How We Destroyed Our National Airline - Part !

There is so much misinformation that we are bombarded with that I believe the Jamaican populace is confused. Political leaders are also helping to create the confusion. Many have very little respect for the truth. The traditional media houses seem to have adopted this 'eat a food' mentality due to the harsh economic realities of the time. Those in the intellectual class seem to be busy hustling to make a dollar, so they have very little time to think about what is happening to our beautiful country.

Years ago, sugar was king, banana was carrying the swing, and bauxite was an excellent weapon in the economic fight. What is now bringing in the gold? Tourism brings in numbers of people, but I don't see any gold being left behind.

No country can succeed where there is a high level of crime and corruption. The challenge with how we deal with corruption is that the emphasis is on political corruption, which I believe is at a low level. Very little attention is given to corruption in the private sector and the public sector. It would be interesting to know what percentage of our schools have been audited during 2025. Yes, we need to audit the Auditor General's Department and the Integrity Commission.

We have lost many entities that could make money for our country. One such entity is our national airline. The majority of revenue earned by that airline was foreign exchange. I will spend some time in this article and future blogs looking at Air Jamaica, the little piece of Jamaica that flew. We can learn from that experience in order to deal with our current challenges.

Let's look at some of the practices that cost us our national airline. Many extra pieces of luggage were put on the flights that were not paid for. There was no control over the number of tickets given by executives to their friends, business associates, and relatives.

At the airport, thousands of dollars were lost compensating passengers for lost luggage and lost items from luggage. When the plane landed, much of that luggage ended up in the garbage bins behind the carousel. The 'so-called' owners came for them after. Inside the baggage area, where customers' bags were supposed to be safe, people took things out of the passengers' suitcases and threw them in the rubbish bin to be retrieved later when the bins were removed. There was also a scam with the travel tax. I am told that the travel tax went into pockets.

Many of us cannot understand why we literally gave away those valuable slots in London. BA is still on that route, and they must be doing well. We had flights going to LA with a handful of passengers, and you wonder why. Were there other valuable commodities on board? We were dubbed at one time as 'Ganga Air'. At one time, we went as far as Germany. I wonder why? The airline had to pay thousands of US dollars when the planes were detained for carrying drugs. I wonder who those people were who used the airline to carry drugs.

We will talk more about Air Jamaica in the future and why it crashed. Our people must learn that when we tear down entities, it affects future generations and our country. Today's youngsters' hope of becoming a pilot or an avionics engineer has been dashed. He has to find a call centre job to earn a little pocket money. We no longer have a national airline. It's a shame.

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Prostate Cancer

Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.

Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.

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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj 

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Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

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Slogans Cannot End Squatting

By Michael Spence

Michael Spence

It is time we admit a hard truth: Ending squatting and housing every Jamaican cannot be achieved by slogans alone. "Easier said than done" is not an excuse, but it is a warning.

For decades, the National Housing Trust has functioned less like a savings vehicle and more like a housing tax—what some have called a National Housing Pyramid Scheme.

Only a fraction of contributors ever see a draw-down. Worse, successive governments have dipped into the NHT fund for projects only marginally related to housing. 

That money should have been used to regularize informal settlements and eliminate squatting. We cannot afford to forget our history.

From 1834 to 1838, the formerly enslaved were freed into pennilessness and pushed onto marginal lands. We are, in many ways, the Black descendants of that forced squatting. The cycle should have ended long ago.

The economic data show why urgency matters. According to World Bank and IMF figures, Jamaica’s real GDP per capita remains among the lowest in the Caribbean:

Haiti: $2,694  

Jamaica: $8,003  

Dominican Republic: $11,059  

Trinidad and Tobago: $18,967  

Barbados: $28,335  

Guyana: $32,414  

Bahamas: $40,005  

Cayman Islands: $104,293  

Only Haiti ranks below us. That is not a position a proud, independent nation should accept.

Our trade imbalance tells the same story. In 2025 Jamaica imported US$7.6 billion while exporting just US$2 billion. If this continues, we risk becoming more than an “irie dancehall” — we become global socio-economic squatters. Dependent on borrowing, remittances, and, for too many, on the illicit economy of scamming and other crime.

This must change. Jamaica needs more production, more exports, and real import substitution. We need jobs that build wealth, not debt.

We need a housing policy that delivers on its promise and fiscal discipline that protects contributors’ money for its intended purpose.

