The Caribbean has encountered a great deal of mistrust and intolerance over the past years in many shapes and forms. Over the past five (5) years Jamaica has taken center stage with the performance of the famous “Lottery Scamming”. The US embassy in Jamaica has issued a public announcement asking US citizens to be aware:
“The American Citizen Services section in Kingston receives frequent inquiries from citizens who have been defrauded for hundreds and even thousands of dollars by Advance Fee Fraud scammers in Jamaica. The most prevalent in Jamaica is the lottery scam, where scammers lead victims to believe they have won a drawing or lottery, but the cash or prizes will not be released without upfront payment of fees or taxes. Do NOT believe any offers (lottery, prize claim, inheritance, etc.) that require a fee to be paid up front. Do NOT provide personal or financial information to individuals or businesses you don’t know or haven’t verified. Do NOT send any money to someone you do not know. Do NOT attempt to recover funds personally or travel to Jamaica to transfer money.”
This level of crime is said to have stemmed from years of slavery that originated during the Trans Atlantic slave trade. Most Jamaicans and Caribbean citizens have defended this method of crime as a form of reparation. In 2012 the popular dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel, released a track called “Reparation” that argued the crime was a form of payback for the damage done by colonial rule. With song lyrics “Nuh rob Jamaican, don’t buy gun fi kill man, Foreign exchange is good fi di country,” he sang. “Dem call it scam, Mi call it reparation.”
Scamming has affected the Caribbean negatively and the tourism sector has suffered greatly. Over the years tourists have been urged to stay clear of the island. On Jan. 18, 2019 Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a state of emergency in Montego Bay and surrounding St. James Parish. Hotels, restaurants, schools and government went on lockdown, with residents and tourists warned to “remain in their resorts” as police and military flooded the streets. With this high intolerance of crime that surface the caribbean was deemed as being unsafe for many travelers due to robbery, scam and murder.
The caribbean Government itself have also cause an impact the level of mistrust that have stem from the caibbean over the years and not just its citizens. Every government has a duty to seek to create and maintain public trust. The foundational element of public and international trust revolves around the expectations that the Government will act in the best interest of the country. According to an article published by the Jamaica Observer “ When a Government acts in ways that are not in the best interest of the country, that important glue disappears and public apathy emerges and mistrust reigns.
But all is far from lost. The crisis, which lies at the root of the scamming and crime, can be addressed. The economy can be put on a sounder footing. New leadership can emerge. The country has an extremely vibrant set of civil society organizations, including a vigorous and effective free press. The people of he caribbean have come a long way from the early days of slavery, we have come together as one and this too shall past with trust to be regain.
-Ieasher Chambers
Intolerance. Mistrust. The Caribbean. 