Confessions
of a … Montego Bay Businessman
Written
by his daughter.
PRIORITIES
When
I was nine years old my biggest priorities in life were to watch Tom and Jerry,
Pink Panther, Donald Duck and Tiger Sharks. I also loved to watch Thundercats
and He-Man. Especially He-Man. He-Man always saved the world in 30
minutes. During that time my father was my best friend. I would see him
when he came to get me on weekends, and he would talk to me about everything,
Politics, Sports, Tourism, Current Affairs, World Issues, Politics and more
Politics. And even more Politics. Did I mention also Politics? Later when I
became a teenager, my relationship with my father deteriorated, mainly because
of his alcohol addiction. But I will tell you more about that another time. My
father heavy use of alcohol helped him cope with the hard realities and
struggles he faced as a Montego Bay small business owner. My father had an
answer for every problem that was wrong with Jamaica. I wondered why he was not
the Prime Minister since he knew everything. So everytime I would see my father
he would talk to me about current issues. I always wondered why he was telling
me all this boring stuff that I had no interest in. I couldn’t wait for him to
take me home so that I could watch Thundercats. I mean who cares about Mr Red
Party Leader and Mr Green Party Leader? My father worked as a Contractor with a
tour bus company. Every decision that happened in Parliament to affect Jamaican
small business owners, especially the ones in Montego Bay, my father
would tell me. I didn’t want to hear about that. That was the least of my
concern. My father’s favourite preaching spot was the rum bar. In a small
community like Mt Salem, everyone knew everything that happened in our small
community. I heard some nights my dad would buy a drink for every man in the
whole bar. They would all discuss politics and by the end of the night, all of
them in the rum bar had solved Jamaica’s problems and had a plan about the best
solutions for Jamaica. I don’t know how they came up with their plans. I think
they had great wisdom and inspiration from their best friends Mr Liquor and Mr Beer. Whatever the plans were, all I
know the next day Jamaica was in the same state.
MR
FATHER'S BEST FRIENDS
My
father was a very smart businessman, however he struggled with his alcohol
addiction. I enjoyed the times when my father was sober and in a good mood. He
would make jokes and buy food for all of his friends. It made him happy
to be the one to say, “Don’t worry about the bill, I will pay it!” I
wondered how this man loved to buy food and drinks for everybody and then
complain about the economy and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) the next
day. My father was also a comedian, he loved to tell jokes , sing and
entertain everyone. He was very well liked and popular in his community. He is
very tall and used to win all the Body Building championships at Mr Young’s Gym
in Montego Bay. However he struggled with his alcohol addiction. When he was
upset with the politicians he would go into an eight hour lecture mode
and complain about the IMF, how Mr Red Party is an idiot, how he hate the GCT
(General Consumption Tax) and a host of other things of which I knew nothing or
cared about .
So
the point I am trying to make is that my father had some good character and
good intentions. But he was so pressured by the responsibilities of life,
trying to meet the unfair demands placed upon Montego Bay Small Business owners
by a corrupt government, trying to deal with his personal issues …maybe of
growing up without his own father, not having anyone to talk to about his
personal feelings and frustrations…so he turned to alcohol. He turned to his
best friends Mr Liquor and Mr Beer. But his alcohol addiction stood in his way
of progress. It was eating away at his mind, turning him into a monster,
getting him into bar fights with whoever did not accept his Political
theory.
So
back to the Politics. As a Montego Bay Small business owner, my father was
swamped with bills and taxes. Of course my father would tell the
government his mind everytime he opened up a bill. I am not sure if they heard
him cursing them out, because the bills came back every month. My father
enjoyed a season of prosperity during the time of Mr Green Party's term.
