Snatching failure from the jaws of success
RECENTLY, A number of my friends have been reflecting on how our little paradise has regressed due to decades of mismanagement under various governments. I guess it is a sign of our age and missing the old days. My response is that it could be much worse; just think of countries where war, dictatorships and famine have cast heavy burdens on the citizenry. We Jamaicans have a lot to be thankful for.
Notwithstanding, we could have a lot more going for us were it not for the pervasive mismanagement of our resources, of lost opportunities due to corruption and ineptitude, and failure to decisively deal with challenging socio-economic issues.
Many of us may be inclined to blame it all on politicians who, over the years, have been guilty of all of the above. However, we the people are not entirely blameless, evidenced by divers cases of corruption, perverting the course of justice, embezzlement and other acts of ‘bandouloism’, bringing to mind Rex Nettleford’s remark, “Our hearts are laced with larceny”.
ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE
We boast of having the best coffee and some of the most potent mineral baths in the world; reggae music is a worldwide phenomenon; and I can attest to the quality of our rum. Yet, despite possessing such unique natural and people-based resources, we have repeatedly missed the mark in maximising on their earning potential.
Regardless of how well planned and thorough any system may be, the human factor determines success or failure. In the absence of guaranteed sanctions for failure it is almost inevitable that we will be plagued by ineptitude, recklessness and lack of accountability.
This has been Jamaica’s biggest problem to date. We have developed a penchant for snatching failure from the jaws of success because failure has become a pain-free option. Gives an entirely different meaning to the popular phrase, “Jamaica, no problem”! If you succeed, no problem; if you fail, no problem. Ah nuh nuttin.
TIME FOR NEW THINKING
If we were to analyse the demise of many of our resources and national systems, evidence of subverting national interests in favour of political and other self-serving priorities would certainly be overwhelming. However, the failure of successive governments to modernise their thinking and operating processes are also intrinsic to the problem.
OPPORTUNITIES
Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett recently declared that Jamaica is well positioned to benefit from the lucrative global health and wellness tourism market. Wait a minute! Why aren’t renowned mineral baths such as Milk River and Bath Fountain already worldclass brands? The jet set spend billions at inferior facilities elsewhere and here we are pussyfooting with the highest-quality resources of their kind in the world!
Harassment of visitors to Bath is prevalent, much to the detriment of the facility. This small-minded mentality of every man fi himself is self-defeating.
We have a significant resource at our disposal. Do we remain parochial, cater to shallow-pocket clients, maintain unemployment and continue to be plagued by hustlers, or do we make Bath an international commodity catering to the well-to-do, where opportunities for expansion, employment and community buy-in are enhanced?
It seems we are shooting ourselves in the foot with our adherence to parochial thinking. Success will be “just a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained” (Bob Marley: War) unless we uproot ourselves from slavishness to stagnant arrangements and reposition ourselves on pathways of new and progressive thinking.
Hard choices are sometimes inevitable if we wish to avoid snatching failure from the jaws of success, but the long-term effects of inaction are worse. No gain, much pain.