I drove through Sligoville today, not by choice but because Jamaica still has not found a way to construct a decent bridge across the Bog-walk gorge. The adventure began with two officers, motorbikes parked in the middle of the road.

“you have to go left, road close”
“OK, where does left take me?”
“Sligoville, it’s the detour”
“OK, are there signs along the way?”
“where do you live?”
“New Kingston”
“where are you going?”
“New Kingston”
“Where do you live”
“New Kingston”
“Oh OK, well when you reach the top of the hill, left takes you down to Red hills and Right takes you to Spanish Town”
“Thank you, officer”

He could have warned me, that it’s the second top not the first one that I need to make the right turn, or we could just build a couple of signs and stuck them along the route, Yeah Jamaicans don’t read but they didn’t have to say anything, just arrows that point.

The road was bad (worst than normal) the drive was long…very long, but between the beginning and the end, the vista more than make up for the negatives.
I stopped at a quarry and took these pictures to share.

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I drove through Sligoville today, not by choice but because Jamaica still has not found a way to construct a decent bridge across the Bog-walk gorge. The adventure began with two officers, motorbikes parked in the middle of the road. “you have to go left, road close”

« Galleries   Sligoville Detour – St. Catherine

In applying for a birth certificate you must submit the following information:

a. Name of child
b. Age of the child
c. Sex-whether male or female
d. Date of Birth
e. Place of Birth (name of hospital or address of home)
f. Parish of birth
g. Birth entry number
h. Parent’s name
i. Place of registration District of birth.

The birth entry number referred to as the “entry number” is the Birth Registration number and is an index of the birth. It is usually found on the top right hand corner of the birth certificate or the certificate of registry referred to as the “pink slip”.

If you do not have your birth entry number, you can complete the following form to request the information: http://www.rgd.gov.jm/?q=request-for-entry-number

Online application form: http://apps.rgd.gov.jm/web/Birth/lay_birthApplication.cfm

All children born and named in hospital as of January 1, 2007 are eligible for the first copy of their birth certificate free. This free copy takes approximately three months to generate.

Cost: $650 with Birth Entry Number, $750 without

Additional information
This information is provided as is and is subject to change: If in doubt please visit the website of the: Registrar General Department

A Work Permit is a document (card) bearing a number and photograph issued to an expatriate which authorizes that individual to work in Jamaica according to its stipulations for a specified period of time.

Persons seeking to obtain a work permit are required to make an application to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through their prospective employer, contractor (individuals), the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro – Investors) or through legal representation.

http://www.mlss.gov.jm/download/Work%20Permit%20Application.pdf

Fees

http://www.mlss.gov.jm/pub/index.php?artid=42

Supplemental Documentation

http://www.mlss.gov.jm/pub/index.php?artid=41

Employed Applicants

1. A cover letter addressed to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, 1F North Street. Kingston. The cover letter should be written by the local employer and should clearly set out the reasons for making the application.

2. The cover letter should also state the efforts made to recruit a Jamaican national to undertake the work contemplated and the expected duration of the work to be undertaken by the applicant.

Self-Employed Applicants.

1. Self-employed applicants should submit a cover letter outlining the nature and duration of the work to be undertaken. Details of investment proposal(s) should also be stated (documentary proof of proposed investment(s) should also be submitted).

Proof of Qualification

1. Certified copies of proof of academic or professional qualifications or letters of accreditation. A letter of recommendation or written reference from the previous employer of the applicant or evidence of the business/commercial/professional activity of the applicant abroad.

2. In cases where any of the above named documents are prepared in a language other than English, a certified English translation of the relevant document should be supplied. A Justice of the Peace or a Notary Public with a valid Commission should certify the documents. Authorized members of staff of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security may certify copies of the documents upon presentation of the original documents.

3. A resume’ outlining the professional or business experience of the applicant.

4. A police record

For new applications:

The record should be issued by the appropriate Security Authority in the country of the domicile of the applicant.

For renewals:

The record should be issued by the relevant section of the Ministry of National Security Jamaica.

NB. Please note that the police record submitted should bear a date of investigation not greater than one year prior to the date of submission to this Ministry.

Proof of Business Registration

1. Certified copy of Business Registration Certificate for unincorporated enterprises.

2. Certified copy of Certificate of Incorporation and the Memorandum of Association for duly registered companies. Articles of Association are not needed.

