Businessman Omar Azan is one of those movers and shakers who, when he speaks, commands considerable attention and respect, under normal circumstances.

I guess that we are not in the ‘normal circumstances’ stage in this country now, for there has not been the kind of widescale reaction to recent utterances by one of the stronger voices of industry, who issued a clear warning to all those who have the time to listen.

Azan, not a member of the progressive tribe of Jamaica by any means, and from one of the 20-odd families which owned 95 per cent of Jamaica’s private properties and business entities long ago, spoke out with energy in respect of what has been happening in Jamaica in recent years, and how the administration led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been taking the island down the wrong economic and social path, that only the Government and its loyalists cannot see.

For a man like the CEO of Boss Furniture to say that the Jamaican economy is in its worst state ever, it has to be the hard cold truth. The words are those of a man who is obviously fed up with the foolishness that is going on and wants critical matters to be addressed.

According to him, the Government had better call the election now before the balloon “bursts”. I had to stop and in one movement, placed my fingers in my ears and went into cleaning mode. Was I hearing right? Was this Richard Azan, the People’s National Party representative for Clarendon North Western, or Omar Azan, the top-notch entrepreneur?

Omar Azan’s call for the nation to look at the number of hungry people who are struggling, and the revelation that there are businesses that are finding it hard to keep their doors open, was quite telling. He also bemoaned the fact that banks operating in Jamaica were not lowering interest rates, thus stifling manufacturing, adding that the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) was taking too long to reduce its benchmark rate, which it had increased earlier, in a bid to control inflation. Meanwhile, he said, businesses and commerce continued to struggle due to high interest rates.

Although he has come under fire from overzealous ministers and their supporters, Azan spoke his mind in an unbiased way. We need more of that from our business leaders, starting with Metry Seaga, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), who continues to speak in glowing terms about what is happening in Jamaica, economically.

Seaga found himself spitting out so much rubbish that he continues to voice that there was nothing wrong with the appointment of Dennis Chung as chief technical director of the Financial Investigations Division (FID) of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, as he was qualified for the job, among other pieces of trash.

Seaga should know that the matter has nothing to do with Chung’s qualifications, although that could be questioned, but with his position on Holness’s fight with the Integrity Commission and his view about the number of bank accounts that the prime minister has, thus making his appointment untenable. 

How can Chung preside over a matter that involves the prime minister when he has demonstrated clear bias where that matter is concerned? It’s like a judge hearing the case that involves an accused man whom he has always hailed as a paragon of virtue, and someone he drinks and plays dominoes with every Tuesday and Thursday.

Seaga’s love for Jamaica must be questioned. Azan’s love for his country must not. 

Tanny Shirley was out of order

Does Littleton ‘Tanny’ Shirley, chairman of the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ), think that playing politics is all that he can do to make himself look relevant?

The matter of the Morant Bay Urban Centre, which, like a pod of ackee, was forced open last month, raised issues about what the rush was all about in a bid to get people to believe that something impressive had come to fruition, finally.

When Prime Minister Andrew Holness cut the ribbon to ‘open’ the centre, there was hope that at long last the commercial wheel had received its licence to start producing at once. Not so. While those responsible should be commended for taking the project to the stage that it has reached, there was no need to summon people to the location when it is so far from completion.

In fact, when you invite visitors to an unfinished building, you stand the chance of exposing those visitors to danger and harm, as there may be items lying around which may pop up or down at inconvenient times during a tour or opening.  You also do not paint the correct picture, as with items missing, the best story is never told and visitors may leave the site with the wrong impression.

So, when Shirley slapped critics that they lack knowledge in commercial development, and argued that it was normal to open projects three months before they are completed, and proceeds to last anyone who criticises the move, he is talking bull shaving cream. He really needs to admit that it was all about politics … about boosting the fading image of a prime minister who is leading an administration that is taking Jamaica nowhere, apart from further up the ladder of corruption.

Rushing things in St Thomas may not even result in the kind of political results that the incumbent administration is seeking. The horror stories from the mad push to open the Southern Coastal Highway that connects the parish to St Andrew, are vivid in the minds of many. Sections of the road remain in the lane of disgrace. 

But some people will never learn.

Kishane Thompson is learning fast

Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson, at last, ran his best (ever) race last Saturday (June 7), hitting the line first in the men’s 100 metres at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium. The time of 9.88 seconds was not his fastest recorded, but the race was the best executed that I have seen. He got off to a fine start, and eased up only when he had passed the finish line. That’s how it should be.

If we can go back to the final of the 100 metres at the Olympic Games in Paris, France in 2024, Thompson lost to American star Noah Lyles by five-thousandths of a second, all because the winner’s experience pulled him through. Before that race, Thompson had become accustomed to ‘shutting it down’ between 80 and 90 metres into the race. It is that practice that pushed him to lose to Lyles, for by the time he decided to abandon his habit of slowing down, it was too late, far too embedded in his system, and Lyles took advantage of that inexperience. 

I outlined the same scenario to a few friends of mine before the race, and they almost declared me persona non grata from the club that we frequent, but came around in time to buy me a drink.

Thompson looks good now though.

Where is West Indies cricket going?

Wow! Where is Cricket West Indies taking the favourite game of some of us?

The men’s and women’s teams in England have performed dismally, yet those in charge will always tell you that there are ‘positives’ to take away from any match that is lost. When will there be a mature approach to managing West Indies cricket, so that those same positives can result in victory? People will come with the argument that winning is not everything. But guess what? Winning is the only thing.

Cricket West Indies’ blue-eyed boy Daren Sammy has his hands full if he thinks that with his limited coaching skills and always wanting to micromanage, he can achieve a decent percentage of success across all three formats – Test, One-Day International and T20. 

As for the women’s team, not one match did they win, which leads to squad selection. How, for example, could a squad have gone to England and leave out the in-form fast bowling allrounder, Chinelle Henry, coming off a century in the regional competition, and a good harvest of wickets?

Strangely, those picking the squad included veteran Stafanie Taylor, who even Stevie Wonder can see is way past her best and is unable to contribute to the team in any tangible way. That’s why the results are the way they are.

Persisting with Australian Shane Deitz as coach is becoming more and more alarming. But, as usual, Cricket West Indies remains in a slumber.