Greed Mangles Nations; Ambition Cares For People

aquest
Aug 17
4 min read

Greed Mangles Nations; Ambition Shepherds a People

Across time and place—from exemplary American presidencies to the bedrock of Singapore’s rise—thought-leaders and statesmen have recognised a potent truth: greed corrodes, but ambition, tempered by integrity, builds. As we reflect on Jamaica today—and indeed across CARICOM—we must confront a sobering transformation. Ambition, once a beacon of disciplined public service and moral purpose, has been hijacked, becoming a cloak for naked greed. The distinction matters, because the stakes are nothing less than our nation’s well-being.

1. The Consequences of Confusing Greed with Ambition

Sophisticated voices have long warned of the perils of conflating self-interest with noble ambition. In his seminal “Man in the Arena” speech, Theodore Roosevelt praised those who "strive valiantly… who spends himself in a worthy cause"—distinguished from the idle critic. Wikipedia

In American political tradition, John F. Kennedy staked his legacy on integrity and public purpose, positing that leadership must answer the high court of history: Were we men of courage, judgment, integrity, dedication—or merely adept at profiteering? jfklibrary.org It is precisely this vision of honourable ambition that has eroded in Jamaica.

It was under such ethical scrutiny that Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew forged a modern miracle. He insisted that meritocratic, disciplined ambition—not cronyism—was the engine of progress. And Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has similarly emphasised a disciplined, forward-looking ethos in governance, though both leaders remain controversial in other areas.

2. Jamaica and CARICOM: Greed Wearing the Face of Ambition

Let us examine concrete cases that illustrate the tragic cost of ambition’s corruption.

Cornwall Regional Hospital: The Anatomy of Betrayal

What began in 2016 as a remedy for noxious fumes inside Montego Bay’s Cornwall Regional Hospital has become an eight-year saga of skyrocketing costs—from roughly J$2 billion to over J$23.5 billion by early 2025—denying vital health services in the meantime. This is not ambition; it is betrayal. The Peoples National Party now demands a full forensic audit. A hospital, built not by vision but by greed, has cost both lives and trust.

Displacement Disguised as Development

Along our coasts, fishing communities—some long settled—are being displaced to make way for resorts. Institutions such as the Jamaica Environment Trust and the Winnifred Beach Benevolent Society understand what greed in development conceals: displacement is theft. Ambition, in contrast, would integrate local economies, nurture fishers, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs—not treat them as photo-ops.

Procurement Collusion and Inflated Contracts

A scandal in St Ann exposed a J$46.8 million sanitation contract—nearly triple what similar work elsewhere cost—and a bid eerily identical to internal municipal estimates. This is collusion, not public-spirited ambition. Greed drains funds from schools, clinics, and roads.

The Hotel Incentives Trap

The Hotel Incentives Act enables duty-free imports for foreign hotel operators, which may sound pro-investment—but has devastated homegrown industries. McIntosh Bedding, Jamaica’s Sealy Posturepedic manufacturer of over 60 years, shuttered in 2025, citing unfair competition. Ambition would reform incentives to bolster local supply chains; greed preserves the status quo for those who profit, no matter the social cost.

Exploitation Behind the Tourist Smile

Tourism—our crown jewel—masks the grim reality of rolling annual contracts, low wages, and worker precarity. Strikes in Negril and Montego Bay late in 2024 spotlighted the dignity eroded. Real ambition would build career paths, lift workers from housekeeping to management; greed suppresses pay and security because it is easier to control the insecure.

A Regional Problem

Jamaica is not alone. In Guyana, rising oil wealth pools in elites' hands even as citizens endure housing shortages and inadequate flood defences. In Trinidad and Tobago, political donors win lucrative contracts while public utilities falter. At CARICOM tables, leaders may commit to food security but then alienate farmers with speculative projects. Greed, clad as ambition, corrodes regional trust.

3. The True Cost—And How to Reclaim Ambition

The Human Toll

This distortion of ambition is not abstract. It manifests in hospitals that do not serve, fishers who lose their livelihoods, workers who can’t plan for the morrow. Jamaica bleeds not just fiscal resources but moral capital. Our youth see who prospers and how—and either join the scramble or abandon ship.

Reclaiming Ambition

We must reaffirm what ambition truly is:

Rooted in service, not self-enrichment.
Measured by collective well-being, not bank balances.
Disciplined by integrity, not lubricated by secret deals.
Sustainable, so that succeeding generations are not impoverished.

Practical Action:

Reform procurement laws to eliminate collusion.
Align investment incentives with local industrial capacity.
Protect public assets—beaches, hospitals—from private greed.
Reward leaders who deliver real improvements—and remove those who do not.

A Call to Citizens

Greed thrives in darkness; ambition thrives in scrutiny. Citizens must ask harder questions, demand audits, and refuse to be placated by slogans without results. We must teach our children that honourable ambition uplifts, whereas greed degrades.

We must elect leaders for proven service, not swagger. Jamaica, and the wider Caribbean, hinge on whether we celebrate ambition that builds or greed that consumes. If we allow greed to masquerade as ambition, we might wake one day to find both have vanished—and with them, the promise of our independence.

In Summary

The loss: Jamaica today faces a dangerous distortion where greed wags ambition’s tail.
The evidence: From the CRH overrun and tourism exploitation to classroom budgets and local industry collapse.
The remedy: Reclaim ambition through integrity, public purpose, and transparency—echoing the best of JFK’s vision and Roosevelt’s “man in the arena."
The stake: Our health, our dignity, our future.

May this article serve as both indictment and inspiration—insisting that the future belongs to ambition forged in honour, not the hollow mimicries of greed.