Caribbean World Forum

Election Time Again - Jamaica 2011

2011-12-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

The Jamaican public goes to the polls in a couple of days time – December 29, 2011 to be exact.

The current Prime Minister of Jamaica is a young man named Mr Andrew Holness of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), not yet 40 years old. He became leader of his party, and therefore the Jamaican Prime Minister, a couple of months ago when the incumbent JLP leader – Mr Bruce Golding - stepped down due to “personal reasons”.
In exiting prematurely Mr Golding in effect anointed the “younger generation” to inherit the leadership role of the party and Mr Holness assumed this position unchallenged (wisely) by his colleagues in the ruling JLP party.

SUCCESSION & SUCCESSS IN JAMAICAN POLITICS
It seemed a familiar old story to Jamaica. Over 5 years ago a one Ms Portia Simpson Miller became Prime Minister of Jamaica in May 2006 through an unelected national process when Mr P J Patterson of the Peoples National Party stepped down after 14 years in power.
However unlike, Mr Patterson who himself was given the mantle of leadership by Mr Michael Manley (who retired due to ill health in 1992) and then went on to win the national elections (not once but 3 times) in 1993 (and subsequently in 1997 & 2002), Ms Portia Miller served 18 months, then called a national election which she lost in September 2007.

So Mr Holness was faced with a similar situation – should he go, more or less, straight to get a mandate from the Jamaican public or should he serve out the remaining 12 months of the JLP’s entitled term and then call the national elections? He chose to go to the polls, which as I write, is imminently upon the nation. Was it the right call for him? Time will tell!!
At the risk of stating things prematurely, the run-up to the elections in Jamaica this time has been markedly peaceful and it seems as though this year has been a turning point in the maturing of the country – at least politically. In hindsight a key milestone could have been the “taking out” of Dudus Coke by the Jamaican army in a gun battle with his supporters in Trench Town. Mr Coke was later captured and extradited to face criminal charges in the USA. Perhaps the other criminal gangs have been sent a message that no one is indispensible and we are at a period of reflection and stock taking on the “contract” between local power brokers – armed and unarmed. Or is Jamaica in the “lull before the storm” which would see the potential emergence of a new criminal order and political dimension?

Some say Mr Golding paid the ultimate political price for that action of confrontation in his own constituency with a leading “don” – although not without great hesitation and anguish on his part, it turned out to be “a selfless act for the greater national good”. National crime rates have been noticeably reduced in the subsequent months of 2011. It seems the USA did Jamaica a favour in forcing through this extradition action.

FUTURE PATHWAYS - THE OPTIONS
So whither goes Jamaica now? On the one hand the existing party came into power during the onset of a terrible global recession and has weathered the storm creditably. The ridiculous high interest rates offered on Government Bond schemes for decades, unsustainably reminiscent of a Ponzi scheme, were cut somewhat (and could do with some further trimming). Crime statistics came down as mentioned above and the national economy even grew. This is more than could be said for the previous administration which, while the world around Jamaica enjoyed a boom fuelled by low interest rates, low fuel costs and emerging Eastern economies (and now a bust), cocooned itself in a nest of economic stagnation for the most part – notwithstanding Highway 2000 and the Spanish Hotel investment programme.

Does the country need change for any particular reason and what will change bring? Change in such poorer developing countries, brought about by elections after a maximum of 5 years, seems very wasteful. It takes a year or 2 for the new Government to shape its initiatives (and put its people in place etc) and then as things start to get going again it is time for another election. (Mind you nothing as daft as the USA elections which are far too frequent and extravagant at 4 years apart).
More recently, as has happened in Trinidad & Tobago, the new Government upon assumption of power appear to set about digging for evidence of corruption and malpractice by its predecessors with which to “sling mud” at them. More time and expense spent on issues, which although important, should not be allowed to happen in the first place. Like a number of other areas of life, globally, it would seem that the structure and operation of electoral politics is antiquated and not fit for purpose. Like existing Education and Health systems, the Political System needs an overhaul - but what to do?

For now back to elections in Jamaica. The historical record shows that the Jamaican electorate usually give the party in power a couple of electoral terms (8-10 years) to prove itself and this is likely to happen again. The only exception to this in 50 years has been Mr P J Patterson who won three elections in a row but he has retired from politics, apparently.

Alas, only time will tell - may the team that is best for Jamaica win!!

RedJet - The New Caribbean Airline

2011-12-26T06:01:00.000-08:00

The year 2011 marked the beginning of a new airline serving the Caribbean. In time of recession in the western economies it appears to be a brave move; yet in business some of the best commercial opportunities present themselves when the status quo of a sector is being radically challenged by adverse prevailing conditions.
RedJet is based out of Barbados and began with a simple route to Trinidad. It then rapidly expanded its operations, in the same year, to include the destinations of Jamaica (Kingston), Guyana, St Lucia and Antigua.
If RedJet is successful it will have done more to integrate the English speaking Caribbean region than any number of speeches and meetings by regional politicians or by numerous CARICOM treaties and communiques. We the regional citizens of the Caribbean should welcome it as it makes the fundamental issue of getting around the region affordable or at least injects some competition into the cost and ease of regional travel.

ROOM FOR TWO (or THREE)?
At present the jury is out as to whether RedJet will succeed. The initial appeal of the eye catching low fares publicised are soon tempered when the complexities of the airfare structure are revealed and all is added up. Yes it’s cheaper, but by how much and is it worth it? The travelling public will undergo an educational process to understand how this optimisation-of-income model can work for the airline and also for them. Yet the operations and principles of an INTERNET-based airline (as opposed to a low fare airline) is a tried and proven one and it is in EVERYONES' interests that RedJet succeeds!!

At present RedJet is taking on the incumbents in their own market, flying to same destination airports. Both Caribbean Airlines and LIAT have been restructured in recent years, with the former having just acquired Air Jamaica and suffering the symptoms of indigestion as it assimilates that airline with a TWO BRANDs, ONE AIRLINE marketing strategy.
Caribbean Airlines was in danger of becoming a complacent monopoly in serving the major islands of the Caribbean region. Service levels to its customers were not visibly improving post-merger and I have yet to witness any attempt to sincerely consult with its customer base in a marketing questionnaire survey, for example. The benefits of its frequent flyer programme are neither easily accessible nor user-friendly and its online services are still rather basic – although I note some attempts now to improve functionality directly to the end-users (perhaps in response to RedJet trail blazing campaign).
The window of opportunity for Caribbean Airlines to engage with the substantial, patriotic and highly mobile Jamaican Diaspora, who patronised Air Jamaica, is closing gradually with the passage of time. Previous destinations served by Air Jamaica from Jamaica to London, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, etc. have not been re-instated. In response to RedJet’s competitive entry into its Caribbean regional market space Caribbean Airlines should revise and expedite this option. In spite of the USA economic downturn (and Canada is not in this USA boat) the North American travel market remains huge - both for Caribbean Diaspora and other North American citizens.
The merger of the Jamaican and Trinidadian cultures and mind-sets into the operations of one organisation will not be easy BUT it is a prerequisite if Caribbean Airlines is to succeed commercially – it has no choice and I wish it well.
LIAT, on the other hand, unfortunately, has less to fear for now as it principally links up the smaller islands of the Caribbean region. It operates, unchallenged, with a service level that leaves much to be desired. On a recent business trip around such islands I was treated by LIAT to a cancelled flight; a stranded plane; an engineer being flown out from Barbados out to fix the plane in St Lucia; a rigmarole of entry into Barbados procedure to go through SECURITY to re-board the same plane and nearly missing it 10 minutes later; angry people for whom LIAT had lost their luggage; and finally a revised routing of the plane to arrive hours later than scheduled. It would have made good script for a comedy movie if it didn’t so seriously mess up people’s plans, including my own.

