THE MONTHLY GLEANER | MARCH 9 - APRIL 8, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 2 THE MONTHLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 22, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 10 BLACK HISTORY MONTH Will Mr. Dainey St. Aubyn Laing whose last known address is 13 Torrington Road, Kingston, Jamaica or anyone knowing his whereabouts, kindly contact the Child Protection & Family Services Agency, 10 Hanover Street, Spanish Town, St. Catherine, Jamaica at 876-301-4983. N O T I C E JAMAICANS ALL over the world are riveted by the allegations of a multibillion Jamaican dollar fraud in the securities/investment sector. Undoubtedly, the news is more widespread because of the allegations that track legend Usain Bolt lost millions of US dollars in the alleged fraud. Jamaicans in the diaspora are being called upon by their non-Jamaican friends and colleagues to explain what is happening in the financial sector in Jamaica, to defend Usain Bolt; and to question their own sanity over the news reports, social media postings, denials, and the explanations that are emerging from this scandal. THE GOVERNMENT of Jamaica in 2004 moved to formalise communications with the diaspora, and successive governments have continued the outreach. Jamaica is a unique country in many aspects, but significantly, she has as many and, technically, more Jamaicans living outside the boundaries of the country than who live on the Rock. Jamaicans who live outside the borders of the island glorify Jamaica and live in a sort of suspended animation as many live in two worlds. They uphold their “Jamaicaness”– if an overseas organisation has a Jamaican working in any capacity, that fact that a Jamaican is present is widely known. Jamaicans overseas promote their country’s culture and set an operating standard that demonstrates an extraordinary work ethic, attentiveness, exuberance, and charm. All the while tethering in their homeland and moving in their new homes, assimilating into the fabric of the countries they adopted. Jamaicans across the world are visited on a regular basis by successive government officials and representatives from the Jamaican banking and investment sectors and real estate and business sectors, among others. They are updated on Jamaica’s progress and urged, in no subtle fashion, to invest in Jamaica in many ways – not the least of which is to send money to deposit in Jamaica. They, me included, are often turned off from these presentations because until you have tried to open a bank/investment account in Jamaica, you have not experienced true exasperation. Many Jamaicans who migrate believe that they are only going“to check out farrin”and that they will eventually return home to Jamaica to live. Some Jamaicans overseas do realise this dream and return home after toiling in foreign lands and or maintain investments or bank accounts in Jamaica. UNSETTLING The news of the allegations that millions of US dollars could be missing from one establishment and that government institutions charged with its oversight missed this completely is unsettling and has left the diaspora in amazement. We are painfully aware that had not the Legend’s funds been caught up into the allegations, this would more likely have been a blip on the news scene that would have died a natural death as we moved on to a new scandal. Sadly, the enormity of the amount alleged to have been misappropriated from the most recognisable living Jamaican has stopped us in our tracks – no pun intended. The feeling is that if what is alleged can happen to Usain, it could certainly happen to any average Jamaican – at home or abroad. One notable video making the rounds on social media says the pecking order for Jamaicans is God, Jesus, Bob Marley, then there is Usain Bolt. Questions abound: Where was the Financial Services Commission?Where was the board of the FSC?Where were the CEO(s) and owners of the financial institution at the heart of the allegations? Where were the Ministry of Finance and its ministries during the relevant period? Notwithstanding which party forms government, the default response from the political directorate should be to come out immediately and unequivocally address issues. This solidifies confidence in the country and in our leaders. When you wait to see if the crescendo will die over an issue – whether it is this or any other national issue -it does not foster confidence in governance and by extension in the country. When we hear that the country’s investment oversight body produces too many reports to be reviewed - intimating that no one could possibly review all the reports generated by the FSC - it begs the question, what is the point of the oversight body? Is their work an exercise in futility? The situation also prompts the simple question: Whose responsibility was it to act on the red flags raised by the FSC? These are genuine, straightforward questions that are on the table and which are deserving of answers. Understandably, investigations must take place to get to the bottom of the alleged missing millions, but the question of oversight, governance and responsibility should be answerable without an investigation and without buck shuffling as to who is ultimately responsible. Answers are necessary because clearly, there are obvious holes in the process that need to be plugged - and plugged quickly - to restore confidence, even before investigations are concluded. Because if youmust wait for an investigation to tell you with whom the buck stops, then it is obvious that the buck was, and is being, passed. BAD FOR JAMAICA The issue of allegations of mismanagement of investors’ funds is bad for Jamaica in the eyes of the world and is worst for the diaspora. Nomatter which “P” is governing the country, Jamaicans overseas want to invest at home, and to learn that the very infrastructure that is established to safeguard those funds appears to have been too large to be effective – for years - is a huge blow to the psyche of members of the diaspora. Jamaicans overseas are the country’s biggest ambassadors. Yes, although we sang “I man born yah, I nah leave yah”, hundreds of thousands of us did leave the geographical borders. However, Jamaica is a borderless country. Lyrics of Sweet Jamaica abound – “Ackee and wi saltfish – wi nah lef yah, …wi big flour dumpling, wi nah lef yah!” Wake the town and tell the people that Jamaica is wherever a Jamaican resides! We take Jamaica with us no matter where we live, and we love wi country. We brag and boast about Jamaica to our foreign neighbours and friends. Yes, we criticise the Government and our leaders – no matter which “P” is in power, but this does not negate our undying love of our country and desire for its success. We need to know that yes, the alleged fraud is being investigated and those responsible will be held accountable; but we also need to know that Jamaica is capable of good governance and that entities established to safeguard depositors’money are effective. We also need to know that when allegations of the poor safeguarding of depositors’ funds are red-flagged, someone