Chang

OCTOBER 30, 1983, was the last day daylight saving time (DST) was used in Jamaica.

DST was reintroduced on January 5, 1974, by the Michael Manley-led government under The Standard Time (Declaration) Order, 1974, after he had made the announcement in his New Year's Day message that same year. That was the first time this had been tried in Jamaica since World War II. It was instituted in response to the oil crisis of the day. It was terminated by Edward Seaga's government in 1983.

One would have to be at least in his or her late 30s to remember those days. That means that over half of Jamaican adults have never experienced DST (except those that have travelled). I was a young man at that time, having returned to Jamaica in the summer of that year after a two-year stint in Canada, having been successful in my MBA at McGill. My memories are rather vivid, and what I remember was more pleasant than not.

concerns and complaints

I know there were a lot of concerns and complaints about the children having to go to school in the dark. But I had a daughter born in 1973 and a son born in 1975 and they attended kindergarten/preparatory schools during those days. Somehow, I don't recall that was particularly burdensome or perilous.

What I can certainly remember is the increased hour of sunlight in the evening - to play and enjoy them, to socialise, to entertain and to be entertained, and to work that extra time at the office or at home that DST afforded me.

Various studies conducted all over the world concluded that DST saves from one per cent (USA) to three and a half per cent (New Zealand) in energy costs on an annualised basis. These same studies suggest a number of other benefits, including improved economic activity associated with the increased daytime hours and decreased crime rate, both of which would be more than welcome in Jamaica, especially at this time.

What may have caused the initial bad taste associated with DST, was the particularly early time of the year it was introduced. To move the clock forward as early as January 5 must have created quite a shock. The almanac for Kingston on January 5 earlier this year shows that the sun rose at 6:40 a.m. EST. Therefore, on the day DST commenced in 1974, the sun did not rise until 7:40 a.m. DST. Up to minutes to 8 a.m. it remained quite dark.

Similarly, to make DST run so late in the year must have been quite disturbing. That same almanac states that the sun rises at 6:05 a.m. EST, or rather 7:05 DST in late October.

That uneasy feeling must have exacerbated and exaggerated the reaction to whatever reports of early morning criminal activities that occurred during that period, especially against children. Offhand, I can recall two or three such widely reported and discussed cases.

Perhaps that has been the major problem concerning the implementation of DST in Jamaica. We started too early and ended too late in the year. We want the whole loaf and are not satisfied with half of it.

not a high load factor

As recently as October 2003, the then president and CEO of Jamaica Public Service Company, Charles Matthews, suggested to the government of the day, the reintroduction of DST. As he had put it: "Most of the load growth is residential and commercial, which is not a high load factor for our operations. Ideally, we would like to see plants that come into Jamaica operate 24/7.

"What we are building our capacity for is that six-nine evening period, when people return from work, turn their TVs on and the rest of their electric appliances. After nine, things go a bit dead, so we are hoping to get a better spread of it. It would be great to get plants working on cheaper power supply from between 12-7 a.m. (time-usage rates)."

Could it be that lower electricity bills might be a collateral benefit?

Why not start daylight saving time the last Sunday in April and end the last Sunday in September? That would mean not more than 50 days of actual school time would be affected. Sunrise would be 6:43 a.m. DST at commencement, and 6:57 a.m. DST at the end. Surely we could all live with that. Of course, there are other (minor) details to deal with. The period when we are out of sync with our North American neighbours is one of them. But then, doesn't that happen now anyway?

high oil bill

Jamaica's total oil bill this year is projected at over US$1.1 billion (US$286 million actual for first quarter this year). At one per cent, that would translate to US$11 million savings, at two per cent, that would be US$22 million, and at three per cent, savings would be US$33 million.

Jamaica lies 18 degrees north of the equator and does not benefit as much as those countries that lie outside the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, but even at US$11 million, that's not chump change. That converts to over $1 billion Jamaican dollars.

I have to acknowledge my namesake, Kevin O'Brien Chang, who has been a perennial and persistent advocate for daylight saving time in Jamaica. As he stated in his article, 'If I Were Prime Minister', published Sunday, July 31, 2005, "What with the price of oil climbing to new heights each month, this non-oil producing country should be doing everything it can to reduce our fuel bills. One of the most painless and sensible ways would surely be to reintroduce daylight saving time."

Amen.