The Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) Chooses Profits Over Culture

October 17, 2024

The PSOJ’S Proposal is Obscene

The current national debate over the merging of Emancipation Day and Independence Day into one extended holiday weekend as suggested by the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), is cause for great concern. This issue is best looked at from the ideological bankruptcy of capitalism, even within the confines of its own national borders. This proposal fails to see, realize and honor the continuity of the path for freedom from chattel slavery, dehumanization, and brutality to another struggle for national liberation.

With neoliberal capitalism in Jamaica heading towards a dead end: the projective decline of the economy; secular stagnation of the market; a decrease in the effective demand for goods and services and a looming food insecurity problem, the PSOJ have found themselves in a deep capitalist crisis, with nowhere to turn and no solution. Capitalism more often than not, is always looking around for some way to solve its problems; one way, and the most popular, is to solve those problems on the back of the workers. The PSOJ’s proposal of merging Emancipation Day and Independence Day with an extended holiday weekend is not motivated by family concern or because they want to give the workers more time with their family. This extended weekend proposal would facilitate the exploitation of the workers and the extraction of super profits, which is one way of solving the problem of neoliberal capitalism.

The Cultural Alienation of the PSOJ

The proposal shows no regard for cultural practices, tradition or sanctity of our history and struggle to gain our place on the “world stage.” There is still a struggle against white supremacy’s intent to “write” African people out of social history; to minimize and deny our contribution to the development of world civilization. This is an example that shows that capital has no regard for people’s culture. These holidays does not represent ordinary days; these days are cultural liberation days. These days are important to people of African descent; thousands of people have died in the struggle for freedom. These days represent a crucial milestone in Jamaica’s journey towards freedom and self-determination. These struggles laid the foundation for the formation of a national economy (dependent as it is) and the subsequent formation of the PSOJ.

Slavery provided the foundation for the early accumulation of capital, which influenced and provided impetus for the industrial revolution, which developed and expanded into global colonialization and capitalism. It should come as no surprise for the PSOJ to propose this reactionary and culturally backward idea. The PSOJ is an organization of capitalists; the PSOJ has always taken reactionary political positions; the PSOJ represents the interests of capital materially and ideologically and nothing must interfere with this arrangement.

What is also interesting to note, although not surprising, is what is the parliamentary opposition’s position on this issue? Their noticeably late and “limp” response is a cause for concern since they want to form the next government of Jamaica. Is it that the Peoples National Party’s (PNP) leadership are supporters of this obscene proposal? Does their lack of a timely and definitive response suggests a conflict of interest? Are they afraid of offending those capitalists within their ranks? These questions take on more import considering that the Party’s leader seems to be lamenting his decision to break ties with the British Empire, by giving up his British citizenship.

The entire proposal also begs the question as to why the PSOJ is so bent on attempting to destroy the cultural liberation of the Jamaican people? The well-known revolutionary fighter the late Amilcar Cabral, Secretary-General of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands always emphasized the importance of culture in the National Liberation struggle: “The experience of colonial domination shows that, in the effort to perpetuate exploitation, the colonizers not only creates a system to repress the cultural life of the colonized people; he also provokes and develops the cultural alienation of a part of the population….it happens that a considerable part of the population, notably the urban or peasant petite bourgeoisie, assimilates the colonizer’s mentality (emphasis ours), considers itself culturally superior to its own people and ignores or looks down upon their cultural values.”

The agents of capitalism knows that the working class struggle is capable of freeing the people from the exploitative and oppressive system of capitalism. It is no coincidence that whenever a country is colonized, and free itself from colonization, the colonizer and its agents always try to destroy the indigenous culture or tries to “integrate” it with their culture. Workers have to realize that the preservation of culture is a part of the class struggle. Culture can never be neutral; in a class divided society there is working class culture and capitalists culture.

The Colonization of The Mind Continues

The late Jamaican musical icon Bob Marley, is revered by thousands of his own people; but they seem to forget the most critical words of his song Redemption Song: “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds…”  Despite our 62 years of “flag” independence, the ideology of white supremacy including being apologetic about our heritage severely affects the Jamaican cultural psyche. The cutting of the young lady’s dreadlocks by the police; the debate about and the psychological trauma meted out to the students wearing dreadlocks to school, which even incurred judicial involvement; the bleaching of the skin; processing of the hair; and preference for lighter-skinned people among others, are just some of the cultural pathology and decadence that still is prevalent in Jamaican society.

The PSOJ’s proposal is also an integral part of this cultural pathology. Despite its capitalist motivation, it is also indicative of an influential section of the society who are totally out of touch, and indifferent to Jamaica’s rich history and legacy of struggle for national liberation. Every culturally grounded and historically enlightened Jamaican should resist and put the proposal where it rightly belongs on the “scrap heap” of history.

Paul Bogle Action Network (PBAN) is an organization of concerned Jamaicans, helping to facilitate the development and nurturing of working-class organizations where absent, and where they exist, strengthen their focus. Questions and information request can be sent to: paulbogleactionnetwork@gmail.com