• Where an applicant is self-employed or where an enterprise is in operation for at least a year, or the applicant is applying for renewal of a Work Permit, a Tax Compliance Certificate should be submitted.

• Certified copies of pages from the passport of the applicant showing, (a) proof of identity, (b) passport number, (c) date of issue and expiry, (d) landing status in Jamaica and (e) relevant visas (where applicable).

• Two (2) photographs in the case of a Work Permit and one (1) in the case of a Work Permit Exemption. (See instructions below)

• The attached Tax Payer Registration Number (TRN) form, completed and signed by the applicant.

NB. Applications for Renewal of a Work Permit or a Work Permit Exemption in excess of thirty (30)days should be accompanied by (a) certified copies of current -updated documents where these documents have expired since the last application (b) copies of salary statement of the last three (3) months’ salary (c) cover letter as outlined in instruction (i) above.

Photograph Instructions

Photographs should be professionally produced and taken not more than six (6) months prior to application, with the following specifications:

1. It should be taken in colour with a flat finish against a plain background.

2. It should provide a full frontal view of the head, neck and the top of the shoulders with ears clearly visible.

3. There should be no reflection from eyeglasses or background shadows that may obscure the image.

4. The size of the face should be 25mm to 35mm, from the chin to tile top of the head.

5. The applicant should not wear any head covering while taking the photograph except where required for religious reasons.

6. Should be enclosed in an envelope and should not be stapled.

7. Should be certified by a Notary Public or a Justice of the Peace.

Additional information
This information is provided as is and is subject to change: If in doubt please visit the website of the: Ministry of Labour and Social Security

Everybody loves a good holiday! What’s not to love? You get to stay home from work, eat and drink as much as your belly can hold and laugh and talk with your friends. These days however holidays in Jamaica have taken on a new macabre twist.

Yesterday we celebrated our first official “Brudus Day” in commemoration of Bruce Golding and his henchman, Christopher “Dudus” Coke, fucking Jamaica royally.

This holiday, far from the usual script, gave us half a day home from work rather than the full day we have come to expect. Also we had no warning, no eve, no indication of the impending “everybody guh home early” to go out and properly prepare for the day.

So we celebrated “Brudus Day” for half a day, huddled in our cars, stuck in traffic, crapping our pants praying to get home before the “fireworks start”. The fact that it took some people up to three hours to travel 2-3 miles meant we did not get the chance to eat and drink as we would like, since we did not have a “Brudus Eve” and did not get a chance to stock our glove compartments.

“Brudus Day” did however gave us a chance to talk and cry with our friends, as we panicky keep calling, and Blackberry messenger-ing each other, for updates…weh yuh deh? Yuh reach home? Mi still inna traffic! Mi did jus downtown yuh nuh! Thank God mi reach home! Yuh reach? Thank God…mek sure de grill dem lock!

So how do we celebrate our next “Brudus Day”? Pretty much the same like the first, as this is a holiday that sneaks up on you like a gunman, without warning, without eve. But at least we made a carol we can sing while we huddle in our cars, stuck in traffic:

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Bruce and Dudus are burning the town!!

Applying for a Taxpayers Registration Number (TRN – for Individuals)

1. Only original and certified copies of documents are accepted

2. Need one valid ID (Driver’s license, National ID or Passport)

3. If the National ID is used, you also need to provide a certified copy of your birth certificate

4. Applicants using Birth Certificate and a certified photograph for ID must submit their application in person.

5. Return completed Form 1 to Taxpayer Registration Centre (TRC) or nearest Collectorate with supporting documents.

http://www.jrs.gov.jm/TaxAdministration.php?page_id=3&id=25

Application Information for Form 1 – to be completed if box #30 (Employer’s name and address) is completed on Form 1 (Application for Tax Registration Number (Individuals))

http://www.jrs.gov.jm/TaxAdministration.php?page_id=3&id=26

For amendments, you can submit the TRN Supplemental Information form (Individuals)

http://www.jrs.gov.jm/TaxAdministration.php?page_id=3&id=27

Applying for a Taxpayers Registration Number – (TRN – for Organizations)
Application for Tax Registration Number (Organizations)

http://www.jrs.gov.jm/TaxAdministration.php?page_id=3&id=28

Documents needed

• 1. Certificate of Incorporation
• 2. Constituting Documents
• 3. NIS Reference Card
• 4. NIS Clearance Letter
• 5. Business Name Registration Certificate

