My somewhat Marxist Critique of the Jamaican National Family Planning Board

After going to university in my undergraduate years to find that my political science professors and lecturers were retreating from Marxist political thought, I never imagined that I would be returning to that critical orientation towards the Jamaican neoliberal status quo. But I guess this happened gradually as I studied in Canada and hung out with a faculty that is well known for a Leftist leaning. The interesting thing though, is that my recent foray into challenging the status quo has been made compatible with my spiritual beliefs. In sixth form and even my early university days, I had the challenge of reconciling my respect for Marxism with the fact that Communism stifled religious freedoms and the fact that Marx had little respect for the "opium of the people".

In this post particularly, I feel led to challenge the hegemonic narrative told about "family planning" and the official Jamaican state agency that is powered to tell this narrative and shape the Jamaican population in accepting the narrative of "family planning" or what I would rather name "family control".

As a Judeo-Christian, I respect traditional family institutions deeply. I consider myself a family man and see the family as the basic unit of society and all communities. I also welcome the idea of state institutions to support strong families while recognizing some diversity to the families that exist in contemporary society (some of which are a direct result of economic changes and how society has changed traditional arrangements to accommodate the labour force requirements of the new economy).

Recently, I watched a advertisement from the National Family Planning Board (NFPB) that got me thinking of how the "family control" narrative is serving to support the economic arrangement of neoliberal and capitalist economy. The NFPB in its advertisement, during a Jamaica Information Service broadcast, showed a cartoon of a pregnant lady surrounded by children with an audio clip about eradicating poverty by planning your family. For this, I must indicate that I am not aware of any empirical studies that suggest that the cause of poverty is directly related to the number of members in your family. In fact, a 2014 PoliticoFact check indicated that the claim that having children leads to poverty was false as there are many confounding factors.

That said, while there might be a correlation between the number of children one has and one's wealth (or poverty), there is little empirical evidence of direct causation. In addition, the very idea that one must sacrifice family size in order to acquire wealth is a hegemonic idea that supports the neoliberal economic regime and the values espoused by the capitalist class. To understand this, when we look at traditional and pre-capitalist societies and economies, the number of children one had and the size of the family were of importance to survival. When humans used to live in hunting-gathering societies or agrarian economies, the number of children and the extended family were of importance as a labour force and for community security/policing.

Today, the dominant narrative is that we must focus on individual careers and in getting the "good" life of the ownership of materials goods and the accumulation of wealth. To do this, the emphasis is on regulating the size of your family and controlling the number of offspring, so that you can have enough time to work and contribute to the accumulation of wealth and serve the need of the economic elite and ruling class.

Getting back to the NFPB, I see the institution as problematic because it primarily focuses on reproductive decisions. When I browse the website (http://jnfpb.org/) and even its ads about its services, the institution primarily focuses on the supporting reproductive decisions of Jamaicans (and in particular on contraception services). There is no focus on equipping parents with parenting skills or helping Jamaicans understand the various types of families and how to cope. I see no services that offer support in martial counselling and in making marital commitments. No services on counselling parents with marital problems or divorcees that are adjusting to conjugal dissolution. No services that offer counselling about coping as a single parent, or as a caregiver of aging parents or other problems of transitioning from a single individual into either a nuclear or extended family. The focus is only on reproductive control, despite the rhetoric in the ad about the NFPB being there to support stable Jamaican families.

So, let me now give some recommendations and not just end with critique:

• Either change the name of NFPB to reflect what it truly is (Jamaican Population Control Board) OR expand its mandate to truly support the viability and stability of the Jamaican family (or various types of families). 
• Expand the vision from just the focus on sexual reproduction. The current vision reads "All Jamaicans achieving optimal sexual health in an environment where their sexual rights are respected, protected and fulfilled." Is the vision really about stable Jamaican families OR to support Jamaicans and their sexual choices, preferences and appetites? As such, the current vision and the name of the institution are not aligned.
•  Advocate for policies and legislation that support and value Jamaicans caring for children and aged parents, as well as having healthy sex and controlling the timing of births. 

Reference:

Greenberg, J. (2014, Aug. 12). "Is having a kid a leading trigger for poverty?" PoliticoFact.com
Retrieved from http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/aug/12/moms-rising/having-kid-leading-trigger-poverty/

Jamaica National Family Planning Board (2016). "Vision & Mission" Jamaica National Family Planning Board. Retrieved from
http://jnfpb.org/about-us-2/mission-vission/

Is the Jamaican Church ready for the Millennial generation?

Greetings to my readers, brethren, and sistren,

The following post uses a new media that I am experimenting with in conveying a message that I have been deeply thinking about for the past couple weeks since the Jamaican election.

