Part I of III - Can Jamaica Turn the Corner?

Contributed

Seeing Ourselves Clearly

Can Jamaica turn the corner? Can we truly achieve Vision 2030 and become “the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”? These questions linger in the national conversation, often overshadowed by a familiar refrain: “Nutten nah gwaan” or “Nothing is happening.” Some even argue that we are worse off than we were at independence.

Yet the national statistics tell a different story. When we compare Jamaica in 1962 to Jamaica in 2026, progress is undeniable across multiple areas. Could we have done more? Absolutely. Did we make mistakes? Certainly. But the past should serve as a teacher, not a chain that holds us back.

The claim that “nothing has changed” simply isn’t true. Much has changed. The challenge is that our collective mindset often leans so heavily toward negativity that it obscures the progress in plain sight. Good work has been done, and continues to be done, but it must be accelerated, sustained, scaled, and strengthened.

So here is a perspective framed by questions that deserve deeper reflection:

• Have we understood why the National Family Board’s “Two is Better Than Too Many” campaign worked so effectively?
• Do we understand why the seatbelt law was implemented with relatively little resistance?
• Do we understand how Jamaica reached the FIFA World Cup in 1998?
• Why do we continue to dominate global athletics on a per capita basis?
• Do we fully grasp the reasons behind the success of the Economic Reform Programme supported by the IMF?
• Do we understand why Jamaican music is instantly recognizable across the world?

And by “we,” is meant all Jamaicans, our institutions, our leaders, and our people.

These successes did not happen by accident. They emerged from a combination of mindset, aspiration, discipline, and national alignment. Understanding them is essential if we are to turn the corner again.

Look out for Part II on Saturday

Contributed by Devon Rowe

Devon Rowe OD

Devon Rowe is a career public servant and university lecturer who received his BSc from the UWI and his MA from John F. He was the Financial Secretary at the Ministry of Finance & Planning in Jamaica.