beneficiaries of that.
The same 2% who owns,controls ,manages and directs 95% of Jamaica's wealth,politics and its economy.
For The rest of the 98% inhabitants let us deepen and widen the wealth creation processes or are we satisfied to just being able to squat freely,make noise,sleep,procreate,defecate and just "EAT A FOOD"???
Wow! If we continue as we are managed by Fully Dunce economic and political leaders.
ReplyDeleteWe naah guh noweh I mean we will not be making any substantial progress.
The third of the population and more will be squatting,murders will forever remain over 1000 per annum.
How about asking for a re colonization by Britain as in 1962 prior to Independence Jamaica had 63 murders and 60 years later that figure became 1498.
Will being a Republic make a change for the better ir for worse.
I think "WE WANT BACK COLONIALISM FOR A MORE CIVILIZED SOCIETY"
By the way isn't Haiti a Republic is that really what we want?.