Wesley Morris | Urgent need for transformational leadership

The signs are everywhere. People across Jamaica question whether their income keeps pace with skyrocketing prices. Young people wonder if they’ll find decent employment opportunities. The education system struggles to prepare children for the future, often leaving them behind. Healthcare emergencies go untreated while the system crumbles. Roads deteriorate, leaving citizens frustrated and angry. These realities point to an uncomfortable truth—Jamaica is in crisis. The question remains whether the nation is willing to face this crisis or continue pretending that things are “fine” while the world moves forward without it.

The hard truth emerges from the data: When 60 per cent of Jamaicans say their government is failing to reduce poverty and unemployment (RJRGLEANER Don Anderson Poll, June 2025), this represents more than criticism—it’s a verdict screaming for action. Nearly 40 per cent rate their economic situation as poor or very poor (the same RJRGLEANER Don Anderson poll), and over 20 per cent are barely keeping their heads above water. Jamaica isn’t approaching a crisis; the nation is drowning in one that politicians are not addressing with the urgency it demands.

Yet Jamaica’s history demonstrates that collapse isn’t inevitable. Michael Manley proved this when his 1970s education reforms slashed illiteracy rates by 30 per cent in five years. Sir Arthur Lewis proved it when he designed the Caribbean’s first development blueprint while the world dismissed small islands as economic afterthoughts. These leaders shared two traits that current politicians have lost: the courage to think big and the will to act faster than problems multiply.

Today, Jamaica is governed as though progress is a luxury rather than a necessity. Politicians debate road repairs, while Singapore has already digitised its transport system. The nation tolerates education failure rates that would have horrified Manley and Lewis. This isn’t merely incompetence—it’s a betrayal of Jamaica’s own legacy, and those responsible must be held accountable.

REMITTANCES - CRUTCH, NOT A SOLUTION

Remittances keep families alive, but they also keep Jamaica dependent on external support. A 21st-century economy cannot be built on gifts from abroad. The nation needs politicians with the vision to frame policies that turn brain drain into brain gain: incentives for tech startups, tax breaks for manufacturers who train locals, and partnerships with global firms hungry for Jamaican talent. The absence of such comprehensive planning represents a fundamental failure of leadership.

Modern economies (knowledge economies) thrive on innovation and domestic capacity building. Countries like Ireland transformed from agricultural dependence to tech hubs within two decades through strategic policy frameworks. Estonia became a digital pioneer despite its small size and legacy of Soviet-era infrastructure. These examples demonstrate that with proper leadership and vision, small nations can punch above their weight economically. Jamaica possesses similar potential—abundant human capital, strategic location, and cultural influence—yet lacks the transformational policies to harness these assets effectively.

POVERTY: THE NOOSE TIGHTENS

The mathematics of survival in Jamaica are brutal: Minimum wage equals $16,000 per week while essential goods experience escalating prices. When survival consumes dreams, crime fills the resulting void. Lawmakers, through their lack of compassion and urgency, allow these conditions to persist. This institutional tolerance of suffering represents a moral failure that demands immediate attention.

International examples provide roadmaps for rapid poverty reduction. Rwanda halved its poverty rate in fifteen years through focused agricultural reforms and social programs. Bangladesh lifted millions from poverty through microfinance and textile industry development. These achievements required political will and sustained commitment—qualities that seem absent from Jamaica’s current leadership approach.

EDUCATION: A BROKEN LAUNCHPAD

Vision 2030 becomes meaningless when 82 per cent of students fail core subjects. Politicians who tolerate this educational collapse are failing Jamaica’s children and future. The absence of coding bootcamps for at-risk youth and German-style apprenticeships linking schools to industries reveals a stunning lack of imagination and urgency in educational policy.

Educational transformation requires systemic thinking and substantial investment. South Korea rebuilt its education system after the Korean War, eventually achieving global leadership in student outcomes. Finland revolutionized education by focusing on teacher quality and reducing standardized testing. These models prove that educational excellence is achievable with proper leadership and sustained commitment to reform.

HEALTHCARE: A SYSTEM IN CARDIAC ARREST

No first-world tourist would accept Jamaica’s hospital conditions. Citizens deserve better than the contempt demonstrated by leaders who allow healthcare systems to deteriorate while medical tourism industries flourish elsewhere. Costa Rica built a world-class healthcare system that attracts international patients while serving its own population effectively. This demonstrates that healthcare excellence is achievable for developing nations with proper planning and investment.

PATH FORWARD

The Sunday Gleaner’s readership includes policymakers, CEOs, and community leaders who didn’t earn their influence to watch Jamaica fail. These individuals hold the keys to whether the nation rises or continues stagnating. The time has come to demand moonshots rather than incremental improvements. Rwanda’s five-year plan to halve poverty provides a concrete example of ambitious yet achievable goal-setting.

Leadership accountability requires naming and shaming stagnation. No leader since Manley has made education a true priority, despite first-class education being key to achieving Vision 2030 goals. This failure demands explanation and correction. Additionally, influential citizens must invest personal capital through mentoring youth, funding technology laboratories, or pursuing elected office themselves.

When future historians examine why Jamaica stalled while other nations surged, “the country had no leaders” cannot serve as an excuse—it will stand as an epitaph. Jamaica doesn’t need one hero; it needs thousands of committed individuals willing to transform rhetoric into action.

Jamaica is the nation that birthed Marcus Garvey, who inspired African people worldwide; the defiant beats of reggae music; and the first global superpower built not on guns but with sprinting feet. If Jamaica’s past was forged in resistance, its future must be too. The crisis is here. The silence ends when Jamaicans choose to speak—not in one voice, but in a chorus too loud to ignore.

Wesley Morris, is a transformation coach and a member of the People’s National Party. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com