Patriotic Jamaicans?

May be, just may be many of us Jamaicans think of ourselves as patriotic. But I question that number of patriotic Jamaicans when I look at the line at the US embassy on Old Hope Road. After 54 years of national pride I wish more Jamaicans could express their patriotism economically and not only emotionally on Independence Day. I don't think It's fair to ask persons to show patriotism when they don't own any land or even a stock unit of a Jamaican company. I wish more Jamaicans were 'financially independent' like what the country should be. If this JamRock, culture and language are our commonalties, I just feel more Jamaicans should be individually and collectively profiting from the assets of the land in some shape or form.  I don't think I am patriotic and I own pieces of Jamican companies (and very soon lands). A matter of fact, I know I am not patriotic.

Patriotism, according to Dictionary.com, is defined as

devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.

Being a patriot may also entail defending your country's interests. Would I defend Jamaica's Interests? I don't think Jamaica's politicians have done a very good job at that over the years since our independence. The loyalty and support for even my high school was very low compared to that of my colleagues. So since leaving high school, loyalty to country has been thoroughly considered.

Loyalty to country is a very misunderstood term. Some of us define country way different from the ruling minority. And the ruling minority I draw attention to is not only the 'high colour' ones we have grown accustomed to 'cussing' out, but also the 'never si come si' african descendants who have 'climbed the ladder' to riches and leadership. In light of the Olympics in Rio, which is one more proof how a country can betray its people and then turn around asking for support from the betrayed, I must say that the peak of Jamican patriotism will be portrayed and spoke of from August 6, till about a week after the ending of the olympics. So looking at a few definitions of the word country, I realized that I may have a little hope of some common sense in the little brain of mine. The common definition for country, or the definition which I believe 90% of Jamaicans actually mean when they speak, is one related to a nation. According to Oxford Dictionaries, a nation is

a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory

Therefore, we define a country simply as the people of a district, state, or nation.
Other definitions include:

1. an area of land that has its own government, army, etc.
2. the land of a person's birth, residence, or citizens; a political state or nation or its territory

If we look at Jamaica's political system and the distrust the populace show in the government as well as governance of the people of the land, we can very much define the country as the voting public and the politicians.

However, with olympics in the air, we get a different feel of what and where is the country of Jamaica. When Bolt runs that 100m final we will say he is running for Jamaica. Even bolt will say he is running for Jamaica. But with fairness I relieve him of that task which is not a reality. Bolt runs because he wants to run. Bolt runs because he gets paid to run. Bolt runs because he gets paid to do something he loves to do and no one else does it as well as he does it. Bolt running for his country and defending his country's interests in Track and Field is secondary to his pay check.

You see, I question patriotism or loyalty to any cause because many persons make it a requirement for social acceptance, when this really doesn't have to be. It is the unrealistic country before self connotation, those in leadership require from we the 'sheep' of Jamaica, that I want to dispell. I say I am not patriotic because I know that given information and incentives for my benefit I will make decisions to progress myself first before benefitting my country. Anything I am loyal to, is just because I want to be loyal to it. Better said, I see and recieve benefit from being loyal to that cause.

I recently, heard of a Utech lecturer telling his students how everytime he saw a Carib Cement Truck passing he would stop his car get out and cheer on the driver. He told his students he did that because he knows that driver is helping Carib Cement to make his money work for him. Tears of joy fill his eyes and heart everytime he speaks of the Carib Cement massive share price increase he reaped a couple years a back. He showed interest in Carib Cement with his life savings (struggled to make ends meet for a while) and the Company paid him back with interest after a few years. Now he defends Carib Cement's interests. I will never die for my country because my country will never die for me. That is a cold hard fact- the physical land will never die for me, neither would the people. If I may, I can even question what will my country do for me, after I have done for it.

