Tony Hendriks, ContributorIf you're reading this on a plane, take a good look around. One out of every 10 people you see is a drug mule. At least that's what the British High Commissioner says and Scotland Yard corroborates it. Shoot the messenger why don't you.
The Government who the British High Commissioner works for are too impotent to do anything about the root of the actual problem because Colombian cartels are too rich, Britain is such a whore to capitalism they breed addicts of every drug across all socio-economic strata and their airport security is so incompetent they can't stem the influx of drugs coming into their country.
They can't even stop people getting on planes with knives, cleavers and shoe bombs; their own Sunday newspapers have proved that. So instead of looking at their own shortcomings they hit out at Jamaica. That's like culling malaria carriers rather than clearing swamps to kill mosquitoes or cure the disease. Well, the Jamaican mosquito is coming back to bite Britain on their ass. It is they, you may remember, who used our people as slaves to reap the resources of this island colony; filled their coffers, then washed their hands and left us to drown in poverty.
It's unfortunate that thousands of our people risk being mules, caught, imprisoned and deported but not surprising. For many a year in a HMP is better than a day in Riverton City. Sure many people say, "Don't mention slavery, it's long gone and time to move on." No problem. We'll stop talking about slavery when they stop living off the proceeds. We need to check the root of problems foreigners love to point out. Yes we use guns to shoot people but we don't make them. No, it's Britain, America, China, Israel, Switzerland and Italy who do that. Strikes me that when Tony Blair nips to Asia to cajole India and Pakistan not to blow each other up and perhaps start a world war he means, "Don't do it with all the arms we in the First World sold you."
Hey if they stop making guns, and all the money the industry makes, we'll stop shooting people with them. Zeen? Zeen! After all how often do you hear of a drive by chopping? Jamaica has tried to do business by selling fruit and vegetables but Europe made it very difficult. We tried to export another cash crop but America made that impossible. Well, US, UK and EU, JA says Gway! Unfortunately the distribution of cocaine is lucrative, doesn't require any manufacturing and our highly aggressive sales techniques (buy or die) have found us a niche. It ain't right, but it's all some folk got.
It also seems a tad unfair for an outsider whose very own tourism product has fallen off, through no fault of ours, to gloat that the undeniable violence we have in Jamaica affects our tourism. It does but it need not.
In reality most of the violence is on the other side of the island far away from tourism and no danger to the people who sit and sun themselves. If the smaller nations of the world spread as much propaganda advertising as the large ones do about a better life, better land, better people, even a royal family not just elected officials, maybe we wouldn't be where we are today, but that takes more filthy lucre than we have.
Britain has a powerful voice, one we take seriously in Jamaica, far more so than we do America's, but they so often take such a sanctimonious, blame-free stance. Yet there is racism, poverty, addiction, corruption, malpractice, and tribal violence in Britain but they seem to take joy in pointing out other people's problems and not their own. Whingeing Poms! Let's look at the glass as half full. We are simple folk. We dance, we sing, we laugh. I'd like to say that nine out of 10 people I see are fine, upstanding citizens.
Unfortunately this would be incorrect as I'm touring comedy clubs in England right now and nine out of 10 people around me are alcoholics who drink Alco-pops, smoke dope and cigarettes, snort coke and have race riots. They also laugh at my jokes but unfortunately not everyone can be as lucky as me. Talk show hosts can be negative and get away with it but diplomats should really try to be, well, diplomats.
Tony Hendriks can be reread at www.JamaicanPaleface.com or e-mailed and roundly chastised via JamaicanPaleface@ aol.com