If you are unable to view the image, click this link for the Pinterest version Or this version of the Pinterest link.

Infographic on Jamaican Millennial Church

My 5 suggestions for improving the Jamaican Political Process

Traditionally, as a Christian believer, I have been ambivalent about the role that I should play in the political and electoral process of a country. My positions on the matter have fluctuated from non-participation to participating as a worker. In addition, I have also fluctuated in beliefs as to whether or not Christians should run for political office. However, my current position (which can change due to personal experience) is that participation in the political process is currently the only way to safeguard rights and freedoms gained from centuries where Christians were once the persecuted minority. Biblical precedents for participation in public and political sphere include public presentation to authorities by the apostles of not only what they believe, but also what they have experienced and witnessed. For example, Acts 5:17-32, contains a narrative of how the apostles were instructed to publicly declare their lifestyle in the public sphere. So if not to run for office, at best, the Christian should share his or her personal experiences in the public sphere with the intent of it impacting the authorities. Given this precedent, one of the ways that Christians can make a statement is to vote and perhaps testify of why they are voting and the personal experiences that lead to their voting.

Nonetheless, for this post, I will not go that far. Rather, I will limit my statement to five things that I feel will make Jamaica's electoral process better. All of these have come out of my experience and reflections of this 2016 Jamaican electoral process:

1. Mandatory electoral debates that are put on by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica that include third party candidates. This way, no party can opt out of being asked pertinent questions by the media and population. This will give us the people the opportunity to evaluate our leaders and political candidates by their performance in responding to questions and issues.
2. Separate the Member of Parliament (MP) vote from the vote for Prime Minister (PM). One may wish to reward his or her MP with another term for the good work done or, at least, the effort while at the same time may be disapproving of the PM's performance (or vice versa). Why are we forced to have one vote for two persons to represent us? 
3. Declaration of the financial contributions to each political party helps. Especially funding by the overseas or foreign donors and monied interest. 
4. Improve the enumeration process so that it is easy, quick and more efficient. For this, I recommend setting up an appointment system where persons wishing to be enumerated call and negotiate an appointed time. This way, the person arrives promptly at the scheduled time and does not have to wait, but is dealt with within 30 minutes. Clearly, the process must respect people's time so that busy professionals will be more willing to be enumerated.
5. Perhaps a bit idealistic? Air-conditioned shuttle bus transport to and from the polling stations on the day of the election? Especially for the poorer classes that do not have the fares or personal transport to visit the polling stations. Mark you, they can walk, but considering that they may have to stand in line to exercise their franchise in the warm Jamaican sun, we could lessen the time and sun exposure involved in the voting process.

Lessons as a Returning Resident to Jamaica

I had the eye-opening experience of returning to Jamaica as a returning resident after four years as an immigrant. After studying my PhD in Canada, my family and I acquired a lot of stuff, many of which we parted with, but others we sought to take back with us.

Our return to Jamaica our homeland was greeted by a money-grabbing system. Instead of the government granting us concessions to come back and help build the country with our acquired experience and knowledge, they made it clear through their institutionalized extortion practices that they do not really want us back. We had to pay for our two Canadian born children to get the right to Jamaican citizenship. Next, we had to pay a huge amount of money to the Jamaican Government to collect our used personal items and stuff (clothing) and a few toiletries and other personal care products, books, documents and stationery that we took back with us. Not to mention the one bed we bought and the other bed that a Canadian church brother gave us a mattress for.

This experience caused my firstborn to reflect and deliver a powerful insight into the injustice of our government custom taxation system. As my wise firstborn put it, paying custom and duties on stuff you return to your own country with is like: the government taking your stuff away from you and “selling them back to you. It isn't fair."


My firstborn is right. The injustice also includes double taxation. While paying for stuff in Canada, I already paid taxes, and any further customs and duties to bring them back with me amounts to paying taxes twice for the right to own or use stuff.

Worse, the system is set up for the ignorant to err and end up paying the dues. You are blamed for not doing your research and not checking the Website. The fault is on you to educate yourself. No brochure is given to persons leaving the island through the airport. 

I am so glad that the God that I serve does not operate like that, but permits us the freedom to use the stuff he created according to our own pleasure, while making us know his standards and expectations. He also institutes a system that if we err, he can erase our errors and remove the blame from being on us for our faults and errors. With Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement nigh, through this experience, I get to recognize how better God's systems are than extortionist national governments.

Mark you, my government is not entirely to be blamed. After all, it follows the extortionist and oppressive principles of the International Monetary Finance (distortion intended) system that lends money to national governments to make them indebted while advocating neo-liberal principles that do more harm than good.