RedJet – FUTURE VISION
This new entrant, RedJet, is in that stage of building critical mass to become sustainable as an airline operator. It is vital that it keeps its eyes and mind open to market opportunities that present themselves and respond accordingly. Although at first it may be taking on Caribbean Airlines head-to-head in some routes it needs to grow, both itself and the overall travel market, in a way that lead to a win-win scenario.
One of the premises of such airlines is that their low prices will stimulate the existing marketplace for new customer segment of travellers to emerge. These might be week-end shoppers or vacationers for the region, the overseas student who needs to get home more often, business people expanding to operate regionally, multiple destination tourists, and so on. We will soon see if the Caribbean is ready for this.
However RedJet should also seek to open up new non-competitive routes with third country destinations that are staring it in the face. Airport destinations in Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean, Central America and even Mexico should be evaluated. Maybe even tourist dominated airports in these countries could serve as low cost entry points. (Montego Bay-to-Cancun anyone?) Personally I would like to see connections between Kingston and Mexico City re-established and a link from Montego Bay to Brazil started. These countries have cities with huge metropolitan populations and their economies are still alive and kicking. I am sure Spanish-owned hotels, like RUI in Jamaica, eagerly await such potential guests.
Furthermore, the un-served people who need to get around the Caribbean but who cannot (easily) get visas to transit USA (usually via MIA) are also another obvious new target group.
And finally RedJet should not forget AIR CARGO – it’s another valuable income stream for them and is crying out to be provided across the region by businesses and individuals.

And what of CARICOM/CARIFORUM?
At some point RedJet and Caribbean Airlines will have to accept each other’s long term presence. Then they will see the benefit of feeding travellers into each other’s routes and creating even more synergistic hubs and spokes air-route nodes to better serve the Caribbean traveller.
In the meantime these airlines should engage and lobby the Governments of the Caribbean region, individually and collectively, to ensure that through diplomatic negotiations Caribbean people have minimal hassle (for visa requirements etc.) to getting to visit third countries such as Mexico and others in Central & South America.
Such an action will facilitate the potential for developing substantial air traffic for the future and redound to everyone’s benefit.

A Caribbean Airline for the Caribbean?

2010-12-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

This year saw the formation at last of what may become a truly Caribbean Airline:
Caribbean Airlines acquired Air Jamaica.

An acquisition which has yet to lead to a successful merger; the latter being necessary for economic sustainability of the newly formed enterprise. But these things take time as those who deal in Mergers and Acquisitions know only too well and sometimes time alone is not enough to ensure success.

For what we have are 2 different airlines operating different business models. Simply keeping the airlines operating in the same manner post-acquisition, side by side, will not be enough. It’s a matter of deriving synergies from each other and creating an entirely new operational model by disassembling parts of what they do and reassembling them - like a new jigsaw puzzle.

Caribbean Airlines serves mainly its Trinidadian and Tobagonian citizens to key North American metropolises – New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Toronto - a few capitals in South America - Caracas, Paramaribo, Georgetown - and five Caribbean countries - Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St Martin, Jamaica.

Air Jamaica now only serves Nassau, Toronto, Philadelphia, New York and Fort Lauderdale from its 2 airports in Jamaica – Kingston and Montego Bay. This group of 5 destinations is substantially reduced from the over 12 destinations the airline serviced only a few years ago.

At first glance these 5 destinations don’t really offer much by way of an acquisition. And they don’t.

The true value of Air Jamaica, apart from its important skilled employees and airline infrastructure - which took years to develop - is the latent potential of the 2 hub airports at Kingston and Montego Bay and the millions of passengers who flew Air Jamaica when it was at its peak of operational scale about a decade ago.
These prospective “prior passengers” are a combination of tourists and diaspora (overseas Jamaicans) living in key cities like Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore, Los Angeles, London, Manchester and so on. So the obvious question is can the new airline reconnect with these potential customers in a way that offers them even greater value for their money in air travel? And can Caribbean Airlines earn more incremental income from such a target group? I think so. However the operational model has to be reconfigured along the lines of servicing the wider Caribbean and the needs of its peoples - not 2 airlines operating from 2 different countries servicing 2 different groups.

To start with we need to configure the new Airline as having 2 or even 3 hubs – say Port of Spain, Kingston and Montego Bay. One hub services North America; a second hub serves the Northern Caribbean and Central America; the third hub acts as a gateway to the Southern Caribbean and South America. Feeders into these hubs will be from other hubs (including in Jamaica’s case many other, mainly US airlines that still fly to its airports) as well as third country destinations whose passengers cannot get a US visa to transit that country or want to avoid flying through Miami and New York in particular to connect globally to cities like London and elsewhere. The air traffic carried will be a good robust mix of tourists (of diverse types), business people, VFR’s (visiting friends and family) and opportunistic travellers.

The size of this other prospective customer market of “opportunistic travellers” is not to be under-estimated. There are many countries in the region which do not have a national carrier which would look after their citizen’s interests as a priority or are not able to for whatever reason. Cuba comes to mind as do several countries in Central America. With the pervasiveness of the internet and booking flights directly online via websites becoming more popular (if written in many languages it can become available to others previously excluded) the potential market size increases dramatically. Of course to exploit the competitive edge of accessibility to the new Caribbean airline, staff must be able to communicate in these other languages and the Governments of the region must permit visa-free travel to and from third countries.

Another benefit of this model will be the potential for multi-destination vacations in the Caribbean without multiple changes or “lay-overs” at airports. This presumes more direct non-stop flights between Jamaica and Trinidad / Tobago for example and non-stops between Barbados and Jamaica. These should not crowd out the much needed island-hoppers but these should only really stop once on any single trip.
With such a model opening new destinations becomes potentially more viable than if it were a single national carrier serving mainly one country. In particular, it provides possibilities to more greatly link Spanish speaking countries with English speaking ones in the Caribbean and Central American region. This offers the region exciting opportunities – like reconnecting Kingston with Mexico City after decades of disconnection. Also the ridiculous routing of travelling far north to go back south (South Americans going via Miami to visit the Caribbean) will be made redundant and Trinidad could benefit from more rapidly developing its tourist market and air hub with South American countries.

I agree the new configuration of hubs and air-routes is not something to be undertaken lightly as the challenge is that it is the WHOLE picture taken together that determines the true economics of the model. Furthermore, it is not a simple additive model. One small component (air route, flight times, connection times etc) of the model may disproportionately make the overall model economics much more profitable or much less viable. And the market takes time to respond to new offerings before the whole picture becomes discernible.

