By Cameron Vaughn in New York 

Wilfred Rattigan called on Jamaicans living in the Diaspora to converge on New York and protest about the failed state that is Jamaica under the Andrew Holness-led Jamaica Labour Party administration.

And so they did, in the rain and dank weather-all 300 of them, highlighting Jamaica’s shortcomings, instances of gross corruption and taking issue with the Prime Minister’s tenure.

It was said that thousands would descend on New York and that their dissenting voices would be heard all the way in Jamaica.

In the end, it was underwhelming, with a few elderly people trying to get the most out of their tired voiceboxes, putting on a show before the cameras.

So what was this protest all about?

“This is not a disappointing showing. Jamaicans came out in the rain to make their voices heard. We are not here today to specifically get rid of Andrew Holness, his wife, and this government. We are here demanding better for the country. Jamaicans need better amenities, better hospitals and better roads. This government has been in power for eight years and nothing has been accomplished. Can you tell me three things that it has done that has distinctly improved Jamaica? What progress has the country made?

Ralston Dyce, a former sanitation manager at the Smithsonian Institution, barked these staccato questions at the Our Today reporter.

“Well what about the Government not levying taxes on the people, more jobs, fantastic highways, greater prosperity for all? It is said that Jamaica has the greatest Prime Minister and Minister of Finance serving together in Jamaica’s history, surely that is something to be proud of?

The gathering crowd listening in on the interview began getting agitated.

“This Government enriched itself and has left Jamaicans to suffer. Awarding yourself a 250 per cent salary increase where most people have to make do on J$15,000 a week, which comes to US$97 a week, is despicable, it is unconscionable. There is no hope for the young people in Jamaica. Working in a BPO or serving drinks to tourists at a hotel is not meaningful work that will carry you far. When Andrew Holness talks about ‘prosperity’ with him big nose and big grin, he means for him and his friends -not for ordinary Jamaicans,” said Dwayne Firth, an electrical engineer who has been living in Charlottesville for 25 years.

“But there’s no need to be personal and nasty. Unemployment is down to just four per cent and Jamaicans enjoy the third-highest pay in the Caribbean. You have to remember Jamaica is coming out of COVID which cost the government three fiscal years. The government did a very good job of managing that existential crisis and you do not give it credit for that.”

A young man going under the alias “Roger Rabbit” shot back: “You forget the JLP allowed its friends to hold parties in Jamaica and the virus spread like wildfire because of that stupidity. Again another case of we Jamaicans suffering for the few. That is why we are here today. Nah Floyd Green that say “No Movement Day” while drinking Hennessy and champagne. You don’t remember that?”

Wilfred Rattigan, the main protagonist here and a former FBI operative, is mobilising and stirring up the Diaspora. Many of his associates dismiss the notion that the Diaspora should not intervene in the affairs of the state in Jamaica. They counter that Jamaicans in the Diaspora keep the country afloat with remittances and magnanimity by looking after those back home. Without their contributions and ‘barrels’, Jamaica would surely collapse into economic and financial disarray. 

There are those in the JLP administration who dismiss Rattigan as being bitter as he was not chosen to become police commissioner of the JCF. He has an axe to grind and is determined to bring Holness and his Government down, they contend.

Is this about retribution and vengeance ? 

“Nah man, wha’ you talkin’ ’bout? Rattigan and Wayne Lonesome are making Jamaicans aware about what is going on. They are all about facts and the fact is this government is failing the country. How can you be a Prime Minister and you cannot make public your statutory declarations? How is it that you have worked your entire life as a public servant yet you turn multi-millionaire-US? What is your source of income? Mark Golding has declared his assets and his income yet the Prime Minister has not done so for years. Don’t you find that disturbing? Is that not unbecoming of the leader of the country? Is that an example to set for the people of Jamaica?  Wayne Lonesome is the best broadcaster on Jamaican current affairs, he keeps it real-no BS,” said Joseph Francis, a Kingstonian who flew in to join the protest.

His wife, Joy-Ann says the next demonstration will take place in Toronto and will be even bigger and more organised, with screens outlining this government’s failures and unkept promises.