It is the oppression by unjust governance and systems that enables one to appreciate the Kingdom of God. Governments and systems that want you to err and do not care if you err, in order to exact a penalty from you. Governments and systems that want you to pay for the right to use stuff that they did not create. Government and systems that want you to pay for human rights like the rights to live in a territory or call a geographic location home. Governments and systems that rent you stuff that they do not create themselves.

My advice to any Jamaican going overseas for a period of time is to document what you are taking with you out of the island and show/declare it to Jamaican Customs at the airport before you go. Finally, my advice to you all is to realize that the economic and political systems (the kingdoms) of this world will be supplanted by the kingdom that the prophet Daniel saw in his vision. Until then, apply for your citizenship in that kingdom before God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit stop issuing visas for it.

See below some relevant questions and answers that I copied from the Jamaica Customs Website:

Why am I charged duty on used clothing which my relatives send from abroad?

A) All items of clothing are dutiable, whether they are new or used. The duty charged is calculated on the total of the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value for the items. Rating: Views: 12725 Date Added: 2009-02-12 11:20:08 Category: Duties , General

Is it customary to charge duty on my personal items e.g. cameras and cellular phones, which I take with me on my trips abroad? A) Customs can charge duty on these items if they exceed your duty free allowance, and there is no proof that these items were in your possession on your outbound journey. One way of providing this proof is by declaring these items to Customs Duty office at the airport proir to departure of your flight.

A prophetic dream about marijuana cultivation?

On Barack Obama's visit to Jamaica, at a youth leadership event the President of the United States was asked about US policy regarding the decriminalization and legalization of ganja ("US president fields Rasta's question", 2015). Long before this event, I had an unusual dream that I only mentioned to my spouse at the time. However, I feel the time has come to make the dream known, especially since there is zeitgeist in support of the decriminalization and legalization of ganja in Jamaica.

In my dream, I boarded a truck in downtown Kingston, headed to the hills for market provision. Soon the truck arrived in the hill country of rural Jamaica, where ganja was being cultivated alongside necessary herbs and spices needed for culinary preparations. Yet, in the dream, it came to my consciousness that more ganja was being cultivated than food items as farmers felt that it was more profitable to grow marijuana than food crops. As such, food was scarce and ganja was abundant.

Reference

"US president fields Rasta’s question on legalising marijuana" (2015, Apr. 10) Malay Mail Online retrieved from http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/us-president-fields-rastas-question-on-legalising-marijuana

The Case for a Jamaican English or Patois Bible

The Jamaican Patois translation of the New Testament of the Holy Bible had its official launch in London recently at the Jamaican High Commission. In this post, I want to make a rare injunction into the debate, by making the case for the need for this Bible translation. This is in part motivated from an online discussion or debate on the subject that I had with my Facebook friends.

My point is basically that the God of the Bible wants his message to be given in every tongue, tribe and nation, and as such, Jamaican English or Patois (Patwah) is one such tongue that I do not think he would want to ignore. This is quite evident in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, that on the day of Pentecost, every member of the Jewish diaspora visiting Jerusalem could hear their dialect being spoken by the Jewish Galileans. God gave sound to every dialect that day, and the same God of yesterday would want to give his message in the Jamaican dialect today. In fact Apostle Paul states: "There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance" ( 1 Cor. 14:10).

For those Jamaicans who can read the Jamaican Patois Bible, I believe it can have a more local and personal impact than the King James English. Already, I know that Jamaican pastors and Evangelists preach in Jamaican patois. So why not also read the word in patois as well as preach in patois? Especially if pastors and evangelists during their sermons need to preach the word so that the common and poor man can understand. As the Bible says, Jesus came to preach to the poor, not the well educated and rich (Luke 4:18). So having a bilingual sermon that both preaches and reads the word in the language that the common man can understand, enables them to receive the message. It seems hypocritical that we can have the pastor preach bilingually in patois and English, yet have the Bible verse read only in English. Why not do both conducting the service fully bilingually?

Next up, we need to do the hymns. As the apostle says, sing but sing with understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15). In addition, he said that he would rather preach a short sermon that everyone can understand, than speak in different languages/tongues (1 Corinthians 14:19). Hopefully, even more Jamaicans will be interested in reading the Bible in their own language. And hopefully, they study both English versions and Jamaican English versions.

Wrecking the national dollar

I am now more convinced than ever that there is a global elite that is orchestrating the current global financial meltdown in order to advance the new global economic, political, social and religious order.


Jamaica is about to produce and issue a $5000 note. A Jamaica Observer article entitled "BOJ to issue $5,000 bank note" reports that the governor of the Bank of Jamaica will "officially launch the new bank note on Monday at the central bank in downtown Kingston". This is just the beginning of sorrows. This move means that our dollar is losing its value. I am not an economic expert. However, the article in the Jamaica Gleaner, entitled "Jamaica Welcomes the Shearer", in support of my perspective states that:

Normally, central banks feel compelled to issue higher value notes when their economies are wracked by inflation and it requires more and more to make purchases.