Developing new airline routes is always a chicken and egg story. No passengers fly the route because it does not exist. The route does not exist because no people fly between the 2 destinations. It’s an expensive investment process developing a genuinely new route from scratch. However this need not be the case for Caribbean Airlines if it acts quickly as some of these routes will have been flown before by “prior passengers” and are merely being revived. These reconnections will give birth to multiplier effects such as Diaspora travellers bringing other travellers (from their host country) with them as new visitors to the Caribbean region.

I hope that the new Caribbean Airlines can think outside the box and boldly reconstitute its operational model to capitalise on the latent synergies that the combined airlines offer, thereby maximising its economic return. In that way the full potential of a truly regional airline can be realised and substantial economic benefits accrue to Caribbean citizens and our friends who visit us from outside this beautiful region of the world.

Fresh Thinking at Jamaica Tourist Board please!!

2009-02-02T00:07:00.000-08:00

The adverts are back. They are enticing; seductive; alluring; beautiful. They display scenery only found in Jamaica and it is indeed Jamaica that the ads are promoting.
More specifically they invite the observer to come and visit Jamaica. There’s nothing wrong with that, surely, a beautiful advert?
But there is a lot wrong with it.
I stare at the advertising billboard as I await a train to London from a train platform in South London. It’s a big billboard and the advert is part of a London-wide campaign so it’s bound to have cost a lot of money - money from the Jamaica Tourist Board that the Government and people of Jamaica can ill-afford to waste. But this is a waste of money for sure.

That billboard fills the foreground of my vista and in the background the sky is grey. Yes, wouldn’t we all rather be there in sunny Jamaica than be here under the grey skies of England. But in the mid-distance there is a partly completed building just outside the grounds of the train station. This is an unfinished 4 storey apartment complex which would have been worth a few million pounds upon completion. It has on its grounds a 50 foot builder’s crane which hasn’t been used for the past 3 months. In fact there hasn’t been a single worker on this building site in the same 3 month period and the chances are that is not likely to change for the next year or so.
A year ago such apartment complexes were a sound investment for the average London citizen but now it’s all as though a dream. Now London is full of unfinished developments and people are losing their jobs left, right and centre. My how the world has changed in a matter of months!!

This unfinished building represents what comes between UK prospective tourists leaving the grey skies of London behind for a trip to beautiful Jamaica. For those who were unaware, we are in the midst of a major financial and economic crisis in the UK. So trying to get people to spend money they don’t have on any far-flung holiday with this shotgun, blunderbuss, marketing approach is a waste of money.

In a way it sadly illustrates the bankruptcy of ideas at the current Jamaica Tourist Board.
Its Old Hat!! No innovation!! The JTB is relying on expensive billboard advertising London-wide campaigns to market Jamaica but it’s woefully out of step with the average customer’s reality.

This sort of campaign campaign is now an invalid approach to bolstering the flagging tourism industry in Jamaica.

So thank you JTB for brightening up the London skyline with beautiful photos of Jamaica and making me feel homesick. But stop wasting the Jamaican tax-payers money and start some real innovative cost-effective, 21st Century marketing that will more cost-effectively entice likely travellers - those who can and will - to visit Jamaica.

The Cancer that is Corruption

2009-02-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

I just returned to the UK from spending about 3 weeks in Jamaica – not a holiday more a working visit. It allowed me once more to immerse myself in the everyday living of my home country after playing tourist to it for the past 2 decades.

It was great to be home. My experience there had its fair share of enjoyment but the over-riding impression was what I have to term, I suppose, “shock and awe” at what passes for normal daily activity there. As I like to explain to my UK friends, if what persisted on the criminal front here in the UK like “wha-a –go-on” in Jamaica “dis ya time”, we would have to call it a WAR. I mean 1,500 people murdered per year in a population of 2.5 million (Jamaica) is equivalent to over 30,000 people in a population of close to 60 million (UK). It’s a very bloody sort of insidious social warfare at that. I had 3 personal incidents in the space of my less than 3 weeks visit which put me in the picture of what “really a go-on in Jamdown”.

During my stay there, on one occasion, I heard about 8 gunshots go off at around 10pm at night in my uptown neighbourhood. Reports the following day informed me it was a licensed firearm holder dispensing justice as he was confronted at his gate by 3 assailants, one holding a firearm. He had killed 2 of them and the third escaped. I cannot fault him on defending himself in such circumstances but it made the Gordon House debate raging at the time in the country about capital punishment an oxymoron. I mean, not only is capital punishment still officially on the law books of the land but it is meted out almost daily on the streets by a wide range of Jamaicans – police, soldiers and such licensed firearm holders. The Justice System has broken down in the beloved country and this incident was a manifestation of that fact.

On another occasion driving through the rural town of Port Maria, the traffic that I was caught up in ground to a slow moving crawl. It was about 3pm and children leaving school were part of the throng of people on and off the sidewalks. Something, one sensed, was in the air but as an unseasoned visitor little was I to know what would happen next. A man ran down the middle of the street right past my car with something in his right hand up in the air. Not running with panic but at a pace of serious intent – like he had done this before and his life depended on it. He was followed by another man with what was clearly a gun, more considerately held pointed down towards the tarmac. He was not more than 6 seconds behind the first man. Then, after another 5 seconds, a more heavily armed uniformed policeman followed them – again passing my car - and then it all then began to make sense as behind them all came a police vehicle, siren blaring. The crowd looked on – some with animated curiosity and some with nonchalance – perhaps, notwithstanding my surprise, this event was not so unusual for rural Port Maria in 2008. The leading man – the wanted criminal gunman - turned off the road and went down into a gully course of sorts and some schoolchildren even went to follow him to see where he was going. Some of the town elders, with sense, chased the children back. No gunshots were heard subsequently so one can surmise he made good his escape and mercifully no innocent bystanders were afflicted by what is the scourge of gun culture in Jamaica, on that occasion. Law and Order has broken down all over Jamaica Land we Love and this incident was a manifestation of that fact.

Again a matter of perspective I guess but Jamaica appears to me to be the “Wild, Wild West”. We could do well look to the history of America and its gun culture - both its cowboy days of “settling the west” and to the likes of Al Capone in his heyday in Chicago - to learn a few lessons about what causes this lawlessness and how to address this rather serious and unacceptable state of affairs.

But it was the final personal incident that crystallised for me the root of the problem in Jamaica today. The least lethal, "innocuous" even, of my experiences provided an epiphany moment. I had parked my car on a Saturday morning on Knutsford Bouvelard to go buy a pattie in Tastees. I hadn’t been inside more than 5 minutes when I came out to see my car jacked up and ready for towing away by one of 2 wreckers plainly now in sight. There were a cadre of policemen and policewomen around, some observing at a distance. I explained to the tow truck driver that I was resident overseas and was not conversant with the law regarding parking on weekends in what was a dead New Kingston. True a yellow line marked the edge of the pavement but there were no signs annunciating on the parking restrictions in force and I was accustomed to a single yellow meaning “No Parking” only on busy week work-days. Of course “Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse” except in this case, in Jamaica now – as the events were to prove as they unfolded - “THE LAW IS AN ASS”. So we got into a discussion with a policewoman hovering nearby with some of the associated paperwork of this legal infringement – within earshot but not intervening.