takes responsibility for seeing to it that those red flags are addressed. We need to know who that person is, and we do not want to hear “It wasn’t me”! - Dahlia Walker-Huntington is a Jamaican-American attorney who practises immigration law in the United States. Send feedback to info@ walkerhuntington.com. The diaspora is in shock GUE S T COLUMN I S T Dahlia WalkerHuntington Christopher Barnes - General Manager Moya Thomas - Editor-in-Chief moya.thomas@gleanerjm.com Christopher.Barnes@gleanerjm.com Janet Silvera/ Senior Gleaner Writer WESTERN BUREAU: T HE CARIBBEAN is optimistic its tourist arrival numbers in 2023 will surpass pre-pandemic records set in 2019, the best year ever for the tourism-dependent region. ADDRESSING THE media at a Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) press conference in Barbados on Tuesdaymorning, CTOActing Secretary General Neil Walters said proj ctions indicated the industry will see a 10 to 15 per cen increase in arrivals over 2019, when t e region welcomed 32 m llion land-based visitors. “This means that between 31.2 nd 32.6 million tourists can b expected to visit the region this yea ,” s i Walt rs. Similarly, the cruise industry is also anticipated to continue recovering and expanding. “All berths in the region have reopened and are expanding. As more ships are deployed to the region, the capacity for cruises will rise and demand will stay high,”Walters predicted, noting that there should be between 32 million and 33 million cruise tourists visiting the Caribbean in 2023, an overall increase of five to 10 per cent over the pre-COVID-19 baseline figure. His forecast comes in the wake of the Caribbean earning the reputation as one of the regions with the quickest recovery rates globally in 2022. In fact, 28.3 million stopover visitors arrived on the region’s shores in 2022, an 88.6 per cent increase in relation to pre-pandemic levels. Walters said that the recovery was bolstered by the relaxation of restrictions on international travel as well as strong demand in the United States, the region’s top source market for inbo nd travel. The United States cornered the market, accounting for more than 50 per cent of visitors to the region, whopping 14.6 million travellers, 3.2 million m e than 11.4 million in 2021. After two consecutive years of decline, the Canadians are also returning to the region, but their pre-pandemic numbers are anaemic and are among the lowest to contribute to the region’s return to normalcy. However, there was a robust resurgence in European travel as a result of shorter travel restrictions, pent-up demand, and surplus savings accrued during the pandemic, saidWalters. “Strategic marketing initiatives and the restoration of some of the airlift capacity between more markets and the Caribbean have also contributed to the positive results,” he explained. However, he pointed out that the industry’s recovery and growth were undermined throughout the year by negative effects, including rising prices, the intermittent supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, labour shortages and disputes, global inflation, and heightened geopolitical tension. Haiti showed a negative 20.3 per cent during 2022 as the industry was negatively impacted by the well-document crisis in that country, and the US Virgin Islands, which is normalising, showed negat ve 3.2 p r cent. But all 27 C ribbean tourism destinations showed an increase in stayover arrivals, compared to 2021, of between 8.3 per cent and 16 per cent. The top five Caribbean destinations include Puerto Rico, The US Virgin Islands, St Maarten, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Dominican Republic. These countries have now surpassed their total pre-pandemic arrival numbers, which are still being tabulated, saidWalte s. Although the ntire region has not yet surpassed 2019 numbers, ac ordi g to CTO C airma Kennet Bryan, who is also inister of tourism for the Cayman Islands, the needle is certainly moving in the right direction. janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com High hop s Positive forecast for Caribbean tourist arrivals in 2023 Passengers arrive at the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Terminal on the Carnival Sunrise following the reopening of the cruise industry in August 2021. CONTRIBUTED The Marella Discovery 2 cruise ship docked at the port in Port Royal, Jamaica, on Monday, February 24, 2020. It was the vessel’s second visit to the newly developed port. A BUST of National Hero, Nanny of the Maroons was recently unveiled in Holywell, at the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP). It was donated to the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust by sculptor Mark Treunfels, who first came to Jamaica in 1989 as a United States (US) Peace Corps volunteer, after finishing art school in California. The initiative was part of a Reimagined Nanny Project, and the 30th anniversary celebrations for the BJCMNP, Jamaica’s first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganisationWorld Heritage site. Speaking at the park’s 30th anniversary celebration launch held at Holywell, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange reminded the participants that Nanny is a source of inspiration and strength for Jamaican women of all ages. She said the activity has again raised the importance of Nanny and “what she represents to her descendants, the Windward Maroons and, indeed, all of Jamaica”. “We must continue to collectively raise awareness, and should seek to continually engage those who, through their actions, aim to negatively impact the forest, trails, archaeological sites and other cultural spaces,” she said. Referring to the BJCMNP, the only mixed site for cultural and natural heritage in the Caribbean, Minister Grange urged citizens to continue to aim to preserve the environment for current and future generations. “This is especially important in the ever-increasing threat of climate hazards such as tropical cyclone events, droughts and sea level rise, all of which affect our lives, livelihood and cultural heritage,”she added. Minister Grange commended the work of the site managers for maintaining the health of the national park and for raising awareness among the Maroon communities, as well as Jamaicans at home and abroad. The anniversary celebration also featured a panel discussion involving Acting Colonel of the Charles Town Maroons; Marcia Douglas, artist and winner of the Re-Imagining Nanny Visuals Arts Competition, Richard Nattoo; and national parks advocate and author Audrey Peterman. Bust of National Hero Nanny unveiled Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange (centre) admires a bust of National Heroine the Right Excellent Nanny of the Maroons in Holywell, a the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. Sharing in the moment (from left) are Executive Director of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) Dr. Susan Otuokon, and Acting Colonel of the Charles Town Maroons, Marcia Douglas. CONTRIBUTED
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