However, the article goes on to state that this is not the case (really now! could have fooled me!). It goes to report that the dollar is being pushed as a means of celebrating the former politician and foreign affairs minister.

In addition, the newspaper's article title is so misleading. The article title states "Jamaica welcomes" the new dollar. Far be it from us. Everywhere I hear Jamaicans talking with worry over this new currency. We know as Jamaicans that this new dollar does not signal any good news. We know that what is coming is the devaluation of our dollar.


I recently read a new report on the Council of Foreign Relations website, which highlights what I believe is going to happen to Jamaica. According to the author, Steil, it is recommended that for small national states to survive the global financial crisis, they need to give up their sovereign dollar and substitute it with a universal currency - US or Euro. In Steil's own words:

"[One] option is for countries, particularly smaller ones, to self-insure against currency crises by replacing their national currencies with one of the two globally accepted means of international payment, the dollar or the euro. ...Countries that are dollarized...and euroized have in the current crisis been spared the devastation of mass capital flight. Countries on the periphery of the eurozone...have suffered far more from the global financial upheaval than their euroized neighbors."

This is what the global elite wants to see; all nations giving up their sovereignty so that they can have their global order established. I am quite certain that our global financial crisis is artificial - created by the secret ruling elite, who wants to force nations to give up their sovereignty. Jamaica is heading towards economic bankruptcy, to be bailed out only if it joins this new global order.

If the picture of the person on the new Jamaican $5000 dollar is any clue. According to a biographic search I did on "Shearer, Hugh" on the National Library of Jamaica's Website, Shearer was an advocate of Jamaica being involved in a universal and international political and social union. The article states:

On the international scene, Mr. Shearer in 1963 initiated the movement in the United Nations for declaring 1968 as “The International Year of Human Rights” celebrated worldwide.

Hold fast brethren, til Messiah comes! Do not love wealth, but recognise that you survival does not depend on the money you own or that is in the bank or even in your insurance schemes. Your survival depends on the Word of G-d.


References:

"BOJ to issue $5,000 bank note" Jamaica Observer Friday, May 15, 2009. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20090514T220000-0500_151485_OBS_BOJ_TO_ISSUE________BANK_NOTE.asp

"Jamaica welcomes the Shearer - New $5,000 note named after the late PM" Jamaica Gleaner. May 15, 2009. http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090515/lead/lead6.html

"Shearer, Hugh" National Library of Jamaica 2007. http://www.nlj.org.jm/biographies.htm#shearer

Steil, Benn. Lessons of the Financial Crisis (Council Special Report No. 45), New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2009. http://www.cfr.org/publication/18753/

Jamaica is a Pagan Nation

When I was growing up, I believed that Jamaica was a Christian nation. All the wealthiest persons in Jamaican society and the people who were established seemed to be Christians or at least attend church services on Sunday.

I saw the Anglican Church as Jamaica's official church, noting that many schools were operated by the Anglican diocese. I attended Anglican preparatory and then high school, so you cannot blame me for coming to that conclusion.

I even believe that when I attended university, that even university had a Anglican chapel.

My awakening to the paganised Jamaican society came in my adult life. Attending the local university definitely exposed me to the pagan aspects that coexisted with the Christian ethic that guided the nation. I encountered:

• a Satanist attending one of my class
• secular lecturers
  
• Anti-Christian lecturers
• Sexual promiscuous class mates who were unbelievers and who questioned the Church and Christian ideals.

However, my eyes have been fully open now to the pagan elements that dominate the people of Jamaica.

Just walk on the street on a Sabbath (Saturday) or Sunday - the two days when people are to be in church. On the streets, you see people selling, idling, gambling and smoking, with no regard for G-d.

Tattoos, Shirts with skulls, shoes with skulls, belts with skulls, Posters with girls in skimpy clothing, girls on the street with skimpy clothing, men with cigars and ganga, men playing dominoes, loud objectionable music playing, bars with men and women, men and women in betting lines (for LOTTO tickets, horse betting and others).

This is what I see when I walk through Jamaica, on a day of worship (Saturday or Sunday). (More prevalent on the Saturday than the Sunday, as more church goers are seen on a Sunday and less selling and commerce on Sunday.)

It grieves my spirit to see that people just live without regularly attending church services, and in enjoying pleasures of sin, transgression and iniquity. I believe there are more bars/pubs in Jamaica than churches. There are also so many persons gambling.

While we have much religious freedom in this country, we also have much moral ills in the society. The ordinary man on the street is pagan and secular.

Pray for this nation.