Boycott Caution - JMA Urges T&T, Jamaica Govts To Act Fast To Quell Disquiet Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer As members of the Jamaican diaspora in the United States and the United Kingdom join the boycott of Trinidadian products, president of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), Brian Pengelley, is urging the governments of the two CARICOM member states to act before the issue spirals out of control. While acknowledging the rights of local consumers to boycott products out of Trinidad, sparked by the treatment of Jamaicans denied entry to that country, Pengelley said the JMA did not believe it was the course to chart at this time. I dont think it is the way to go. I dont think that we are at that stage yet, but I think that what we are seeing is Jamaican consumers voicing their opinions, Pengelley told The Gleaner. The matter is in the hands of the importers, and I think that is very important. After The Gleaner reported yesterday that some local consumers had joined the campaign, other Jamaicans from overseas quickly endorsed the move. We the European/Jamaicans fully support this move. Keep me in a di loop. No one who want to walk on US will get away with it, declared H.Pitter in an email to The Gleaner. Lets extend it to Jamaicans living overseas, added Chris Raymond, also in an email. Nazma Muller, a Trinidadian journalist who worked in Jamaica in the early 1990s, said many in the country were opposed to the manner in which Jamaican travellers are treated. I hope that somehow we will find a way to work this out, Muller told The Gleaner. The trade imbalance must be dealt with as well ... . I dont know if the Jamaican people know this, but Trinbagonians have been registering their discontent on many issues with this administration. She added: We have a trade desk set up in Trinidad and I think what we have seen is that they are as concerned as we are when stories like this hit the press ... . This does not look like a win-win for anybody, so there is definitely concern down there. At least two campaigns have been launched on social network Facebook, with scores of Jamaicans expressing support for an all-out ban on products from Trinidad and Tobago after news broke that 13 Jamaicans were turned away from the twin-island republic. I think that this is a reflection of the power of consumers in Jamaica, said Pengelley. It is a decision that everybody must make, while the top-line discussions at the government levels continue. Asked about the mood in the local manufacturing sector that he leads, Pengelley said: Its a tough economy, and last week I consulted with a number of major players to take a position on it (the proposed boycott). Pengelley pointed out that the JMA represents manufacturers who are in the export business as well. We have manufacturers who are exporting into CARICOM, he said, so we need to make sure that when we are making any major or drastic moves, we arent making them purely from an emotional standpoint. All sides of the story It is within this context that Pengelley said the JMA was considering all sides of the story. That is why, at the moment, we do not feel that we would support this ban on Trinidad, but we would certainly encourage consumers to make their own choices, he stressed. Asked whether the JMA was in discussion with the Government, Pengelley said there were talks with relevant officials on a broad range of issues. There are issues that need to be fixed; we still dont have a level playing field when you take a look at subsidy and so forth, he asserted. These are big things that need to be taken on board and, to be honest, we are on the reactive rather than on the proactive side. Added Pengelley: Someone needs to step forward and lets fix this thing once and for all. gary.spaulding@gleanerjm
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 07:10:31 +0000
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