Lyn An address by Thalia Lyn to the Rotary Club of Kingston
Thalia Lyn has carved out a reputation as one of the country's leading businesswomen with her Island Grill chain of restaurants. She passionately believes that Jamaica can again attain its premier status as the leader of the Caribbean in terms of its economy, the arts and culture and tourism. Here is a speech made to the Rotary Club where she outlines themes that will return Jamaica to pre-eminence.
We can agree, whatever your political persuasion may be, that a better future for all Jamaicans is what we most desire.
The country is plagued by rampant crime, mired in debt with a stagnant economy, and a high illiteracy rate. We can hardly be deemed leaders of the Caribbean in areas that are considered commendable. But this was not always the case and there are many of us in this room that can recall a kinder Jamaica, where courtesy and pride were the order of the day. Back then the aphorism "proud to be a Jamaican" was something we could all say wherever we found ourselves in the world.
Being the eternal optimist that I am, I am of the opinion that Jamaica's best is ahead of it and that with our indomitable will, and renowned creativity, we can formulate a better Jamaica both for ourselves and our children based on tenets that, to be honest, are not new but have governed civilised societies for years, - I speak of respect for the citizen's rights, a moral structure, law and order, reward for one's efforts, thrift, upholding and maintaining the family, and looking to a better future.
We can no longer simply look to the Government of the day to solve all our woes, instead let us look to ourselves. I can remember a young, handsome Jack Kennedy becoming the President of the United States and in his inaugural address to the nation telling all Americans, "And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Mind you, I believed that JFK borrowed the line from the great Oliver Wendell Holmes who said "... it is now the moment... to recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return". Which I think is particularly appropriate for all Jamaicans. Indeed, let all Jamaicans ask themselves what can I do to make a better Jamaica.
Seeking a brighter future
We all know that many of our best people leave Jamaica invariably seeking a brighter future in the First World. Speaking to many of the young people, there are those who in popular parlance "followed the script" studied hard at school, got themselves qualified, pursued a creditable career, avoided trouble and yet their lives appear to be going nowhere, their lives are perpetually held on pause.
They then ask 'what can Jamaica do for me?' which today is a rhetorical question and one, let's be honest, we all know the answer to. That cannot be allowed to happen. Jamaica must be a land where one can prosper regardless of one's background, where effort, ingenuity and hard work equates to us all getting a place in the sun - so to speak.
It is a very sad indictment of this country of ours that one has to leave it in order to obtain a future of promise and hope - where our best brains do not use their talents for a better Jamaica but rather to survive and prosper in lands far away from home.
However, there is hope. Recently Michael Lee Chin has used his considerable resources to turn around the fortunes of the country's largest commercial bank, NCB, and has solicited the help of Aubyn Hill who did a fantastic job at the Bank of Oman- both men are using their abilities and their reputations to help create a better Jamaica.
Crime problem
But let me say this, that prerogative is not the sole preserve of the big shots, we all can play a part. We have a crime problem in this country, no doubt about it. Twelve hundred murders a year is way too high. But these statistics are inextricably linked to the poor performance of the economy. With our close proximity to the United States, we put a high premium on consumer goods and the merits of obtaining a better life through materialism.
This is no longer the preserve of the middle and upper classes, it is no longer a desired state but an expectation for all people. We in Jamaica love to look the part, we know that but, that should come from one's efforts, and that should be the pay off. Hard work equals payoff equals good life, a nice little equation to govern one's life. It is uncivilised and weak, yes weak, to take something away from someone else just so that you can be seen to prosper.
Some say linking a faltering economy to crime is just text-book gibberish but in our case that is not so. Expectation levels have risen over the last quarter of a century and when those expectations are not met, it brings out the worse in human nature with envy, greed, and covetousness becoming the order of the day. To say we are attempting to solve our crime problem in a vacuum and look to Mr. Peter Phillips to provide all the answers displays naivety. In countries where the economy is buoyant there is a discernible depreciation in the levels of crime and this is no less the case in Jamaica.
Crime is invariably born of desperation and in our particular instance separatism. There are now two prevailing Jamaica's the haves and have-nots. The have-nots have very little chance of having and the haves simply don't want the have-nots to have because it taints what the haves have. Now there's a tongue twister for you. I thought I said that pretty well, don't you?
We can no longer countenance two different Jamaicas. If there was ever a time to pay close attention to the saying out of many people, one, it is now. Let us respect what our neighbour has, let us prosper by our own endeavours, let us reason before raising our fists. When you take someone's life you take away all they have and all they are likely to have in the future. Now that it is a heavy burden to bear on any conscience and as such murder is a sin against humanity itself and should be treated accordingly. It cannot be tolerated.
In Jamaica individual effort and enterprise must be duly rewarded and be seen to be so. All too often today in Jamaica, too many obstacles are placed in the way of enterprise, so much so that we begin to say - that's not going to happen, dream on, "so you bosey" and that kind of thinking becomes inculcated into our psyche. We need to adopt the ethos, "I can do this, And I am going to give it a try". It is this kind of thinking that has marked the upward surge of mankind.
Something done on Star Trek
Think ladies and gentlemen, if we told our parents a man would walk on the moon, they would look at you incredulously and think you had gone bananas. Very soon individuals will be able to pay for space travel and there is talk of exploring new galaxies all within our lifetime. Again today we take the computer for granted but I can remember a time not too long ago when there was no Internet, where logging on was something done on Star Trek.
Recently, my son Craig won an Emmy for animation, beating the likes of Stephen Spielberg to that honour. Naturally as a parent you feel proud and think 'well the boy has a future. I don't have to worry about how he's going to earn his keep.'
Mind you, I would like to see him come home a lot more often but that's a mum's love for you. But what was particularly gratifying was that he taught himself animation and it took the Americans to recognise and reward his efforts.
We in Jamaica must reward our people's efforts and must not be remiss in doing so. This goes across the spectrum of society, whether it be in business, the arts, or the man selling his wares on the street corner. Initiative, hard work and dedication cannot go unrewarded. Let it never be said in Jamaica that whatever I do will not make a difference.
I don't pretend to be some great economic or social guru but this simple maxim 'My effort will not go unrewarded' may prove to be the answer to the call, for a better Jamaica.
The story of Island Grill, that little place I work for, has been told ad infinitum and I will not use this opportunity to regale you with it again. I read the financial papers that say that the company should list on the Stock Exchange and that it must be held up as a beacon of enterprise.
This is all very heartening but the simple truth is that I did not accomplish all this alone. It was an idea that I had and I was able to get assistance to make it a reality.
Today we have expanded the brand islandwide and exported it to the United States and there are plans to take it to Britain. However this would not have come to fruition if I did not receive assistance and encouragement, if no one believed in me.
Let us begin to believe in a better Jamaica today so that we can make it so tomorrow.
