Where have all the aid gone?

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I was looking at some information recently and I really could not believe what I saw with respect to comparing the developmental history of Jamaica to other countries. Did you know that the total development aid that Jamaica has received over the past decades is estimated to have been about 10 times what Singapore got? If this is true, then the question that needs to be asked is, what has happened to all of that aid?

Singapore and Jamaica both had about the same population in 1960, about 1.6 million people. In 2016, the population of Singapore was 5.6 million. Ours is 2.8 million. Singapore's per capita income in 1972 was about US$1,260. In 2016, that figure was US$85,000. Ours in 1972 was US$5,300. Ours in 2016 was less than US$8,200, which was even less than the US$8,500 in 2008. The land mass of Jamaica is several times that of Singapore, with a lot more resources. Now, you tell me, why the hell is it that with 10 times the amount of aid that they got we are much worse than them?

Singapore is now considered a developed country. The people of that country took the 10th of the aid that we here in Jamaica got and transformed their fraction of a country into a wealthy one. We in Jamaica took 10 times that same aid and have precious little to show for it. I really do think that an explanation is needed here. After which a lot of heads should roll.

LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY

One of the problems that we have in this country is a lack of accountability. Just a few years ago, a high-ranking minister was forced to quit due to perceived poor management, and possibly squandering of public funds. Now that same politician is back in the same job. We talk about being accountable, and that is all we seem to do in this country - chat, chat and chat. When I saw one of these ministers yapping about the need to reduce crime on television recently, I was so angry that I pulled the TV plug out.

I am going to make a recommendation to our foreign donors that may seem unpatriotic to some. Please, whenever you give us your aid, which, by the way, we must be grateful for, for goodness sake take full control of its management. We simply cannot go on like this. It is now very clear to me that we cannot manage our own affairs.

For almost 30 years, or more, we have had no real economic growth. Crime is out of control. Our people, especially the young, see absolutely no future here.

If Singapore can do it, then we can do better.

Michael A. Dingwall

michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com