Getting lost

 It's becoming very easy to get lost in Jamaica these days, because of the rapid development taking place everywhere.

So I guess on my annual visits I just have to get accustomed to it.🥴. 

Last year we got lost trying to find the roast yam and saltfish vendors at Melrose Hill. For they had been moved from their regular place in Williamsfield to the new highway bypassing Mandeville. And because as per usual,  no information signs had been posted anywhere about how to get to their new location, we just decided to forget the yam treat and head home to the north coast. That's when we almost ended up in the bowels Clarendon for again, there were no directional signs anywhere about how or where to connect with the Edward Seaga highway 😡.

Getting lost this year had nothing to do with signs however, but rather because of the rapid development taking place everywhere along the Northcoast highway, from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios.

This is making many areas unrecognizable! 

I had visited my friend's home in St. Anns Bay many times, but could we find the entrance today! This had been easy to find as one simply drove down a lonely, unpaved road to the beach.

But it's not lonely or unpaved anymore, for a massive housing development of some 1000 units on 100 hundred acres of land is now taking place right where the entrance had been, and more, there is now a massive private security gate.

After driving around in circles for a while, in frustration, called our friend Chris who had to drive to where we were and lead us to the new paradise. 

But it was worth the frustration as once we got there, we had a wonderful afternoon hanging out with old friends.

L-r back: David, Grace, Bernie, Joan, Chris

 Front: Shirley, Denise.

Most of us had been members of the once vibrant Fun and Thrills Adventure Club which saw us regularly hiking and riding around the island and normally ending up by a nice river where we would swim and eat delicious meals cooked right there on the river bank.

Those were the good old days.

 Today, it was really great hanging out with the old crew once we found our way.

Great memories.

Hmm. Wonder where we will get lost next year?  For with the rapid development taking place everywhere, it's bound to happen.

(NB. Some pics taken by Denise and David.)

Winning the lottery

To some people, there is only one word that can appropriately describe the recent increases Prime Minister Andrew Holness awarded himself and his fellow politicians and that is;  is “craven.” For its as if they all won the lottery without buying a ticket.😡

Most people, including myself, do not think the vulgar level of increases ranging from 100-300 %, is by any means justifiable. For when you look at the top performers  around the world and the compensation thier leaders earn in comparison to ours, there is just no justification for the proposed level of increases.

For example, Britain has the 6^th largest economy in the world, yet the recent increase would bring our PM’s compensation to only $150,000 less than thiers, although our economy is way down at #130! (Measured by GDP).

Go figure.

In light of the hostile reaction to the disgraceful increases in politician’s salaries, the prime minister, fast on the heels of a pronouncement from the leader of the opposition, is saying he won’t grab the increase but everyone else will. (The leader of the opposition said he will only take 20% of his increase and give the rest to charity). 

Give me a break.

Another slap for the taxpayers is the fact that former prime ministers who are still living, will  also benefit from the whopping increases.

Those living are; P.J. Patterson, Bruce Golding and Portia Simpson Miller.

In my book however, the only former prime minister who deserves any raise is Portia.

For wasn’t it under P.J. that Jamaica’s economy hit rock bottom with the Finscac Affair which destroyed some 40,000 businesses and put the country into recession for years?

And why would Bruce Golding be deserving of a whopping increase when he only served as prime minister for 4 years before having to resign in disgrace after being accused of putting the interests of a notorious criminal above that of the country?

Portia is most deserving, as she returned Jamaica’s reputation to respectability and it was under her leadership that Dr. Peter Phillips restored Jamaica’s economy to viability, so we can now have money to spend on development rather than on debt servicing.

Another aspect of the inequitable handout being given to politicians without ‘accountability’ is the fact that parish councilors have also been awarded much more than they deserve.

For their pay has been increased by more than 300%, moving their renumeration from $1.6 million per year to $5 million.

How many councilors are performers? In my book, probably no more than 10%.

During the many years, I spent on radio, no topic was more pervasive than that of the non-performance of the councilors.

For decades, it has been recognized that taxpayers do not get value for the money spent on the parish council system. As in the main, their functions often overlap with that of the constituency representative, the MP.

That is why some 40 years ago, a study was done and it was proposed that parish councils be replaced with County Councils.

In other words, instead of having 13 Parish mini-governments, it should be replaced by 3 County councils, representing Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey.

I liked the suggestion then and I still like it. For in my view, we have just too many politicians tripping all over each other with taxpayers getting short changed, every inch of the way.😡

Delivering good, cost-effective representation was not the objective of politicians 40 years ago, so the recommendation was shelved.

And value for money is not the objective today either.

Therefore, this latest act of exploitation will most likely be just another 9-day talk as politicians continue to enjoy the fruits of our labor without any accountability.

(See also  : https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2023/05/absolute-madness.html?m=1)