Jamaica’s newly elected Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller told that country she is ready to launch certain aspects of the Jamaica Emergency employment Programme (JEEP) .Miller rode to victory on the promise she would be using this programme much vaunted by her party, to produce jobs for unemployed people in the country. Simpson Miller addressing members of the executive council of her party told them that she would likely launch certain aspects of the programme on Wednesday of this week.
Simpson Miller Azan: MP’s to select JEEP employees. Jamaicagleaner.com
Miller went on to say that the roll out would likely see 700 hundred jobs created over seven parishes that’s 100 jobs per parish.
What is the criteria that will be the qualifier for securing those jobs?
What kinds of jobs will they be?
Will the jobs, irrespective of kind or quality, be doled out to party hacks?
One hundred jobs per parish will not ease the chronic unemployment in the country, it is however a step in the right direction. The source of my worries is not with how many jobs will be created, or who will get those jobs, important though those two considerations are.
HERE’S THE PROBLEM:
In January, the Government held talks with China regarding re-directing money from funds loaned for the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme towards JEEP .
This is astounding in my estimation, it is arguable a bad policy that Jamaica have been pursuing when it decided to borrow money from China as part of its developement goals, the fact is China is awash with cash and as part of any loan guarantee demands that countries borrowing its money actually use some chinese workers on projects in order to put Chinese workers to work. This is sound policy for China , it lends money, collects interest on its money, and puts its workers to work, it is a win , win for China. There is really not a lot of choice in this regard as unpalatable as it is for Jamaica as it is for other countries like the United States. The Chinese have the cash and we need money.
AS BAD AS IT IS THOUGH
: As bad as borrowing money from the Chinese and employing their nationals is, it is particularly alarming to me that now these funds will be misappropriated from doing tangible infrastructural work that will be part of the catalyst that must propel Jamaica into the first world. Let me say this, this is clear and unequivocal crash programme disguised as something else, it will be disproportionately given to PNP supporters as payment for their vote, and to buy vote for future elections, this is vintage PNP strategy, this JEEP programme is different in that we will have used the Chinese’ money we will have nothing to show for it , no roads no bridges, and we will be slaves to them for this money.
The country’s Transport and works Minister Richard Azan revealed that Members of Parliament will play what he called an integral part in selecting employees of (JEEP). Are you kidding me? I have been warning long before the elections of 2011 that Miller has no understanding of how a market economy works , she understands very little about what is required to prepare the country for the 21st century , as such it would be impossible for her to come up with ideas or strategies which would propel the country into the 21st century. Miller understands the politics of the 70’s, patronage politics, garrison politics, nepotism, (her family members in her cabinet) she cannot help herself that is who she is, the only problem is that her time has come and gone. I stated in no uncertain terms that this much hyped JEEP would be nothing more than a return of crash programme, as an Elementary school student in the 70’s, I was a witness to history, I saw the Armies of PNP supporters sitting on walls, riding around on motorcycles, and leaning on brooms, waiting for their cheques for doing nothing . Manley bankrupted the country with this money give-away to PNP supporters .Miller is here to finish the destruction.
CRASH PROGRAMME WORK CAN NEVER BE THE SOLUTION TO OUR COUNTRY’S DILEMA, IT IS PAYMENT FOR VOTES PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
As I pointed out on many occasions in these blogs this is what Portia Simpson Miller was up to, it was what she campaigned on , it is politics at its most base, most crass and most parochial. It wa designed to pay for votes, it is not a serious attempt at job creation, it is a budget busting give-away. Money in JDIP will eventually run out, after all it is not an infinite source, borrowing to build and repair infrastructure is something we can live with. Infrastructure built and maintained is an asset, Politicians doling out borrowed money to party hacks as payment for voting for them is the most despicable act the Miller Government could visit on the Jamaican people. Those who voted for this government are not fools, many people are hungry or without jobs. To someone without a job or food on the tables it is rather appealing when someone promises the prospect of a job. This approach however is an affront and a slap in the face of Jamaicans. On the face of it there seem to be legitimacy however when looked at in a historical perspective there is a lesson all of us must have learned from the mistakes of the past . Those who forget the mistakes they made are bound to repeat them.
Portia Simpson Miller have had 4 years after her party lost to the labor party to avail herself to the realities of the 21st century, crash programme handouts and “sharing mangoes with the rest of the world” cannot be the path forward for Jamaica. We live in the age of information technologies , math and science must be in the forefront of what we teach in our schools and universities. If our young people are going to compete in the world political leaders must understand that our people must be educated and prepared for the jobs in computer engineering, research,and writing software programmes.
If the monies to be used for JEEP was not borrowed money I would still have problem with the return of this programme to Jamaica . It is an affront and an insult to the intelligence of all Jamaicans, and is nothing more than a cheap insulting abuse of the Jamaican people by corrupt manipulative politicians who take the Jamaican people for absolute fools.