The conversation was intriguing and masterfully steered by him to achieve his ultimate objective as I was soon to find out. I explained that I was a visitor and showed him my UK driving license. Was he going to “mash up” my weekend? I said I would ride with him to the downtown pound where the car was “destined” so I could pay the fine and recover the car quickly.
But this was not the reply he was looking for, clearly. Call me naïve initially, and in the end complicit, but eventually I was enlightened to pay him JA$3,000 on the spot rather than find my own way to pay the JA$4,000 fine downtown. His friend took the money on the “blind side” to the nearby cops and he let the car down. I had to enact the charade of getting into the car as a technicality of this accepted alternative to “due legal process”. The policewoman moved in to hand back the paperwork to the tow driver and then moved on to join her colleagues after the convoluted transaction was sealed.

So I had, unceremoniously, joined the countless other “otherwise law-abiding” Jamaicans to become party to this corrupt state of affairs and right under the approving nose of the local police force – who no doubt, upon reflection of the play enacted, were in on the scam from the very beginning.

Corruption is thriving in Jamaica and, like a cancer, it is corrupting the unwitting citizens of the beautiful land and this incident was a clear manifestation of that fact.

And so there we have it. My trip home was an educational experience for an overseas, uninitiated visitor about the breakdown of law and order arising from a barely functioning legal system in a systemic corrupt framework that is now Jamaica.

If my late father – who had helped frame the legal and justice system for Jamaica as a newly independent country forty-six years ago - had not been cremated, he would surely be turning in his grave.

Air Jamaica's Death Knell?

2009-02-01T23:38:00.000-08:00

I read with further disappointment the intention of Air Jamaica to shed 6 of its 15 planes and drop 6 routes from its service schedule this year (Jamaica Observer January 28, 2009). This is sheer madness and it would be better for Air Jamaica to close down completely, and thereby entirely avoid the risk of running a loss in the future – as this seems to be its SOLE objective. How ironic that the Government of Jamaica wants to retain the name and brand of Air Jamaica in its proposed plans to sell the airline yet it is reducing the company to a “ghost” of an international airline with this reductionist strategy.

Air Jamaica, despite pleas from the Diaspora population in the UK, sold it London route (for peanuts to Virgin by the then Minister of Finance of the previous administration) back in 2007. This was another bad commercial decision by a civil servant. We Jamaicans in the UK are now suffering the consequences. Virgin flights in December 2009 to Kingston are costing £983 per person for its cheapest economy seat and BA is charging £1,158 per person – CHEAPEST ECONOMY. Their planes (Boeing 747’s and 777’s) will be fully booked nevertheless, and mostly by members of the Jamaican Diaspora in the UK. This is what Air Jamaica gave up when it dropped the London route. Now it wants to ditch the Miami route and others.

The problems facing Air Jamaica with its operating loss are not so much its COSTS of operation as using the INCORRECT BUSINES MODEL for running an airline in the 21st Century. No doubt this is what the Air France consultants will tell them when they arrive in Jamaica, spend several months and charge for their fees. Space does not permit me to elaborate on the possible solutions, but as a consultant myself one knows that to solve a problem one should start with correctly defining the realities of the issue. Here are a few basic points:

Point One – Air Jamaica is a Diaspora Airline.

Point Two – Air Jamaica cannot and should not compete head-to-head with US based carriers.

Point Three – Air Jamaica will require FURTHER investment to turn it around (note the distinction between “cost” and “investment”).

Point Four - Current economic global environment means it’s unlikely to get a private buyer / investment, even in a cut-down version it is now pursuing.

Point Five – In determining the cost of running an airline one should look at the FULL ECONOMIC cost and benefit analysis, not just bottom line profits.

Point Six - The Caribbean has been in need of a proper regional airline for some time now.

A possible new business model involves thinking outside the realms of conventional, conservative - dare I say it – archaic, public sector thinking in Jamaica. So we could, for example, swallow our national pride, people, and merge Air Jamaica with Caribbean Airways and let the Caribbean benefit from a properly sized international airline that can serve the region and its peoples well. (One can do all sorts of fancy things with marketing, like co-branding etc, if we feel the need to keep the name of Air Jamaica alive).

To be sure, if we continue along this path proposed of cut, cut, cutting Air Jamaica we will be killing it slowly in any event. The loss to the economy of JAMAICA will be catastrophic as such actions further weaken the economic contributions from its Diaporan population whose hard earned income will flow increasingly to the likes of BA and Virgin, good airlines though they are.

Caribbean Regional Air Transport Delayed?

2008-01-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

I note, with disappointment, the rejection by the Jamaican Government of the Airone application to start a Caribbean regional carrier based in Jamaica. The airline was proposed to start operations later this year and broaden the tourism market to Jamaica as well as better service the needs of the Jamaican/ Caribbean Diaspora.

The reason given relates to the scheduled divestment of Air Jamaica within the next 2 years, but this is faulty logic as the 2 airlines were clearly catering to different markets. Furthermore in the reality of today’s globalised marketplace the Jamaican Government cannot significantly assist Air Jamaica, or its future owners, in its competition with other airlines – of which at least 7 come from the USA alone. In fact, in some cultures, the offer by the Jamaican Government to “protect” Air Jamaica will be read as a sign of weakness and low confidence in the Air Jamaica brand.

In the meantime we, the Jamaican Diapsora in the UK, are already suffering the effects of Air Jamaica’s exit from the British marketplace late last year. This arose from the ill-advised sale of Air Jamaica’s Heathrow slots by the previous Jamaican Government administration in a questionable “value-for-money” deal on behalf of our people.

Airfares from the UK to Jamaica are now over £800 in peak summer season and were over £1,100 in the Christmas season just gone. Virgin and BA now control this direct air route and there is very little difference in the fares at these peak times.

Whist one can get reasonable deals on the said route for under £400 at the off-peak season this is of little comfort to FAMILIES who must travel at peak times and pay the extortionate fares.

What this will result in is fewer Diaspora families, who MUST travel during their children’s school holiday period, visiting Jamaica during the children’s formative years.

The weakening of the link between the UK Jamaican younger generation Diapsora and Jamaica will deteriorate even faster resulting in substantial inestimable loss to the Jamaican economy of hundreds of millions of pounds in financial terms alone. Our younger generation form the basis of our country’s future overseas investors and customers.

An airline proposed by Airone could have provided a much needed service to the overseas Jamaican community where it is currently poorly serviced – the UK. The wider Caribbean Diaspora in the UK numbers over a million people and the younger generation comprises an increasing percentage of the numbers. It is they who are being ignored in the grand scheme of things.

As for Air Jamaica’s future lets hope its new owners have the substantial capital and vision necessary to take the airline to higher levels of performance and global presence and not just capture it as an adjunct to an existing outfit to milk the hapless Jamaican consumer be they at home or abroad!!

AirOne - Time for a Caribbean Regional Budget Airline?

2007-12-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

I read the recent news about the AirOne start-up airline scheduled to start operations in 2008 from Jamaica to the USA as a low cost carrier collaborating with Digicel.

This could be good news for Jamaica, particularly as the airline will have its base and hub at Kingston and/or Montego Bay. We in the UK have seen “the rise and rise” of the Budget Airline industry in the UK with pioneer Ryanair (also Irish) in the 1980’s which grew to surpass British Airways and other European airlines in scale and importance - operating out of initially, minor, UK airports to destination regional airports. They were joined, successfully, by Easy Jet and a plethora of others budget airlines in subsequent years. To be sure budget airlines created a market that did not exist before hand and behold proved that there was market space for them - and the other, conventional, airlines - to operate profitably for the past 3 decades.

