How Ex-Pat Get Jobs Jamaicans Could Have Done

Many years ago, the owner of a business wanted a woman from Zimbabwe to be his Personal Assistant.  The woman had no qualifications that Jamaicans didn’t have.

Attending the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, he explained, in graphic detail, how a particular Japanese gentleman he had been pursuing called his office and his current P.A. answered the phone and barked… “Ehhh, Wha yu a seh?  Me caan unnastan yu…”

The Gentleman, insulted by the tone of voice, for patwa is a language hurled from the back of the throat in an aggressive manner, hung up.

When the Business owner appreciated what had happened, he knew he needed an ex-pat who could speak English and had manners.

The Zimbabwean woman got her work permit.

On a work site, they were bringing in men from Venezuela to do the building.  Confronting the Manager,  who was English, part of the British/Venezuela Partnership, he summoned a Jamaican worker.

“Junior, please be good enough to take the document from the bureau and have Miss Kirlew make three Xerox copies.”

And Junior, not unexpected said; “A wha yu a seh?”

Dismissing Junior he called Pedro.  And said the same thing.

Pedro, who barely spoke English said; “Papel?  A Tres?  Tres?” and held up three fingers.

When Pedro left, the manager said; “Jamaicans speak no known language.  This is a work site, there is danger, hence we will hire those who can speak and understand Spanish. And who make an attempt to understand English.”

A beautiful young model was among a number who had been selected to screen for an American television commercial.

The producer called to her, asked her a question, and she did the, “wha yu seh?”

“Does any one here speak English?”  he exclaimed.

One girl, brighter than the others, in her best ‘speaky-spokey’ said, “I can speak English..”  and she got the job.

All of these examples are true.  They are real, they have been documented.

So why do Jamaicans persist in patwa?

1. False Nationalism/Pride
2. Deliberate Plot to Disenfranchise the Lower Class
3. Ignorance of English

The idea to tell people ‘Patwa fi wi langwij’ began when University was free and the criteria was merit.  By having the poor fail themselves, there would be no question of bias.   Simply put, the candidate failed the English entry exam, hence, could not enter university.

The upper class could speak English, so were guaranteed the places.  Now, the costs are so enormous that only the rich can attend.

As the poor lives in a ‘ghetto’ and only hears patwa, save if foreign television or movies are watched, they don’t appreciate that they are unable to understand English.

It is when they are confronted by the police and are in court that the handicap emerges.

It is not only in Jamaica.  The trick was tried in America, first as ‘Black English’ then as ‘Ebonics’ so as to have Blacks disqualify themselves from University.  Fortunately, the Black community in America didn’t fall for it.