Jamaica one of the best place on earth, says ex-Colombian soldier

WESTERN BUREAU:

Mauricio Pulido, the chief executive officer of GB Energy (Texaco) Jamaica, says that despite the present crime wave, Jamaica should not be forsaken, as, from his experience living here, it is still one of the best places on earth to live.

According to Pulido, who was a soldier in the Colombian Army Reserves Infantry Division, as a non-national, he feels safe in Jamaica, as unlike some countries, there is no full-scale warfare and the majority of Jamaicans are kind and helpful. He was speaking at Sunday's East Central St James Education and Welfare Council's Annual GSAT Awards Ceremony in Montego Bay.

"So, in essence, we want to appreciate all the best going forward. You live in a paradise; Jamaica is paradise," Pulido told the audience.

"The security situation that you are now in, yes, it is terrible. It is something that needs to be addressed fast. It needs to be addressed fast and the Government is making every effort to solve it, and is going to fix it soon.

"It is not like tourists are walking down the road and getting shot," said Pulido.

"Look at it, Jamaican people around the island are kind ... nothing will happen to you. You can go all around the island in your car and nothing will happen to you. The worst thing that could happen is you may have a flat tyre, and the man out of the bush comes out, helps you fix it; you give him some money, and you go."

Pulido said Jamaica's tourism will continue to boom, especially due to upheavals in other major tourism destinations in the Eastern Hemisphere.

"So you don't have kidnappings; you don't have beheadings; you don't have rockets coming through out of the sky; you are not in a war. You don't have guerrillas. You have a lot of things. Jamaica is beautiful," said Pulido.

MAJOR SHORTCOMING

"More tourists are coming to Jamaica, especially with the situation with ISIS in Europe and everything. So there are really good people here."

According to Pulido, the one major shortcoming he sees in Jamaica is the failure to execute plans.

"In Jamaica, we have a problem. We have the most beautiful studies of everything and no execution at all. Ninety-nine per cent study and one per cent execution. We need to change that significantly. It needs to be one per cent study and 99 per cent execution," noted Pulido.