Cedric Wilson, Contributor
THE JAMAICAN'S attitude towards migration is interesting, if not at times contradictory: Because he loves Jamaica he must leave it. And although "nowhere is better than yard" he still yearns to live abroad.
Yet, when he speaks of going abroad it is hardly ever in reference to Barbados, Trinidad, Grenada or any of the other islands in the Caribbean. For the Jamaican, going abroad has a precise meaning - that is travelling either to the U.S.A., Canada or the U.K. In the event he is travelling to any other destination, he calls the place by the name.
Over the last 25 years, more than half a million Jamaicans have migrated to the U.S.A., Canada and the U.K. In the Greater Toronto Area in Canada, 3.2 per cent of the population, roughly 150,000 people, are Jamaicans by birth. In the city of New York where 36 per cent of the population are immigrants, Jamaicans account for the third largest group of new arrivals behind the Dominican Republic and China. Six per cent of the immigrant population in New York are Jamaicans. There are communities of Jamaicans to be found in virtually every major city in the world - never shy, never hesitant to declare where they are from, whether by their words or their deeds; by their music or their spicy food; by their brilliance or their badness, that they are from the rock. The Jamaican may change his accent but seldom trades his soul. Forever dreaming, although he may never do so, to return home permanently.
MIGRATION PEAK
Mainstream migration peaked in 1987 at 27,790, of which nearly 80 per cent ended up in the U.S. Since then, it has been trending downwards at an annual rate of approximately three per cent. To a large extent, the decline in the migration is largely explained by changes in the U.S. immigration policy. First, there was the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which put a damper on the flow. Next, the Immigration Act of 1990 was introduced. It assigns an annual quota of 175,000 immigrants into the U.S.
Migration over the last quarter century, in large measure, has been driven by economic factors. However, in recent times, it may be argued that the reality of an increasing crime rate is influencing a growing number of people to migrate. The Jamaican economy has never been able to absorb either its skilled or unskilled labour force. Double-digit unemployment levels have been a feature of the economic landscape, some people suggest, since the end of slavery. Hence, the quest for higher incomes and a better quality of life has caused Jamaicans to move to other lands. However, the Jamaican diaspora is a special because of its unusual close ties to home.
The strength of the Jamaican connection is evident in three ways. Firstly, the Jamaican diaspora sends a significant portion of its earnings back home. Remittance is now over US$1.2 billion annually and it has in recent times surpassed the foreign exchange earning from tourism. Had it not been for the inflows of remittance, it is very likely the Jamaican currency would have now depreciated well beyond the J$100:US$1 mark.
Secondly, the Jamaicans abroad communicate at very high frequencies with their families and friends at home. There are statistics that suggest that the volume of incoming telephone calls from the U.S. to Jamaica on a per capita basis - i.e. based on the size of the population - is among the highest, if not the highest in the world.
OVERSEAS RESIDENTS' RESPONSE TO CRISIS
Thirdly, the response of Jamaicans overseas whenever a crisis occurs at home. Years ago, in a lecture series entitled 'Rethinking Development' at the University of the West Indies, Professor Norman Girvan gave a classic example of this:
"When 'Gilbert' hit Jamaica (September 12, 1988), I happened to be in a small town in the state of New Jersey. By the morning of Tuesday, September 13, there were reports in the media of Jamaican groups all over New Jersey and New York which sprung up literally overnight, to collect money and supplies for the victims of the hurricane at home. By the end of the week, not enough planes could be found to ferry these supplies to Jamaica."
Indeed, it is in times, crises that the true character of a people is expressed.
While the matter of remitting income, frequent communication and showing empathy in times of crises is not unique to Jamaicans, the sheer strength and intensity of the Jamaican connection is remarkable.
Professor Girvan, in the same lecture, went beyond his Hurricane Gilbert sketch and asked the question whether an economy should be confined to the concept of a nation state, or if it should be defined in terms of "the element of psycho-cultural identification, and the existence of a network of mutually supportive reciprocal relationships." In other words, the Jamaican economy, he argued, is anywhere in the world Jamaicans are with a vital connection to home. Certainly, at a metaphysical level it is easy to identify with Professor Girvan's idea, but at the more practical level of national income accounting for that would present enormous challenge from the perspective of design and acceptance. Nevertheless, the notion that Jamaica is far bigger than an island is a powerful one.
Ireland, over the last 10 to 15 years, has been dubbed the Celtic tiger. This is because of the high, sustained level of growth the island-economy has shown. It is interesting to note that in this respect, the country has benefited considerably from the expertise, skills and assets of returning residents. Success attracts success, the Irish diaspora responded after the economy in Ireland picked up. It may, therefore, be argued that if violent crimes are brought under control and the economy can show growth of around three per cent for five years, there is sufficient commitment and assets by the Jamaican diaspora to propel the economy to unprecedented levels of growth. Indeed, with a little imagination, the correct mix of policy and an unswerving commitment to the country's development, Jamaica could be within one decade of becoming the tiger of the Caribbean.
Cedric Wilson is an economics consultant who specialises in market regulations. Send your comments to: conoswil@hotmail.com.