What Airone proposes to do is reported to be something similar but for the Caribbean Region. Except it says it will start with KGN and MBJ to Ft. Lauderdale and New York.
I agree the time has come for a regional (budget?) carrier for the Caribbean (and by all means go global with it eventually) but I think the dynamics in the region are somewhat different.

Caribbean Air Travel - The Market Needs
In my recent Trade Mission to the Caribbean from the UK I was struck by the hassle people had in travelling between the islands. For example, I encountered on my journeys a Guyanese entrepreneur who was travelling from Georgetown via Port-of-Spain and Barbados and Antigua to Jamaica to catch a flight to Panama to source supplies for his business in Guyana. And he was not exceptional - there were many such Caribbean people (business and leisure) crying out for better air transportation service across the region.

Another profile of traveller for AirOne could be those who cannot get a US visa to travel even intransit through the USA due to tightening of that country’s security measures.

(I too would join them even though I do not require a US visa at present as the experience of arriving at and transiting Miami airport is enough to put seasoned travellers off the USA as a transit point). We need more hubs and more choice of shorter routings to traverse the Caribbean Sea in addition to MIA.

Yet again there are thousands of people from certain Caribbean, South American and Central American countries who do not have the benefit of a national carrier that can service their non-traditional travel requirements to desired destinations. They could become customers, tapped on the hub and spoke routing system, bringing them in feeder flights to KIN or MBJ for onward journeys to other destinations serviced by AirOne and other carriers.

Yes indeed there are also budget travellers who want to travel more within the Caribbean or those well-heeled tourists who would do more 2 and 3 centre vacations from inside (and outside) the region if it were more affordable. And of course business and trade will be better facilitated and grow across the region with such improved air linkages.

Combined these categories of people add up to a significant number and if you provide an affordable and pleasurable experience then a market will be stimulated and develop.

Airone in entering this market space would be better served in focusing on such travellers and should be careful about going into head-to-head competition with Air Jamaica - never mind Spirit and the host of other USA based carriers – on price. No one will win such a price war - only those with the deepest pockets “survive”.

Caribbean Diaspora
True Diaspora, of which I am one, provides a loyal customer base but many tend to be, by definition, nationalistic doing things even if it doesn’t make best commercial sense.

So Airone’s entry strategy will woo some from this Diaspora category away from Air Jamaica but only so many. By all means service the likes of Ft Lauderdale rather than a Miami but I think a better strategy would be to also change the fundamental dynamics of intra-regional travel which as I said above is already a-changing. Space does not permit me to elaborate on specifics but the business model needs more differentiation other than cost in order to succeed and be sustainable. Take note, budget airlines in the EU do not succeed only because they are cheaper.

In conclusion, many moons ago, Air Jamaica and BWIA should have merged and rationalised their operations into providing the Caribbean with one regional carrier. Although it has taken outside investors to come up with the vision and the capital to get something like AirOne going that should not matter. The benefits to the Caribbean Region are potentially enormous in many ways and AirOne’s application to the CAA should be commended and supported by the Jamaican (and Caribbean) Governments.

Who knows, AirOne, if successful, may turn out to be the saviour of Air Jamaica in the not-too-distant future.

Jamaica's Economic Comparative Advantage

2007-11-29T01:54:00.000-08:00

I recently returned to the UK from a Caribbean Trade Mission covering 3 countries – Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica – over a 2 week period. As a Jamaican national resident overseas in the UK for almost 2 decades it was a good opportunity to see first hand what is happening in the region from a business perspective. Since my migration to the UK in the 1980’s I have returned at least once annually to Jamaica and indeed have visited other parts of the Caribbean but this has predominantly been in “vacation” mode.

Our group of 15 London businesses met with the UK Trade and Invest counterparts in each country – e-Teck, Invest Barbados and Jamaica Trade and Invest. My area of primary interest was the creative industries and the electronic media. I was encouraged with developments in the region and my British colleagues were very impressed by what they found in all the countries – most visiting the region for the first time.

We met with the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and subsequently I have read in the Observer about the JCC’s President Mark Myers recommendations for a Free Zone area for Kingston and other plans to jump-start the economy in their National Summit held with Jamaican Government officials.

Although I agree with the vision and the need to make our capital city an ENGINE for the country’s economy the same way London is for the UK and New York is for the USA I think we should not overlook the Creative Industry and Media Sectors in this exercise.

Jamaica’s competitive advantages have historically been regional strategic positioning (so yes an integrated regional/global distribution and logistical hub in Kingston is KEY as part of its developmental strategy), service based industries (tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure etc) and what was previously called the “entertainment” industries.

We must capitalise on the revolution occurring in audio visual digital productions which require creative, cultural, heritage, recreational and other forms of “human expression” content – of which Jamaica and the Caribbean region have in considerable quantities.

We need to make our cities – either Kingston or Mobay, or both – Centres where we have the facilities to convert this creative capital of our people into services and products for the global marketplace.

This will involve investment in film studios, equipment for production and post-production and so on. There will be synergies with the ICT industry as these technologies increasingly converge and a local digital video production industry can capitalise on the distribution infrastructure that has for the most part been laid with FLOW and FibreLink’s cabling, with great foresight, linking the Caribbean region and the USA together.

The digital production industry is highly human labour-intensive as the credits at the end of every film etc demonstrate with long lists of labour input into a production.

It brings together many other key industry sub-sectors such as modelling, fashion, literary arts, theatrical arts, hair and beauty, music etc. and provides greater opportunities for these related sectors to flourish and develop through international networks. It would have a multiplier effect on crime reduction, social regeneration, job employment and engage local communities in these cities where investment in such facilities should be located.

Prices of video digital productions are tumbling and the technology, as it converges and becomes more integrated, is becoming more accessible. Concurrently there is a proliferation of digital channel outputs, worldwide. These channels will need content – interesting, stimulating, original and diverse content. More Jamaican and Caribbean content - films, documentaries, animation, shorts, reality shows, series....

The monopoly of the Hollywood Big Box Office companies is within sight of being broken and the advent of IPTV (Internet Protocol TV – again with links to ICT sectors) will transform the economics of this industry to make smaller economies of scale, for say a Caribbean digital video production industry, more feasible. Jamaica, traditionally a leader in the Caribbean (and world) of culture and creative content should position itself to lead in this area as well.

Of the 3 countries we visited Jamaica’s business environment seemed the most economically disadvantaged yet the most vibrant.
Yes, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Jamaica at all levels and in all communities – uptown and downtown.
The new Jamaican Government can facilitate this entrepreneurial spirit and the tremendous creative talent of our people through RADICAL initiatives and rapid successful implementation of pilots demonstrating innovative synergistic strategies which can add 1 and 1 together to give 11 (and not 2)!!

Only then will Jamaica get beyond very challenging current day circumstances to a brighter, more hopeful tomorrow.

We the Jamaican Diaspora in London stand ready to assist and share our experiences from the Creative and Media Industries here in the UK with the Government of Jamaica should the National Summit be ”internationalised” to include us.