My dad is still waiting right now as I am writing this blog, for Mr Green Party
to come back in power. He was the most devoted member of the Green Party. My
father felt that after Mr Green Party’s defeat, Jamaica and the Jamaican dollar
went down a mudslide. But who cares? Not me. I was more concerned about
Thundercats. If the Thundercats knew about Jamaica, they would have saved the
Jamaican dollar. Anyway I would say my father put out his best effort. He spent
hours washing his bus, cleaning the engine, checking the whole vehicle. Then it
was time to get dressed. Have you ever seen a well dressed Jamaican Tour Bus
Driver? He would spend hours shining his shoes, ironing his uniform, went to
the barber to get a clean shave. When he hit the Airport, my father turned
heads of women and men. Back in his time he was a tall , handsome, light
skinned guy with hazel eyes, built torso, bright white smile, He was very
charismatic and well liked at the Airport. In a small airport like Montego
Bay's International Airport everybody
knew each other (and everybody knew too much of each other’s business too, )
anyway back to the topic. My father showed up on time and even sometimes two
hours before the flights were supposed to come in. So can you imagine his
rage after all his preparation and anticipation for a good business day,
to sit at the Airport, (after arriving two hours early), to watch all the
flights come in, and wait till night and not get even one customer. NOT
EVEN ONE CUSTOMER !!! After waiting for TEN HOURS !!! And watching full
flights arrive in peak holiday season with happy, beautiful tourists ready to
have fun and enjoy the vacation for which they saved the whole year ! Just
skipping by him. So where did all these customers go? Well to the
All-Inclusives…my father HATED THE ALL INCLUSIVES !!! How was he supposed
to survive and pay his bills? So that was a typical bad day for my dad.
SURVIVAL
OF THE …MOST PREPARED
So
how did he manage? Well only by God’s mercy. There were some good days. My
father after all his preparation, making sure his bus was in excellent
condition, making sure that he looked like Mr GQ, gave EXCELLENT customer
service to the few customers who did not come in on the all-inclusive package.
You know, the one or two tourists who couldn’t afford the all-inclusive package
to begin with, and decided to risk just visiting Jamaica with intentions of
sticking closely to their budget. But because of my father’s Excellent
customer service, the tourist was usually so pleased that they ended up hiring
him for their whole two (2) week stay and with the Jamaican dollar at was it US
$1 to $50 JMD back in the day? He was able to pay his bills. He was always
early to pick them up, he took them to see the real Jamaica, to visit the small
restaurants, the local business places, the beautiful spots in Jamaica not yet
commercialized by the tourism industry, the small quiet beaches, the little
villages way up in the mountains, the quiet river spots. He knew all the best
little spots off the beaten track like the back of his hand. And it didn’t stop
there. The happy tourist or newlyweds or family reunion group would go back to
the land of America or England or Canada (or wherever they came from) and
tell all their friends and show off their amazing pictures that they got off
the beaten path to their friends who only had pictures of the over
commercialized spots and pictures of other tourists. The next visit they would
bring more friends with them. So my dad had many repeat customers. So that is
how my dad survived. By giving great customer service.
NO
TIPS FOR YOU
But
my dad’s story, is the story of countless other small business owners in
Montego Bay. Jamaicans are not idiots. Everybody knows this (except the
government of course who believes the small business owners are idiots).
Millions of tourists pass through Montego Bay every year. Yet the people are
struggling to make ends meet. I don’t know the details of how the whole system
works. I should really take the time to learn though. But there must be a way
to help the struggling small business owners in Montego Bay. I am talking about
the higgler, the taxi driver, the jerk chicken man with his jerk pan, the
carpenter, the plumber, the sky-juice man, how are these people supposed
to survive and feed their families? There must be a way that the All-inclusives
can share with these small business owners. Wait, I have to tell you about the
people who work in the All-inclusives. The housekeeper, the janitor, the
customer service desk clerk, the waiters, the bar staff. None of these people
are allowed to accept tips. That’s right. You read that correctly. Let me
repeat. NONE OF THESE STAFF MEMBERS ARE ALLOWED TO ACCEPT TIPS !!!! If they are
caught accepting tips they are fired immediately. Let me repeat that. IF
THEY ARE CAUGHT ACCEPTING TIPS THEY ARE FIRED IMEDIATELY!!! So how are they
supposed to manage on the measly pay they earn after working for hours and
working overtime and double shifts and on their day off, all with a bright
friendly smile and not being able to pay their bills. HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO
SURVIVE AND FEED THEIR KIDS ???!!! Where am I going with all this? Well
these are the root causes for people losing their minds in Montego Bay. I
am so serious. Right now, to fix the country, their need to be a team of
Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists in the country to fix the minds of
first, the Politicians, then the owners of the major revenue generating
resources, then the owners of the All-Inclusives, and to educate
the people and the children. There should also be some Clinical Psychologists
and Psychiatrists as members of Parliament to help make decisions to guide the
country. Don’t just send for the Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists
after a police-man shoots a pregnant woman, or after some children kill other
children and post the video of the murder on Youtube. Then education should be
free to College level. But that is another story for another article. You have
to change the mindset of the leaders before you expect to see changes in the
country. And I am going to talk more about the mentality of the leaders
at another time.
