THE EDITOR, Sir:
Mr. Delroy Chuck's article appearing in The Gleaner (Jan 28) regarding the export of human capital raised some interesting points on one of the most difficult challenges facing Jamaica today. He argued against the export of our skilled human capital and presented a case against reliance on remittances as a means of development. I would like to humbly disagree with Mr. Chuck for the following reasons.
1. I was once a proponent of the policy that Mr. Chuck is expousing, however, my former Principal of Mico Teachers' College, Dr. Errol Miller, changed my mind, when he told us as students of Mico to "educate our people and export them". We are very good at educating people, given the right environment. This can be seen in the number of brilliant minds we have produced over the years. Why should we stop doing this and why not educate as much as we can and export them?
2. Recently, I was with a group of Jamaican professionals. Most were retired or near retirement. They had emigrated from Jamaica over thirty years ago and had all done very well. They continue to maintain close links to Jamaica and would love to retire in Jamaica. The problem, however, is that the current climate in Jamaica is not a welcoming one and so they will be going to Florida to live in retirement. All fifty of these professionals had net assets of over US$500,000 each and will be collecting pensions of more than $5000.00 per month, each.
If Jamaica could attract these people and the thousands of other Jamaican retirees, the country could have billions in foreign exchange. The problem, therefore, is not with the migration, but with the state of the country. These remittances are not social welfare benefits as Mr. Chuck suggests, but direct investments into the economy of Jamaica. I am sure that the people in Florida, who are getting the Jamaican retirees are not seeing the multimillion dollar investments in real estate and other services, as social welfare benefits.
3. Every country has its own strengths in terms of economic development. Migration has always been a strength for Jamaica. We went to Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba and recently Britain, USA and Canada. People have returned with more skills and sent money home to build houses and develop Jamaican communities. Mandeville, South Manchester, sections St. Elizabeth are just a few of the communities benefiting from the "migration dollars". Why not use this unique strength and turn it into positive gains for our country.
4. Mr. Chuck should not worry about the drain of human capital. Life in USA, Canada and Britain is too hard for most of our pampered Jamaican professionals to want to leave Jamaica. In the area of New York where I live, the temperature has been below freezing since Christmas. I work two jobs just to make ends meet. I do not have the common folks to hang out with, enjoying the vibrant culture, friendship and common values that I enjoyed in Jamaica. I have not been to a cricket match in twelve years. I yearn for those days.
4. Migration did not stop Jamaica from attracting 10 million visitors each year. The corrupt politicians and their henchmen have contributed to the decline in tourism more than our emigrating patriots. Give the Jamaican immigrants a chance to contribute to their country and continue to do what we have done for decades. Let us continue to educate our people and export them for the betterment of our country. In the long term we will reap the benefits.
I am, etc.,
DENNIS FRANCIS,
Poughkeepsie, NY
Via Go-Jamaica