“Crime in Jamaica is unacceptable. The States of Emergencies are clearly not working and are just a band-aid to a serious problem. Most Jamaicans are illiterate and uneducated, the education system has failed Jamaicans and it churns out dunces. You have kids being seriously violent in the schools and even teachers fear for their safety. Watch the Dionne Jackson show (All Angles) on Jamaican schools and violence. The Government has no answers. It talks about STEM -it has to stem the terrible education failures, the horrible healthcare Jamaicans are presented with, and the high murder rate. Listen to me, even America talk about it. It tells its people [not to] come to Jamaica because you can get killed there, the hospitals are of poor standard and if you get sick you will probably die because they don’t have supplies and what is required. Even America says Jamaica is corrupt and it is of concern. We want Jamaica to do better. We want the best for our people. We want better living conditions, a better justice system. We are tired of the corruption,” she added.

Our reporter rebutted: “But when you go around Jamaica the progress is evident. You have apartment buildings like New York, London [and] Toronto. BMWs and Porsches are everywhere, young ladies with their Louis Vuitton bags who say they want men with money show fabulous lives on Instagram. The banks say their mortgage book business is booming, construction is everywhere and that sector is on the up. The economy is doing great and the Minister of Finance has drastically reduced the debt-to-GDP ratio—something many countries can’t accomplish. That is significant.”

“He reduced the debt but people still ah suffer. What you just said there is a fantasy. Inflation is killing Jamaicans. Prices in the supermarkets are too high, people stop going there because they can’t afford it. The government promised affordable housing. Where is it? Yet another lie. Young people can’t get on the property ladder. Now you understand why we are out here in the rain, trying to save the country that we love.”

“I for one think it is time to get rid of this government and bring in Mark Golding. I think he will do a better job and will not be brazenly corrupt and enrich himself like what we are seeing now. It’s time Jamaica went in a different direction,” shouted an angry Brian Combs, who says he lives in the Bronx.

The crowd started to come to life, it began to protest in one voice becoming more emboldened. No one pointed to any redeeming aspect of Andrew Holness and his government. Neither do they want to give him the benefit of the doubt nor were they prepared to give him an opportunity to turn things around and usher in better times for Jamaica.

An elegant lady in her seventies with short coiffured grey hair tugged at the elbow of the Our Today reporter then said in his ear, “Why do you think so many people want to leave Jamaica.? If it is such a good country with prospects and will be a developed country in six years, why do its people want to leave? Why are so many people applying for US visas and looking to go somewhere else to live far better lives? You want to know why so many people are rejected for US visas? Because the US immigration people know many will abuse the terms and not return like they are supposed to. Our people want to get out of the horror that is Jamaica—for real. Listen to me, these protests will get bigger and bigger. The people in the Diaspora will lead Jamaica into a better future.”

Speaking to supporters of the Andrew Holness-led Government, they say that Rattigan and his protests are being supported by the Opposition and media operatives working at the behest of the PNP.

Some argue this is a storm that will blow itself out and that the Government has to remain resolute and stick to its agenda, it cannot lose heart now. Yes, the tide may be turning but it can be turned back. Too many people are ungrateful for what Andrew Holness has done for Jamaica.

Only four years ago, Andrew Holness was voted in with an overwhelming majority as the man to lead Jamaica into a new dawn. He intrinsically understood his people, he was one of them from a humble Spanish Town family. He had broken the back of the PNP and left in in disarray, condemning it to a generation in the wilderness, where it would be racked by infighting with Lisa Hanna waiting in the wings to revive what was once the greatest political party of the English-speaking Caribbean. He was Eddie Saga’s heir apparent, chosen to lead the JLP to glory.

So how could the wheels come off so quickly? What missteps were made and can they be rectified? There is still time but Holness must see to it that he and his team suit up and take the battle seriously. Yesterday’s victories count for nothing. There’s all to play for.

Hunched in an oversized raincoat with an umbrella ‘dancing’ in her left hand, wisps of hair under her baseball cap acting like windshield wipers on her forehead, Nurse Doreen Gill of Lenox Hill Hospital was handed the microphone.

“Jamaicans pay their taxes but what do they get?  A shoddy police force which has lost the battle against crime, poor hospitals, roads in bad condition, one of the highest electricity prices in the world, and horrendous schools with pit toilets in the 21st century. The pervasiveness of dancehall culture whose criminal stars are national icons, a weak and ineffective justice system, rampant corruption, poor governance. When do you want me to stop?  Isn’t that Jamaica today? Is this what our people are prepared to endure? Is this the future we want for our children? Does the prime minister really believe Jamaica is a country where you can live a good life and prosper? Really?”