DISBELIEF
AND DENIAL
So
fast forward to the present. When I read the news and hear of the things that
are happening in Montego Bay now, suddenly, all the things my father said to me
over twenty years ago started to make sense. You see, when you teach a child
something, no matter how young they are, their mind stores this information
subconsciously. When they are old enough to understand reality, suddenly
everything you tell them comes back to memory. Actually these news reports
haunt me. I try to ignore them, I stopped watching the news, I try to focus on
the more important things in life, like the fact that Kanye West and Kim
Kardashian named their baby North West…and ROB Kardashian left Black Chyna!
…but my mind and conscience drags me back to the reality of what is facing my
native city. Right now Montego Bay is experiencing the consequences of
decisions made over twenty years ago by Mr Green Party and Mr Red Party. Sorry
to all those people whose feelings I have hurt and if I lose you as a friend, I
am truly sorry to see you go. GoodBye. I stare in disbelief (and denial)
as I read the news. Many people remember a time in Jamaica when there was
stability. Before the Jamaican dollar began to slide. I truly believe
every Politician in Jamaica should have to do a mandatory course in Psychology.
Learn about Maslow’s theory of basic needs. Because if basic needs are not
being met, these are the actions people will take. Presently I read the
news in disbelief (and denial) that Montego Bay, my beloved city where I grew
up, formerly known as the friendly city where people greet you with warm
hospitality and bright smiles is now considered “Scamtego Bay” the head
quarters of major scam rings that have scammed US residents of millions of
dollars. Elderly returning residents also being targeted, senseless murders ,
children killing children, a society that has become so desensitized to
murder that children are killing each other and posting videos of the murder on
Youtube for entertainment?
QUICK
FIX WON'T WORK
Montego
Bay’s problems will not be a quick fix. They can send all the kids to jail.
They can lock up all the small businessmen suspected of being involved in
scam rings. They can lock up all the criminals. The problem will still be
there. The people they need to lock up are the heads of government, the owners
of the all-inclusives, the people who have the monopoly on Jamaican resources,
who lease our land to foreign companies, collect the revenue generated and do
not re-invest into the Jamaican economy (how do these people sleep at night?).
The decisions that are made now, are what determines the state of Montego
Bay in the next twenty years. The state of Jamaica in the next twenty
years. What can people do now? They can't change the whole system, but
they can start by teaching the children. You can't control the government, but
you can control your own household. Children are never too young to learn.
Start talking to them while they are young. Even if they don’t understand
at the time you teach them, they will understand in time.
THE
PARTY
How
are poor people expected to sit and watch millions of tourists visiting their
home who are paying top dollar to stay in five-star international $500 US
dollar per night rooms, expected to welcome them with warm friendly hospitality
and bright smiles, and at the end of the day, the government tells these people
that they can only pay them a measly pay because there is "no money"
to pay them. This is why the people in Montego Bay are going crazy. A reason as
simple as that. At the end of working each week, a person can't even relax and
enjoy the finest beaches in the world because they are owned by the
all-inclusives. If a man wants to enjoy the beach with his family, he has to
pay a large fee. He can't take his family to a nice restaurant, or enjoy
the best attractions in his own country. Then he has to sit and watch millions
of people enjoy his country while hearing his stomach growl. It’s as if you
hire an agent to bring guests to your home for a party in order to make some money
to buy food to feed your wife and kids. The Agent invites some guests to
your home and backyard for a party. You give the guest your best hospitality,
your guest tries to pay you, but the payment is taken by the Agent , someone
you trusted when you hired them to represent you. At the end of the party, your
Agent tells you there is no money and you are left hungry. Now what do you tell
your wife and kids? Are they idiots? Will you be able to look your kids in the
eye, hear their stomach growling and say to them, Mommy and Daddy can't provide
anything for you to eat because there is no money. And your kids will ask you,
but Mommy and Daddy, where is all the money that your friends brought to the
party? Where did it go? A reason as simple as that. Wait there is more,
suddenly the agent tells you in order to enjoy your own backyard, you will have
to pay.