Naturally, humans are selfish for survival and only seem to be kind to others when they fully or start understanding that it is essential to survival or self preservation to LOOK OUT FOR OTHERS. As soon as one starts to expand his perception of self to include others his loyalty to himself will be beneficial to the group of people he is a part of. The group will eventually grow to the majority's view of a country. All our sports men and women, including embattled Chris Gayle and the 'Pocket Rocket', Shelly-Ann, (to name a few more of our wealthier athletes) perform on the world stage for their survival and advancement. They are Jamaican athletes/ sports persons because they were born in Jamaica. They represent other Jamaicans because they were born and raised in Jamaica like the rest of Jamaicans. Some Jamaican athletes 'rep' for us because they have Jamiacan heritage. Sometimes only one of their parents are Jamaicans. Its on that note, that I don't want anyone to ask me about my patriotism when they don't see me in my black, green and gold clad on JA's Independence Day. Yes. Don't beat around bush. Ask me "if I am loyal to you?"

Jamaican Engineering in Business and the Costumer's Experience

Jamaica may not be a country you think about when you say engineering but it has its fair share of engineering feats. Jamaica boasts being the first Caribbean country to have electricity and running water. I can a bit further by saying that Jamaica even had light and water before United Sates of America. St. Elizabeth was the first parish in Jamaica to get Electricity, in 1893. St. Elizabeth, my parents' home parish, even had telephones 10 years after it was invented by Alexander G. Bell. Implementation of these mentioned infrastructure was to satisfy a need and solve a problem people faced, hence an engineer or group of engineers solved a problem. The engineers in 17th -19th century Jamaica, were predominantly English. The colonizers of Jamaica managed the Jamaican resource to their benefit but left a legacy of engineering development for Jamaica and Jamaicans to learn from. In my opinion the greatest engineering legacy in Jamaica was the railroading network the English established. A legacy it is indeed. So much that it seems to be a legend to most of those in my age group. Many don't even know that Jamaica had a railroading network opened to transport before U.S.A, dating from 1845.

Engineering in Jamaica has never gotten the highlight it truly deserved. For example, if a road is being built here, its not advertised via 'word o' mouth' as an engineering construction. Its just, 'dem a build a road'. The intricacies in some of our civil works are rarely eye catching due to the numerous shabby work done by cheap and greedy so called engineers. The Portmore leg of the Toll Road, for example, I assume many Portmore residence have forgotten the special construction this road got. When the road material was being laid they saw foam being placed in the ground, may be the first many was seeing this being done. And so the reason eluded them. This was because the area by the cause way is a wet land, (was a  swamp- now dumped up land). Heavy compaction of aggregate or regular construction material would prevent the regular flow of water in and out the coast. So after a short while all that expensive work would need to be repeated or wasted. Because after the land gets waterlogged the water would have to find some way out. The nice, pretty road would deteriorate fast.

With this article, I want to present what engineering looks like in Jamaica today with the examples of three well-known Jamaican companies involved in engineering. These companies manage a resource vital to Jamaicans and have been around for more than a decade. I want to focus on the efficacy of their respective managers in improving the organization. The companies will be assessed on their technological improvement, improvement in customer service and customers' perception of the company. Improvement in the companies technology and infrastructure is directly link to engineering skills but the effectiveness of its managers can only be measured by how beneficial these advances are to the customers.

So the three companies are:

1. Jamaica Public Service (JPS)
2. Lime/ Flow
3. National Water Commission

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How to Change a Corrupt Government

Here in Jamaica we are back in election season-once again. I do not vote because I don't believe in 'giving away my rights and power to those who don't care about me.' Jamaica's successive governments and its leaders have achieved some good for the country but for the most part, in my opinion (facts unearthed might sway my decision) governments have failed the people's expectations time and time again. There has been some good work done in Education, Transportation, Construction and Mining and Agriculture. But Security and Justice is very hard to manage; it would seem. Unlike the minister of security, I see this crime problem Jamaica faces not as something that grossly needs divine intervention but an opportunity to prove to the divine that with His help we can solve the scourge of crime and violence.

GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD?

Solving Crime Pays but not as much as crime itself. Bribery is many persons get out of 'jail free card.' It's Not Really Free though. No one gets out jail free. A price is paid for every decision. Whether in time or money; whether in emotions or deferred favour; something is paid; a transaction occurs. Hence, corruption is bred at the end of a crime cycle. By the crime cycle, I mean how an activity seen as breaking the law is started and finished. This cycle is started most times by a selfish greed but also by a genuine want or need. Then the crime cycle is ended by the reward or punishment of the activity. Is corruption providing that opportunity to reward criminals? Is corruption preventing the punishment of criminals?


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