LESTER HINDS & MICHELLE NEIL ON JAMAICA DIASPORA'S BROKEN PROMISES

Ahead of the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, Irwine Clare sits down

with Lester Hinds and Michelle Neil for a candid, sometimes tense conversation

about whether Jamaica's diaspora relationship is actually working. Hinds argues

the model has to shift from one-way remittances to real two-way investment —

and says the government hasn't even properly advertised the conference to the

people it's supposed to serve. Neil pushes further, saying the diaspora needs

to stop just handing over money and start demanding specific results in

healthcare, education, and community policing. Both share a story that sums up

the trust problem: donated solar generators still sitting unused on a wharf,

never distributed.

WHAT THIS COVERS:

- Why Lester Hinds says the diaspora-to-Jamaica relationship needs to become

a real partnership, not just remittances

- Michelle Neil's case for the diaspora being more forceful and specific

about its demands

- The trust deficit: mismanaged funds and donated solar generators still

sitting on the wharf

- What Hinds and Neil actually expect to come out of the 11th Biennial

Jamaica Diaspora Conference — and why expectations are low

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 – Irwine Clare introduces the Diaspora Conference and government spending

5:41 – Lester Hinds: remittances vs. real investment

10:00 – Michelle Neil: the diaspora needs to be more forceful

17:48 – What Hinds and Neil want from the conference — and why they're not expecting much

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