THE
RESULT
So
these kids who grew up seeing mommy and daddy get used by their own government
have decided to take matters in their own hands. They don’t have any morals
(mommy and daddy were away from home working hard and too busy to teach them
morals and values…and when mommy and daddy came home, they drowned their
sorrows in alcohol with their friends Mr Liquor and Mr Beer or marijuana…(well
I never saw my dad using marijuana, but this drug is used widely in Jamaica as
a way to relax). They have decided to form scam rings, they have turned to
crime, they see where they can make more money selling drugs than working for a
descent job, they want to enjoy the best attractions and live the lifestyle
that they see tourists living in their own country. They don’t know that most
of these tourists saved for maybe a whole year to live like a king or queen for
two weeks, then they go back home to their foreign country and to their 12 hour
shift jobs. These kids want to wear the nicest clothes, build
mansions to compete with the five star international resorts, they kill
returning elderly residents, they murder for no reason. Maybe I would have been
a criminal too if it wasn’t for God’s grace. While growing up, I was fortunate
to always be surrounded by older folks who shared their wisdom. I was also
fortunate to be raised by Christian families who taught me morals and values.
Who took me to church and sat down and read the Bible with me.
LIVE
LIKE A KING OR QUEEN FOR TWO WEEKS
I
just want to spend a little more time talking about some of the tourists that
visit Jamaica. Like I said before, most of these tourists saved for maybe a
whole year to live like a King or Queen in Jamaica for two weeks, then
they go back home to their foreign country and to their 12 hour shift jobs or
to their 3 or 4 jobs. They slaved away at their jobs like zombies with
only their dream of going to this “fantasy island” Jamaica for their vacation
or honeymoon or family reunion, as motivation to keep working. So when they
arrive in Jamaica, they are living out their fantasy, they are wearing their
finest clothes that they just bought and maybe even still have the store tag so
they can return it when they get back home. So they are wearing the finest
clothes, they are buying the most expensive food or liquor or staying at the
$500US per night five star luxury resort. To the uneducated Jamaican,
(and please note that many Jamaicans are educated and do not think in this
manner and do live by morals and values), so in the case of the uneducated
Jamaican, he or she is seeing the fantasy of someone who slaved all year to be
able to afford to come to Jamaica… (They also walk around half-naked, still in
expensive bikinis, partying like there is no tomorrow, smoking weed all day,
doing things they would never do back in their own home country)…they are
living their fantasy. However, the uneducated Jamaican may think this is
the lifestyle that this tourist lives everyday back in their home country. So
they see everyone who steps off a plane as a walking dollar sign. Which is not
true. So this poorly educated Jamaican seeing this for twenty
years, comes to the conclusion that everyone who steps off a plane is
rich. Then since the all-inclusives do not allow the tourists to mingle with
the locals, the uneducated Jamaican who did not benefit from any of the money
these tourists brought, goes home hungry to his family and starts to plot how
to get his share of the foreign dollar. This is why it is so extremely
important to educate our children so they understand the tourist is just like
you and me, but that tourist worked hard for a long time to be able to afford
the luxury lifestyle for two weeks. And the child needs to understand that they
too should study hard get a job, work and save money to be able to enjoy a
vacation in a similar manner.
THE
AUDACITY OF HOPE
So is
all hope lost for “Scamtego Bay” (formerly known as Montego Bay), the rest of
Jamaica and the young uneducated Jamaicans? No. Where there is life. There is
always hope! There are many young people who just like me were fortunate to
grow up around people with values and morals. Many young people are right now
trying to rebuild our communities, trying to initiate fundraising activities to
re-invest in Jamaica, forming youth clubs and organizations to help children
engage in productive activity and stay out of gangs. It will be a slow process
to undo over twenty years of damage, but the process has to start somewhere.
Yes there are young Jamaicans who have realized the dream of their hardworking
parents by graduating with their various degrees from Colleges all over Jamaica
(and the world). These children are the sons and daughters of the the
higgler, the taxi driver, the jerk chicken man with his jerk pan, the
carpenter, the plumber, the sky-juice man, the hand cart man, the housekeeper,
the janitor, the customer service desk clerk, the waiters, the cook, the
dishwasher, the bar staff, the tour bus
driver, and other owners of small businesses, who all labored with just the
dream that one day their kids would have a sound education. That dream is the
only thing keeping them going. These children who are now adults are
bursting with fresh new ideas, new initiatives, and are ready to breathe new
life into our communities, into the government, into the economy; ready to make
changes, to challenge or remove old, rigourous ways of doing things and replace
with new efficient systems. They understand how to use resources that the land
has, instead of waiting for the government to provide solutions. Where there is
life there is hope!