If additional branches exist, the Additional Information (Organizations) Form – Business Branches must be filled out for each location.

http://www.jrs.gov.jm/TaxAdministration.php?page_id=3&id=42

If changes to company information need to be made, submit the following Supplemental Information Form (Organizations).

http://www.jrs.gov.jm/TaxAdministration.php?page_id=3&id=29

Additional Information

Please note the information provided including website links may change at anytime. For more information visit http://www.jrs.gov.jm/ or call 876.922.1291 / 876.924.9147

Jamaica is no doubt one of the greatest places on earth to live or visit but as usual no statement can be made about this country which cannot be qualified at the other end of the spectrum. So despite the music, the track, the good Hope Cattle and Marcus Mosiah, any real examination of our successes as a nation has to be juxtaposed against some of the ‘EPIC FAILURES’. So follow along as we count down Jamaica’s 10 most epic failures.

10. The Motor Vehicle Ticketing System
Points are allocated to your license based on traffic offenses which add up to a suspended license if you use up all your points. Incidentally you can also lose points for having a mechanical defect on your car. This seems like a good idea, but without a central database to manage all of this information, nobody, including the police officers issuing the tickets, seems to know how many points are against a particular individual. As such this is now the big stick corrupt Jamaican police officers use to try to get motorists to buy their way out of a ticket.

9. Flat Bridge
Deathtrap. Even though a number of people have lost their lives at this bridge site, to this date all we have built is a single-lane bridge with no guardrails. The terrain is rough I agree but that is what architects do – solve difficult problems with unique ideas. It seems like bridge building just is not our thing; it took us years to create an effective solution to the Yallahs Fording in St. Thomas as well.

8. Political System
See this post The Fissures in the Jamaican Political System

7. Free Health Care
Jamaica had problems offering quality health care to its citizens at a cost. So it is no surprise that the free health care being offered is pretty much a bad joke. One story making the rounds is that a patient from KPH was discharged, given a bag of blood in an igloo and told to get herself to UHWI for emergency dialysis.

6. Protection of Children (or Lack thereof)
Yes I know we have recently launched the Child Protection Act, which aims to prosecute adults who fail to report child abuse. I am curious though why this said protection does not seem to extend to children under government protection or the multitudes of children begging, hustling and cleaning windows at every other stoplight it seems these days. Who is responsible? Why is there no initiative to protect and provide for these children? Hmmmm I guess lip service only takes you so far.

5. GSAT
Common Entrance was not perfect, in fact it was far from it, but at least it set some sort of standard. So what do we do, replace it with a system where everybody “passes”? Come on who made the decision that any exam that a kid who cannot even read can “pass” is a joke? A horrible, twisted, sick dirty joke! Get real, the education system needs to be completely revamped and not this half ass trick being played on kids who are being sent to “high schools” I would send a dog to? Let’s get real, and get some standards.

4. Property Tax Collection
Also known as failure to collect taxes. While I can understand the issues involved in collecting taxes from self employed individuals and hustlers using an antiquated system that is a quagmire of moth balls and old paper, the fact that property tax compliance is a little over fifty (50) percent is kind of retarded, especially when this is viewed against the backdrop of a cash strapped government. It is not like property owners can hide the property. GET SOME BALLS! Collect the property taxes and lower the income tax.

3. National Debt
Trillions of dollars, and what makes this one particular galling is that we do not have shit to show for all this money that is owed. Ghettonomics at its best…borrow money to buy food, rims that spin backwards and live above your means, all bad when done by an individual…disgraceful for a country.

2. Murder Rate
Over 500 victims in a little over 100 days, we have managed reduced the value of human life to nothing…

1. Water
Rain on your roof, pipes bone dry, water bill at the end of the month. A bad joke in a bad comedy…actually I can do better…”Jamaica land of wood and what?”. Some might argue that placing the inability to provide citizens with water in their pipes as trivial when compared to say the murder rate above, but I beg to differ. The fact that as a nation we do not even have the vision and the ability to harness one of our most abundant resources is the perfect metaphor to sum up all the failures noted above. In 4,000 B.C. the Egyptians were able to build a flourishing empire in the middle of the desert. Fast forward to 2010 with all the technology and know how garnered over the last couple thousand years we cannot engineer adequate water supplies to on an island that is 1,114 square miles…EPIC FAIL.