UK BUSINESS WITH THE CARIBBEAN DIAPSORA

2007-10-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

The missing piece of the Economic Development Puzzle ?

On April 1^st 2006, the Jamaican Diaspora (UK) Movement staged its first conference in the UK, held in Birmingham, with an estimated audience of over five hundred people drawn from across the Jamaican UK community. There were high level speakers from Jamaica and several famous local “sons and daughters” of Jamaica (resident in the UK) contributed with speeches at this auspicious occasion.

These are exciting times and one can sense a momentum building. But what has brought this level of interest about, what are the objectives – indeed possibilities - and where is it all leading to?

There was a time when economic development in the Caribbean was expressed solely in terms of industrialisation, manufacture for export, capital intensive infrastructure projects, export competitiveness, inward investment, GDP growth and so on. Governments of newly independent nations since the 1960’s sought to develop their country’s economies along these lines with aid and loans from various international organisations, private sector banks and assistance from other countries. One can debate how successful or not these initiatives have been but what is now clear is that other, more informal and “grass-roots”, economic activity was simultaneously taking seed with Caribbean peoples across international boundaries. Out of sight but bursting forward in the 21^st century - Remittances!!

REMITTANCES

Now in full blossom for all to see, the size of these remittances is the “elephant in the room” when discussing foreign exchange “earnings”, particularly for countries such as Jamaica and Guyana. Remittances are a financial dividend of the emigration sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of citizens over recent decades. Remittances – formal and informal - have been a long established international activity linked to migration and trade. One suspects that most islands in the Caribbean have and are benefiting from their overseas émigrés to various countries in a similar fashion. However in Jamaica’s case it is now the primary source of foreign exchange at over US$1 billion in cash per year.

Remittances are important not only because they are potentially large in dollar terms. They also represent an injection of liquid cash from overseas sources directly into poorer and rural communities for beneficiaries, impacting lives on a personal level. But the truth is we do not really know what these funds are used for nor do we know who sends them. Anecdotally one hears of money being sent to help immediate or distant family, to pay for school fees and medical bills, to build or extend houses, as being pension funds for returnees etc. If we knew why remittances are being sent and what they are used for then we can know what to expect in future years. Is this a phenomenon with a natural shelf-life, has it peaked in size, is it a sign of greater things to come?

Whatever the case, Remittances are undoubtedly the principal factor for the growing formal interest in the Diasporan communities.

DIASPORAN COMMUNITIES

Migration has been a feature of human existence from time immemorial and the Caribbean has been no exception. Hundreds of years of, for the most part, forced immigration into the Caribbean has been followed by substantial emigrations over the last hundred years or so. Inter-island migrations and intra-regional regional migration has been a feature of this social interaction. However the migration now providing visible economic impact was the movement of Caribbean people to the USA, Canada and the former “mother country” England in the mid-to-late twentieth century.

The motivations behind these substantial movements were diverse and the profile of the typical emigrant was quite distinct for each exodus to the respective destination. Take the migration in the 1950’s and 1960’s from Jamaica to the UK for instance. This was unprecedented in scale and by invitation of Her Majesty’s Government. The volunteers were not poor, neither were they particularly privileged but they were risk-takers at pursuing economic benefit. However most arrivals in the UK from the Caribbean were destined to work – and there was plenty of that available after two World Wars – for the Public Sector. Their employers included the National Health Service, the national transport sector, the national postal service and emerging telecommunications industry, and so on. Ironically the same UK Public Sector that the Caribbean immigrants so loyally served has failed many of their descendents (and themselves) in certain areas of education, social welfare, policing and even health service.

MIGRATION IN CONTEXT

This “public sector” context had an important bearing on the destiny of their progeny into the second generation both in terms of the expectations of the wider UK public and in terms of where they could find opportunity to pursue employment or indeed self-employment.

The other important aspect of the emigration to the UK was when it occurred in the life story of the nation states in the Caribbean. The countries were either still British colonies - and therefore the migrants were technically British subjects - or the migrants were leaving a newly independent country which was only then embarking on shaping a national identity. Their identity, as that of the country they were leaving, was in transition.

Now as many of these migrants, most of who stayed on in Britain, have reached retirement age eyes are now turning to focus, perhaps belatedly, on their descendents in the Diaspora. What are the second generation’s motivations in life, their disposition towards the land of their father’s (or mother’s) birth and how do they identify themselves? This is the crux of the matter when it comes to expectations the Caribbean region can have of these individuals as they approach economic maturity themselves.

As is perfectly natural these second and third generation descendents of Caribbean immigrants are a fusion of the two cultures. Some are literally so – being principally of a Caribbean father and British mother - and others not physically evident at being “hybrids” but most certainly socially so – even with a Caribbean father and mother. In the case of the former there are over 230,000 people of mixed Caribbean heritage in the UK at the last Census in 2001. Additionally, for the numbers of the second and third generation one can “guestimate” that of the 560,000 who in 2001 classified themselves as Black British Caribbean about 400,000 of these are second and third generation.

CARIBBEAN BRITISH IDENTITY

Migration patterns between the UK and the Caribbean are shown in Figure 1 below.

This illustrates that official migration from the Caribbean to the UK is nominal at 5,000 people per year with a slightly upward trend over the last decade to 2003. Correspondingly, “returnees” leaving the UK for the Caribbean region is declining slightly to average about 2,000 people per year.

So, as we in the region know, there is insubstantial migration from the Caribbean to the UK. Secondly the aging first generation is not returning to live in the region in any substantial numbers. There is instead a growing trend of increased visits and duration of visits by such people which will bring some economic benefit to the region (and is good news for the airlines); perhaps not as much though had they returned to live in the Caribbean bringing their hard earned UK pension benefits with them. The economic impact of the first generation will however peak and come to an end within the next 10-20 years as they become unable to travel any more or reach a higher destination!

With no major influx of Caribbean peoples into the UK likely in the near term, the “Caribbean British” identity foundation is set and hence the critical importance of the second generation Caribbean diaspora. Who are they, how do they see themselves, do they have strong affinity with the Caribbean Region? Importantly the Caribbean British identity consists of both the “Black Caribbean British” as well as the “Mixed Caribbean British” heritage descendents (both recent UK Census terminology)[1].

However if the original emigrants for the Caribbean in the mid-twentieth century were experiencing identity in transition, then the identity of the “Caribbean British” is truly nascent. And it so happens that the interest certain Caribbean Governments are showing in their Diaspora currently coincides with a growing interest by the UK Government in those same said people.

And with good reason!!

BEYOND REMITTANCES?

We in Britain are witnessing the increasing shift towards business and self-employment in the second and third generation in the Caribbean British community – particularly women. The Caribbean Food Zone at the International Food Exchange 2003 attracted considerable interest and highlighted the potential contribution of Caribbean culture to the UK economy – food just being one aspect of that. Locally owned Caribbean restaurants – like Mr Jerk and Caribbean Scene are popping up all over London.

In my next article I will explore the scale of this economic contribution and present the hypothesis that remittances are indeed potentially just the “tip of the iceberg”. With appropriate strategies the Caribbean region can exploit a multiplier effect of moving this, principally, one-to-one donation activity into significant economic impact through business sector and trade development, joint ventures and supply chains.

