Delroy ChuckSHOULD JAMAICA encourage its trained personnel, or even train persons, to work overseas? Recently, leaders and influential persons, for example, Aubyn Hill of NCB and elected representatives in Parliament, have argued and presented sound reasons for such a policy and outlined how Jamaica could benefit enormously. It is a position with which I profoundly disagree.
To be sure, in a global economy, skilled professionals and jobless workers will endeavour to find work and opportunities wherever they may arise. Jamaica, since independence, and with an economy that has consistently failed to perform, has seen some of its best and brightest sons and daughters migrate and settle permanently overseas. In addition, our government has entered arrangements with overseas agencies to employ thousands of farm workers and hotel employees. In the 1950s, thousands of Jamaicans, especially rural folks, entered England in search of better opportunities, endured the cold and unfriendly social environment, and have done well - their investments and pensions are now a major benefit to the Jamaican economy.
Jamaica in the throes of a perennial economic crisis has benefited enormously from the hundreds of millions of vital US dollars, which have shored up our net international reserves, kept many families from starving, and allowed us to continue with our failed economic policies. Remittances, some no doubt coming from the drug trade, are major sources of foreign exchange and constitute one of the pillars of the Jamaican economy. It is this outstanding ability and creative effort of long suffering Jamaicans to earn abroad that has given rise to this monstrous argument that we should export our human capital.
Admittedly, we have an abundance of unskilled and untrained workers who, given the opportunity, would find jobs and occupations abroad. However, should we allow overseas agencies to recruit our nurses, teachers, police, and skilled and educated personnel? At the present time, I confess that every encouragement should be given to Jamaicans to exploit their potential abroad, to gain experience and earn, and to escape from a wretched and hopeless economic environment. Yet, in the long run, can such a migration policy help Jamaica?
How can Jamaica truly and really benefit when the best and brightest, the skilled and educated, the trained and experienced, parade and use their talent abroad? The remittances gained and eventually sent constitute little more than social welfare benefits, while the creative effort and abundant energy of our people are used to build and fortify the economies of the countries in which they work. I believe countries that consistently depend on remittances will forever remain poor and it is a mind-set that I wish we quickly expunge. Do we want to remain underdeveloped and in persistent poverty like India or the Philippines, which countries rely on remittances as a major source of foreign exchange? I think we need to broaden our mind-set and ask why can't Jamaica develop its economy to absorb and utilise the energy and effort of our people?
If Singapore, with a population of nearly 4 million and the size of the parish of St. James, can do it, why can't we? How can Singapore with no natural resources, or even the geographical beauty and white sand beaches we enjoy, succeed in attracting eight million visitors annually? If we were able to attract ten million visitors, would our foreign exchange crisis and the problems within our economy not be resolved? What, then, is stopping us, save and except poor leadership and a tunnel vision, from adopting a policy to make tourism the bedrock and driving force of the economy?
In truth, human capital is our best resource and when our people find it necessary to migrate, we are on the wrong track. When our experienced teachers, the shapers and motivators of the character and minds of our young people, are migrating, we are in serious trouble. It is time we so acknowledge and understand we are a society in crisis, and truly try to find a way forward. Curiously, things can only get worse if our best and brightest, skilled and experienced, are migrating, yet that is what is happening.
Perhaps I am wrong, and certainly welcome the views of our economists and intellectuals to better understand if, and whether, a migration policy can be beneficial. Until convinced, I hold steadfastly to the view that we are failing our people and, maybe, it is our political leaders and those who now occupy the corridors of power who should migrate or be exported - perhaps, Jamaica would be better if they do.
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Opposition Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by e-mail at delchuck@hotmail.com.
