Diaspora’s Christmas wishes for homeland
Published:Sunday | December 20, 2020 | 12:24 AMKaryl Walker - Sunday Gleaner Writer
It has been a year like no other for many Jamaicans at home and abroad as a deadly pandemic swept the globe, disrupting travel and keeping families apart as it crippled economies and racked up a staggering death toll.
Though the pandemic has put a damper on the usual Christmas celebrations and reduced income streams have scuttled plans to travel home for the holidays, the land of their birth remains close at heart to Jamaicans in the diaspora.
Chief on their wish list for the island this year are improved access to quality healthcare and a reduction in crime and violence.
Keith Lindsay is a client adviser at Rallye BMW in New York and regularly visits his homeland.
Like others, Lindsay would love to retire in Jamaica, but is apprehensive due to the high incidence of murder and property crimes.
“We wish for crime to be controlled to a point where people in the diaspora actually feel safe about returning home. Many would love to retire in Jamaica and crime is a major deterrent. We wish Jamaica could give itself the best Christmas present by containing that monster,” Lindsay told The Sunday Gleaner.
Lindsay also wished that the Government would improve public healthcare in the island.
‘SCARED TO COME HOME’
New Jersey resident Claudette Ramsay, who complained that her daughter was the subject of an armed robbery which took place in the crowded Half-Way Tree square in St Andrew last week, also wished Jamaica would beat back criminality.
“A man just approached her and pointed a gun at her. He demanded her phone and handbag, which contained her personal documents and about $100,000, and walked off calmly. This while vendors and other members of the public looked on,” Ramsay said.
“The police were nearby, but by the time they were alerted, the thief had mingled into the thick crowd and was nowhere in sight. We love our country, but things are not improving and we are scared to come home. Have a merry Christmas, Jamaica, but control the crime,” she added.
Despite efforts by the police and army to boost security presence and operations across the island in the Yuletide season, there are daily reports of murders and robberies.
The gun has been the implement of choice to commit the majority of murders, and for CEO of HVAC Coatings and Services in New York, Phillip Pennant, the best present Jamaicans could receive is a greater effort to bring the major players in the illegal guns and ammunition trade to book.
“My wish for Jamaica this Christmas is for the security forces to place more focus on illegal guns sales. Gunrunners are the true enemies of the State and should be targeted irrespective of who they are in society,” Pennant told The Sunday Gleaner.
YEAR OF REFLECTION
Despite all the social and economic woes that beset Jamaica, JN Bank chief representative in the US, Janice McIntosh, is grateful that things have not taken a turn for the worse.
“[This year] started out with a huge disruption in our lives due to the pandemic. However, through it all, we were forced to stop and rethink our very existence. It made us spend quality time with our families and connect virtually with friends and loved ones we had not included in our lives for years. Thankfully, through it all, it made us appreciate the gift of life and health. This season, I wish for all Jamaicans near and far a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and hope-filled New Year,” McIntosh said.
Kofi Tafari, a registered nurse in the Cayman Islands, expressed disappointment at not being able to spend the holidays with his loved ones at home, but was hopeful that things would look up for the new year.
“This year, the Grinch – COVID – has dampened the spirits of thousands of families, but with inventive ways, we must find ways to celebrate,” he said.
“While you revel and celebrate, I want to implore that you do so with safety at the forefront of your mind. My wish for everyone is a safe and peaceful Christmas,” is Tafari’s message to his countrymen.