We have the culture. We have the lyrics. Now we need to ride the rhythm of productivity.

Only then will Emancipation and Independence carry their full meaning. No more economic squatting. It is time to build.

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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Prostate Cancer

Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.

Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.

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Click Here.

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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj 

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It's best to view this blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com.

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Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog with your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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Truck A Come - Cum Outa Di Road!

It takes nerves of steel to drive on our Jamaican roads. 

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Prostate Cancer

Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.

Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.

______________________

Click Here.

______________________

Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj 

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It's best to view this blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com.

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Subscribe Now!

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Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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Greater Efficiency And Focus On Execution In The Public Sector, PM Says

 JIS Press Release -  August 15, 2026

The Most Honourable Dr Andrew Holness

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is calling for greater efficiency and a stronger focus on execution across the public service, as the government moves to accelerate the delivery of policies, programmes and services.

Addressing the Permanent Secretaries’ Board Retreat at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in St. Ann on Friday (August 14), Dr. Holness said Jamaica has established strong institutions and developed strategies across every major area of national development, but greater emphasis must now be placed on getting things done.

“Increasingly, the decisive question is not whether we have a plan. We have plans [but]…can we execute the plans that we have? That is the real question,” he stated. 

Dr. Holness noted that the country must be able to translate policies and decisions into tangible results for Jamaicans in a timely manner.

He emphasised that achieving greater speed and efficiency does not mean circumventing established procedures or compromising accountability.

“I am not asking you to break compliance. I am not asking you to become lawless,” he told his audience. 

Dr. Holness said Permanent Secretaries are central to the country’s transformation, given their responsibility for ensuring that Government policy is translated into effective administration.

He noted that while Ministers determine what the Government seeks to accomplish, Permanent Secretaries have a critical role in determining how those objectives can be achieved within the law.

“The permanent secretary must help to determine how it can be accomplished lawfully, efficiently and effectively, and organize the ministry to get it done,” he said.

Dr. Holness also urged Permanent Secretaries to ensure that the administrative machinery of Government operates with the required urgency.

“I urge our permanent secretaries to ensure that the administration is moving with speed and alacrity; faithfully and consistently to execute the lawful mandates given,” he said.

The Prime Minister highlighted that greater efficiency is becoming increasingly important, as Jamaica navigates rapid global economic and technological changes.

“The most valuable resource is efficiency. Efficiency is a resource. Time is money,” Dr. Holness said.

He added that improving efficiency must become a national priority, beginning with the public sector.

“Jamaica must become the most efficient country in this region, because that's the only resource that is going to protect our economy for the future,” the Prime Minister said.

“The entire society now needs to be looking at how we become more efficient and it has to start with the public service. It starts with our permanent secretaries,” he added.  

Editor's Note

I would love to be a part of a team of people who monitor the efficiency of the public sector.

First, certain standards would have to be set and systems put in place to monitor performance. These standards would be assessed by an external body. The following are examples of such standards and systems that should be put in place:

1. Set up a system to monitor how long it takes to answer the phone and how many calls are dropped.
2. Number of issues dealt with monthly and how many are resolved.
3. Set a time within which a customer should be dealt with.
4. Set a time for correspondence to be responded to. This would vary from department to department.
5. All projects are to be given a time frame for completion, and reports given on those that go overtime and those completed on time.
6. Departments should be required to give quarterly reports of their performance. 
7. Department heads would be called in if their departments don't meet certain standards, and their posts would be declared vacant if there is no improvement over several months.
8. Polls would be taken to get customers' feedback on matters such as courtesy, office ambience, and the facilities at the department, for example. 
9. Performance assessment should be published. 

It is time taxpayers get value for their tax dollar. The overall increase in salary payments needs to change. If a department performs well, then increments should be given to the workers in that department.

You must add your comments to this blog, which will be sent to the Prime Minister.

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Policy To Be Developed For Dealing With Squatters

JIS Press Release - August 16, 2026

The Most Honourable Dr Andrew Holness.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness says the Government will develop a programme to address irregularly settled communities, as part of measures to prevent further squatting and informal settlement.

Dr. Holness was speaking during the handover of a house under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) in St. Ann on Friday (August 14), where he addressed the controversy surrounding the demolition of homes in Coopers Pen, Trelawny recently.

“In the same way we have developed this programme [NSHP]… it is the same way we will develop a programme to address squatter communities, irregularly settled communities, formalise them, regularise them, and prevent further squatting and informal settlement,” Dr. Holness said.