MAJOR
POINTS
So to
collect my thoughts, my major points are:
Learning
Subjects like psychology should be a requirement for all members of
parliament; there should be Clinical psychologists as well as psychiatrists as
members of parliaments when these people are making decisions that affect
the lives of 3.5 million Jamaican people; People whose basic needs are not
being met will start to go crazy; This is why the people in Montego Bay are
going crazy; kids who grew up seeing mommy and daddy get used by their
own government have decided to take matters in their own hands.
Most
tourists who visit Jamaica are living their fantasy; most of these
tourists saved for maybe a whole year to live like a king or queen for two
weeks, then they go back home to their foreign country and to their 12 hour
shift jobs. Some of them have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet. The
uneducated Jamaicans (and please note again that many other Jamaicans are
educated and do not think in this manner and do live by morals and values) may
think this is the lifestyle that this tourist lives everyday back in their home
country. So they see everyone who steps off a plane as a walking dollar sign.
Which is not true. The educated Jamaican knows the importance of making
the visitors stay pleasant because a happy visitor will come back the following
year.
Invest
in your children’s education; Even if you don’t have money you can invest your
time. Teach your kids morals, don’t wait for the teachers to teach them,
instill these principles at home. Sit and read the Bible with them, take them
to church; Start talking to your kids about current affairs from a young
age, be real with them and explain to them how hard you work for everything you
have; Let them know that nothing worthwhile comes easy or comes to them for
free. Even if they don’t understand at the time you teach them, they will
understand in time. They will have a firm foundation to stand on in times of
trouble; Education will help to lift the country and its people out of poverty.
Educated children will understand the value of hard work. Subjects like
psychology should be a mandatory subject to be learned by all
students and I think education should be free up to tertiary level;
A well educated population will lift the country out of poverty. They will
understand how to use resources that the land has, instead of waiting for the
government to provide solutions, and trying to plan how to scam elderly
Americans; If these young minds are able to scam people out of millions
of dollars, imagine if those minds were educated and their mental energy put to
work on positive and meaningful projects? Imagine the millions they would make
to help lift Jamaica out of poverty?
The
government should develop a system where small business owners are
benefitting more from the revenue generated by Tourism, the majority of which
is going to the all-inclusives; programs should be put into place to educate
small business owners; educated people will demand accountability from
their government. If you are a small business owner, seek help on how to
manage your business, Turning to alcohol and marijuana is not going to make
your problems with dealing with a corrupt government go away. When you get over
your hangover or get down back fom your high, the problems will still be there
waiting for you. If you are struggling with abuse of alcohol and marijuana, get
help before it is too late; try to educate yourself on ways to make your
business successful, go to the library, talk to your local politician, make
them accountable for their promises they made when they were running for
election; always do your best at whatever you do and your hardwork will pay
off;
All
hope is not lost! Many young people are right now trying to rebuild or
communities, trying to initiate fundraising activities to re-invest in Jamaica,
forming youth clubs and organizations to help children engage in productive
activity and stay out of gangs. They understand how to use resources that the
land has. They do not sit down and wait for the government to provide
solutions. If you are one of those young people who are eager to help your
community but have not yet started, (for whatever reason), WELL THIS IS YOUR
CALL TO ACTION! Go join forces with the others who are working to rebuild
your community. Where there is life there is hope!
ITS
OUR PROBLEM
For
those of you who may read this and continue to say to yourself,
“It’s not my problem, I have a nice job and my family is safe and we are doing
fine.” Well if you are doing fine, stop complaining about the crime in Montego
Bay and the rest of Jamaica and don’t be surprised if one of your family
members get murdered. If we are to determine what Montego Bay will look like in
20 years. These are some of the major things we have to do. And my Dad…well we
don’t have the best relationship, I am even angry at him for some of the
decisions he made, but now I am beginning to understand why he thinks the way
he does and why he made some of the decisions he made. Despite his struggle
with alcohol, he always talked to me about current affairs from a young age.
This has made me very community service oriented. I don’t accept all of his
ideology, but I am beginning to understand him and well like I said, he is
still waiting for Mr Green Party Leader to come back to power…so please pray
for him…
The
Lyrics to Thundercats
I
just want to give a shout out to everyone who grew up watching Thundercats. Do
you see the types of cartoons kids are watching nowadays? Anyway here are the
lyrics! Enjoy!
Lion-O:
Thunder, thunder
Thundercats, ho
Thundercats
Are on the move
Thundercats are loose
Feel the magic
Hear the roar
Thundercats are loose
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, Thundercats
Thundercats!!!
