MI HAFFI DID WRITE DAH BLOG HERE IN RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE. HAFFI!
‘Be more adventurous, PM urges youth’. (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Be-more-adventurous--PM-urges-youth_9310326)
The piece, which was attributed to the Jamaica Information Service, had me almost in stiches!
In the article, Mr Golding is said to be appealing to young Jamaicans to do everything possible to keep hope alive amongst ourselves. It was there that I realised that the Prime Minister must be living in a blissful alternate universe.
As a young Jamaican, I can say without fear of contradiction, that my generation is doing its best to keep hope alive – but we do so in a seemingly never-ending cycle filled with gargoyle guardians of the past pointing us away from opportunities and into despair.
At 21, I can proudly say I own and run my own company and can further say that the Government has no interest in helping my business grow. In fact, I once called the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to find out about small business loans, and when it was revealed that my firm is a marketing and public relations firm and not a business to do with manufacturing or agriculture – I was swiftly referred to a raft of credit unions and told that the Ministry does not deal with “small businesses like that”.
The fact of the matter is unless you can offer this government some sort of trophy success story for the skills centres or the field of agriculture or manufacturing; you are of no interest to them. Unless you’re leaning towards becoming a farmer, dressmaker or carpenter – forget about any meaningful assistance from them in your entrepreneurial pursuits. I am certainly not bashing these professions, however people – and young people are no different – must work in fields (no pun intended) that suit them, and manufacturing and agriculture is not for everyone.
Commercial Banks only need to see your age on identification, before they tell you to come back in a few years. Meanwhile, they shell out big bucks for bankrupt hotel projects that end up in receivership. You can have the most solid business plan and fantastic ideas, the loans officers will advise you to come back with your ideas when you’re a little more “seasoned in age”.
The reality of the situation is, Mr Golding, ‘adventurous youth’ rarely get anywhere. Youth in general are stuck in limbo, holding the blade of a very sharp sword while the old guards of our professions and the gatekeepers of assistance continue to look at our AGE first and use that number to judge our ABILITIES.
Mr Golding, I urge you to urge your own ministries and more members of your own generation to be more adventurous and embrace the endless possibilities that lie within us young Jamaicans. Because, as resilient as we are as young people, we can’t keep the little hope we have alive for much longer.
Best regards,
Brandon ‘hands sliced from holding the blade’ Allwood