However to successfully leverage of our global human capital of peoples, cultures, creativities we will require a holistic and sensitized approach – truly understanding the context and concerns of all the components of our Diaspora and ensuring that the Caribbean regional mindset is globally attuned.

This article may not be reproduced or copied without prior consent of the author, Vernon Barrett.

[1] The term “Caribbean” is particularly relevant as the metropolises of London and other cities in the UK where the first immigrants settled have facilitated the emergence of a Caribbean collective spirit through substantial inter-mingling of these peoples.

OUT OF MANY, ONE PEOPLE - SEPT 2007

2007-10-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

ELECTION SUB-PLOT

So the Jamaican Elections of 2007 will be remembered for its Supreme Court being asked to address the important issue of “Who is a Jamaican?” or “Are you Jamaican enough to serve your country?”!!

This I think is an appropriate summation of the electoral choice Jamaicans faced.

There was a perception that the long-term serving party portrayed itself as being somewhat parochial and of the proud, but outdated, disposition that “we ah go do it on our own and show de world”. A nuttin wrong with that independent spirit - but is that relevant to today’s world or indeed how most Jamaicans see themselves!!

On the other hand the then opposition party had a distinctive international outlook for our country and this came across in the statesmanship of their leader, their support base and in their party’s media campaign and communication channels eg. YouTube.

Independence is commendable but mutually beneficial Interdependence with the wider regional and global communities serves all nation states with a better chance of developmental success in today’s inter-connected world.

So, in a sense, Jamaica’s electoral choice was - “Real Yardie” OR “International Jamaican”? – and they have chosen.

NATIONAL IDENTITY – SINGLE OR MULTIPLE?

To be sure the question of national identity bedevils many countries. In fact it is a global question which manifests itself increasingly in many ways. We talk of failed nation states (Afghanistan, Sudan), artificially constructed (mainly colonial legacy) nation states principally in Africa, states within states (Kurds in Iraq), newly emerging states (former Yugoslavia) etc. And for some people their religious identity supercedes national identity and allegiance, much to the frustration of the local national authorities!!

Truth is, most nation states did not exist 200 years ago even in Old Europe (Italy born in 1861, Germany born in 1815, etc). Over the centuries Mankind has moved identity and “allegiance” from villages to towns to city-states to nation states (countries) to supranational-states (EU) and this evolution will continue.

This evolutionary New World Order is rapidly accelerating in our 21^st Century.

The New World is being shaped by a wide range of phenomena - global climate change, global pollution, global disease transmission, global migration of people (legal and illegal), global movement of money, goods, information and know-how. We are being forced to acknowledge our mutual interdependence on planet Earth and the deficiencies of the traditional nation state concept are being exposed.

So welcome to the Global Village and the “One World, One Love” existence which Bob Marley prophesied. This is the present reality and foundation for the world’s future.

Progressive Nation States - which people, including “Jamaicans”, show a preference to migrate to – acknowledge this global reality and have developed ways of accommodating all-comers to their shores in a pragmatic way which benefits their society and economy.

For them the “Dual Nationality” concept (multiple passport holders, green card holders etc) has allowed their countries to benefit and prosper through the significant and regular admission of foreign-born peoples with multiple and diverse identities (despite the rhetoric of their own “nationalistic” media and some self-serving politicians).

JAMAICANS – “WE AT HOME” & “WE ABROAD”

And what says Jamaica on this matter of multiple identity – are we progressive or reactionary?

Are we Jamaicans Abroad – many with dual nationality - now to be deemed second class citizens of Jamaica? Not patriotic enough? I know many Jamaicans, some within my own family, who are scattered all over this globe but who are no less Jamaican than those “At Home” and demonstrate this with their contributions to Jamaica – in cash and in kind.

Indeed there is a Jamaican minority “At Home” who are doing incalculable reputational damage to our “national identity” through their criminal activity. To whom do they owe their allegiance?

Others At Home, through their general mismanagement of our resources and economy are devaluing our national currency and increasing the poverty of the Jamaican nation state. To whom do they owe their allegiance?

Because of this unfortunate reality many of us Jamaicans – At Home & Abroad - unashamedly swear greater allegiance to the US$, British pound or Canadian dollar than the Jamaican dollar. Fortunately it is because of this Dual Identity existence and Greater Allegiance(?) We Abroad are able to send back, gladly, a small portion of “foreign” wealth - representing billions of JA$ a year - to the spiritual home we all call Jamaica.

Let us also acknowledge that amongst Jamaicans At Home, there are those who see Africa as their first allegiance (in their own words), those who are more British than the British (they still revere the British Monarch as Jamaica’s Head of State) and those who are JAMERICANS through and through (their money and assets are mostly in the USA - bank accounts, real estate etc).

But this is what makes us Jamaicans, Jamaicans – Out of Many One People – Amen!!

JAMAICAS GLOBAL FUTURE

Jamaica, amongst a select group of countries, is no longer just a geographical space or nation state. Some may refer to it as a Brand but I personally believe Jamaica is a Cultural State of Mind which fosters the New World Order community allowing diverse peoples to live in harmony – One Love. Jamaica has become a strong world culture precisely BECAUSE it is all-inclusive and outward-looking and we must not lose this empowering characteristic.

In short, Jamaicans are a diverse global community now settled all over the world and we even occupy cyber space as a virtual community.

I hope the Jamaican Supreme Court shows visionary leadership and updates our Laws and Constitution (that my late father helped draft at Independence) to reflect current realities of our people and its Diaspora appropriately answering the relevant questions “What Jamaica is about and stand for” and “Who a Jamaican is”!!

Crime & Justice in the Caribbean - June 2007

2007-10-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

SILENCE THE GUNS

I was heartened to hear of the PM’s initiative for police to seek out the illegal guns.

It is an important step and many other such intensive and draconian measures are needed to resolve this complex social illness derived in essence from the pervasive lack of appreciation for the sanctity of each and every human life. Here are just a few other suggestions.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

It is somewhat incongruous that these illegal weapons of mass destruction (guns) are traded into Jamaica with no penalty to the manufacturer, distributor or trader/shipper – presumably most (but not all) of whom are in overseas (developed) countries.

Suppose the same approach was undertaken for illegally imported drugs where the grower, manufacturer, trader/shipper and dealers were all left alone and only the end user pursued and penalised? Not likely - so the whole situation is pretty farcical when it comes to this cancerous global trade in deadly, illegal, weapons.

Take Action Now!

The Caribbean as a Region needs to tackle ALL the agents in the supply line of this illicit trade. We should act collectively to secure our borders - these guns can only enter via air or sea. A Caribbean COAST GUARD etc. is not beyond us. Yes it will cost millions of US$ but this is a worthwhile investment given the billions of US$ crime is costing the region every year.

We need to work with any other groups to make gun manufacturers, distributors and traders globally accountable for the tragic fall-out of their industry. For example, there are important lobby and interest groups within these “exporting” countries who can identify and ally with our cause – e.g. the recent US response to the Virginia Technical College massacre; Michael Moore the documentary producer of “Bowling for Columbine” etc.