He stressed that whatever the government does “has to address the issue of informality, and we can’t be two-mouthed about it.”

“We have to speak straight—squatting is wrong, and informal settlement is not encouraged, but yes, every single Jamaican should have equal opportunity to get access to land and housing. But whatever our response is we have to be careful that we don’t set a precedence that is not sustainable,” he added.

The Prime Minister also informed that support has been mobilised for them through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Ministry of Labour and Social security, to assist the affected families.

Meanwhile, Dr. Holness said the NSHP is as a highly successful platform upon which the Government is actively building. 

Administered through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, the NSHP has delivered 349 housing solutions, providing safe, resilient, and dignified homes for more than 1,600 vulnerable Jamaicans across 57 constituencies. 

Approximately 65 additional housing solutions are currently under construction across the island.

Editor's Note

We cannot talk about increasing the population without increasing productivity, production, and the available housing. 

All the people living on the land at Coopers Pen are not squatters; some are land captors.

As I listened to all the speakers and read the stories in the press about Coopers Pen, hardly any mention is made of the landowner who has been deprived of the land for many years.

It should be a crime for anyone to encourage persons to capture land or encourage persons to defraud the government to gain state benefits as a squatter.

We must be careful that the capturing of land is not escalated with the hope that the government will assist land captors.

Lawyers are saying that police officers detained men from the area illegally. The men were occupying the property illegally, and the police could have the right to detain them. They were also in contempt of court by refusing to follow the court order to move.

Bark Di Trute has published many articles on squatting and land capturing and has suggested that a policy should be developed and adhered to.

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Prostate Cancer

Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.

Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.

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Click Here.

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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj 

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It's best to view this blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com.

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Subscribe Now!

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• Make a financial donation now.

Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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NWC Damaged Pipe

There is an NWC-damaged main at Kingswood Road. Kingswood Road is off Diamond Road, off Old Stony Hill Road.

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The Constipation Was Terrible, But Losing My Pouch With My Cards Was Devastating

It is said that 'wen trouble teck yu, pickney shut fit you.' This morning, nutten coulda' fit me. Yes, since last year I have faced some very challenging times, but we learn not to give up. Mi a beg oonu no badda give up and mek depression teck yu and next ting yu have suicidal thoughts. Do mi a beg yu.

Last week I suffered from constipation. Not the little pyaw pyaw constipation that many of you are aware of. Nothing would come out for the day. I am sure some women will say that sounds like when they have labour pain forever, and the baby will not come out. Was it caused by diet, medications, or underlying illnesses or the intense heat we have been feeling these days? If I sat down, I felt di dam thing sticking out mi inside.

I went to Andrews Hospital to seek treatment at about 10:00 pm. They gave me an enema and medications. I was about to leave the hospital when I felt my pockets. My two black pouches were missing. One of the pouches had cash, and the other had all my important cards, such as my credit card and license.

I knew then that they were stolen. The only place they could have been stolen was in the room where I did the enema. I even started to doubt, and I felt I left them in the bathroom. I went to the bathroom, and there were no pouches.

By this time, the whole casualty section was aware of my loss. I found it interesting that two of the staff showed little or no interest in my dilemma.

I went into another room where some patients were being attended to. One lady said to me that she saw the pouches in the bathroom on a shelf that was on top of the toilet. Dr. Jackson went back with me to the bathroom. We found the pouches nicely tucked away behind the toilet. I eventually left the hospital after 3:00 Sunday morning.

I told Bark Di Trute supporter Sonya Lynch, who said if I had called her, she would have assisted. She sent me a picture of Fleet Enema, which would help.  I told her that the constipation was so severe that it would take a large amount to deal with my problem.

I recommend that the hospital have an area where patients' valuable items can be safely stored, especially when a patient needs to remove all their clothing.

You need to check on the medications that you take to see if they can cause constipation. Make sure there is fibre in you diet and drink planty water especially at this time.

Great hearing from Terry Salmon and Dennis Archer, my great supporters. I heard from Dennis Robinson, the man who went to Holmwood Technical High School, but I was unable to call him back. 

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Prostate Cancer

Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.

Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.

______________________

Click Here.

______________________

Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj 

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It's best to view this blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com.

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Subscribe Now!

• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
• Subscribe to my Emergency News Advice Service.
• Make a financial donation now.

Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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