Sunday, 5 October 2025

Rebuild Jamaica - buy Jamaican produce Says Michael Spence

Contributed

Jamaica, in reality, has some dark economic clouds ahead, with the second-lowest per capita income of US$7,000 in the Caribbean.

Our productivity and attitude to work have been in free fall while a crime industry grows alongside other antisocial behaviour as a new ideology 'Nasty Mouthism', spirals in social media and is being concerted elsewhere.

Our factories and productive capacity have been almost decimated. The opportunities that normally exist for our exports becoming more attractive to foreign buyers have plummeted. 

Most of our exports depend heavily on imported raw material, and as the dollar devalues, some goods and services become uncompetitive, plus tariffs in the case if the USA.

Did you know there was a glass factory on Ashenheim Road in Kingston, a once thriving industrial park? It makes you think immediately that our economy needs productive rebuilding.

The governor of the Bank of Jamaica and the Minister of Finance see the problem and are at their wits end as to how to kick-start widespread production. 

I still hear little talk of production, hard work and foreign-exchange earnings. The foreign exchange as a commodity for sale in a market is treated no differently from red peas or tomatoes.

Stabilise the dollar or better revalue the Jamaican dollar.

We must pull out all the stops to rebuild our productive capacity, stabilise/revalue the dollar and, as a World Bank report recommended:

The best hope for countries like Jamaica to survive is by going into manufacturing. Whatever the formula, it cannot be talk as usual. We need urgent action along with a good dose of nationalism and stop being a' Rampin' Shop' or one elaborate dancehall duncehall full of empty deejaying.

Produce and buy Jamaican to rebuild Jamaica, putting the nation over partisan politics, nastiness, corruption, improprieties, laziness, greed, and selfishness, and love our neighbours as ourselves.

Author

Michael Spence

7 comments:

  1. A sobering article....we started our national equation wrong bro....it cannot be corrected...... read Lee Qwan Hue book about our human resources and their capacity to be productive citizens... we are at the bottom of the pile regionally ...it's as if we feel great being buffoons and the loudest boasiest laughing stock in the world

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loudest,boasiest ,laughing stock of the world.
    Where are our real productive capitalist class step to the front as Pyramid Scheming Capitalism will not do cannot last.
    Production,production and Jamaicans need to develop a buy Jamaica preference to build Jamaica.
    Teach that even in schools make it a part of the Jamaica Indoctrination/education program.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here hear hear I try my best to buy Jamaican.
    Have you seen sometimes political leaders misguidedly boasting or let's say advertising Foreign goods eg when a put on mi CLARK'S you know.
    DJays advertising name brands all made in China .
    We could do our own brands right here
    My stomach turns everytime I hear them.
    Do you know there are people in Jamaica who I know personally that can make you the best shoes,pants,dress or slipper in the world.
    Parliament go for it let's do it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am now thinking of our own BARKE'S brand an off shoot of Bark di Trute brand.Fo it nuh Missa D

    ReplyDelete
  5. How do we explain the importation of large numbers of foreign workers on our construction sites? Is there a parallel underground economy going on?

    Countries like The Bahamas welcome foreign investments, but investors must train locals to run the investment projects and hire local talent.

    ReplyDelete
  6. First and foremost locally produced products and goods are much more expensive than imported ones. Go figure?

    ReplyDelete

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