Then there is the parallel lesson of the tobacco industry where the cigarette manufacturers as agents of deadly products were FINANCIALLY penalised for smokers’ cancers and deaths – even by US Government Agencies themselves!! We should seriously and actively pursue, through legal courts, the punitive suing of all gun companies, distributors and traders for the death of all loved ones killed by these traceable, high spec manufactured items.

As for the home-grown (or otherwise) cowardly gunmen (legal and illegal) who think guns are “manly” way of projecting power. For them, I would strongly recommend the establishment in the Caribbean of a FAST TRACK legal system to bring the perpetrators to justice and sentenced within a maximum time period - say 4 weeks - after they are apprehended. Then they should spend the rest of their lives in restitution “making a living” in jail (unless executed) to pay the proceeds of their labour to the victims of their crimes. A clear and direct link between their actions and its consequences needs to be made and be seen to be made.

End Game

The ultimate vision we must have for Jamaica and the Caribbean is that the only people bearing arms in public which is seen as acceptable is the Army - normally confined to barracks - and perhaps the occasional presence of SWAT police units called out to deal with armed delinquents.

Air Jamaica leaves London - May 2007

2007-10-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

LAST CALL TO CARIBBEAN GATE AT HEATHROW

The buzz here in London this week is that Air Jamaica is leaving us - once again !!

A sense of déjà vu for us overseas Jamaicans living in the UK – Air Jamaica pulled out of the UK in the 1980’s and it seems like just the other day it returned to service London.

But why is an unprofitable airline shedding a profitable route?

Make no mistake the Jamaica –UK air route is a lucrative one. Ask any airline expert.

The big efficient workhorse airplanes (Boeing 777, Airbus A340’s) flying at close to seating and configuration capacity all year round, turning around at midnight (or some other ungodly hour) to fly-back shortly after touch down, capitalising on the 5-6 hour time difference, to give a utilisation of capital asset that airlines would die for in this globally competitive industry. The route’s (potential for) profitability is not in question.

Furthermore, in business you cannot easily sell a “loss making” operation to another competitor, much less two (BA & Virgin). If it were not commercially attractive, why would BA apparently vie for it against Virgin for the route, as has been reported?

As for the Heathrow landing slots; they are the “crown jewels” of any global airline.

If it’s a done deal between Air Jamaica and Virgin, I sincerely hope that the Jamaica Government ensured negotiations for the best price & terms for the people of Jamaica and its travelling Diaspora!!

But why pull out of London and, by extension, access to Europe? What will be the full economic cost of this action? I have a sense there are many factors at play here but in essence it reflects the Government strategy with regards to the future of the national airline – “cost cutting” - and I think it is a short sighted one.

There is an UK/EU vs.USA dimension to Jamaica which I think is interesting and a symbolic one.

Firstly, the European company Airbus competitively, and aggressively, edged out American Boeing many years ago such that the Air Jamaica (and other airlines) had exclusively Airbuses in their fleet. Apparently the current strategy involves replacing the Air JA’s European Airbuses with Boeing aircraft. I suspect the A-340’s replacement (servicing the London route) would have had significant knock on costs – large Boeing plane acquisition, pilot retrain, etc. – that the Government and company did not want to contemplate.

Secondly, some of us in the UK Diaspora believe the Jamaican Government have us playing second fiddle to our Jamaican Diasporan counterparts living in the USA.

Ergo drop the London route, even if it a profitable one, for expediency in the airline’s restructuring process. What about the issues which the typical Jamaica-bound air traveller is concerned about in travelling from the UK – baggage allowance (BA’s is insulting its customers with its stingy 23kg baggage allowance); price competitiveness and seat availability at peak times, etc.?

Feelings are running high amongst the UK Jamaican community. Rightly or wrongly, there is a sense of being abandoned by the Jamaican Government, not to mention the dent to our national pride – “can’t we run a national airline on a global scale?”

Perhaps the answer to that question is - “NO”!!

Air Jamaica's Future Prospects

To compete successfully in today’s global airline industry the conventional wisdom is that either you become a no-frills, low cost carrier or else become part of a wider alliance.

The former, current strategy of down-sizing to become profitable, if fully realised, will probably see Air Jamaica down to a handful of destinations – mostly to the USA (New York, Miami etc).

However I believe there is an alternative more viable option whereby we can run a successful Regional Caribbean carrier through a global expansion strategy. That’s right, not downsizing but expansion. It will be a long term investment (not a cost) facilitating the projection of the Caribbean (including Brand Jamaica) onto the wider world stage.

Air Jamaica, through regional collaboration, should aim to become a Singapore Airlines or an Emirates or even a Virgin (Atlantic) – connecting the Caribbean (including Central America) to the wider world directly!

National Global Competitiveness

There was an excellent article by Dennis Morrison in Sunday’s Observer (May 20^th) expounding the Governments far-sighted investment in the Jamaican Highway 2000 project. What he stated as true for a national distribution road network is equally true for an international distribution air system – instead of “roads” think “air routes”.

I can only hope the Jamaican Government can exhibit similar courage and leadership to rethink its policy for restructuring the national airline downwards.

Otherwise the risk is that Air Jamaica will be diminished to a two-bit carrier unable to deliver critical national strategic priorities such as Tourism Development, Export Development, Inward Investment, Diasporan Integration, Airfreight of Exports, Caribbean Regional Integration, Establishing an integrated regional transport hub, Global promotion of Brand Jamaica etc. etc…….

Caribbean Visa Legacy - Jan 2007

2007-10-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

The furore over a Caricom visa for Cricket World Cup visitors highlights yet again several weaknesses in the Caribbean when it comes to doing business with the rest of the world - either as single nation states or collectively.

Although nation states have been pulling out the stops, our weaknesses, acting as a single regional entity, are going to be exposed in this event. That is to be expected, but at least let us exercise damage limitation, learn the lessons and reap lasting benefits of going through the process.

We still appear to work in "last minute mode" in the Caribbean. The rest of the world we are trying to do business with needs to plan ahead, not at the last minute, because time is literally money in their world.

The visa charge should have been bundled into the tour operators' packages for on-sell to the customer. Additionally, it should have been available immediately and painlessly on arrival in the Caribbean at any first port of entry.

The greatest legacy that could accrue to the Caribbean would be a demonstration of the ability to function as a single regional entity in areas where it is beneficial to act thus. For example, a single Caricom visa process giving unhindered movement across borders would be an excellent and productive measure, giving a process with enduring benefits to the Region.

That would be a worthwhile aspect of Cricket World Cup (CWC) legacy.

Instead, I understand the Caricom visa is to be implemented only for the CWC period and not beyond. Crazy!

If we really need the money that badly, one can make provision for the tourist to have the option to buy it on arrival at any Caribbean airport (then and there). But for goodness sakes, make the process of doing so customer-friendly, hassle-free and not time-consuming.

I would suggest that the visa is too costly an idea to implement without adverse impact. People might pay it grudgingly, but will not want to return to the region.

These are people who would ordinarily not come to our beautiful Caribbean - Indians, Pakistanis, Australians, New Zealanders, Chinese, etc.

You get only one chance to make a first impression!
Stamp all tourists' passports with a distinctive CWC Caricom visa logo for free. A souvenir!

Pursue a Caricom visa as a longer-term objective tied into the regional integration process for the movement of people, including tourists.