Bye-bye, Jesús!
Published:Sunday | September 26, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
On October 9, Spanish ambassador to Jamaica, Jesús Silva, will depart our shores to take up his new post in Panama. It is a well-deserved promotion, and on behalf of Spain, he will oversee its enormous interests. Jamaica will miss him but he will not be forgotten. And not just for his smouldering good looks. Silva had the enviable combination of being hard-working and admired by all with whom he came into contact.
The ambassador spoke with The Gleaner's Lifestyle Editor Barbara Ellington at his residence on September 14. There is no date yet for his successor Celsa Nuno's arrival. She should be in place shortly after he leaves. In the meantime, the chargé d'affaires will run things.
"I am going to be posted in Panama," revealed Silva, whose formal appointment was on Friday, September 17. He is looking forward to the assignment, having visited the country twice. Panama enjoys close historical and other ties with Jamaica and there are many current business and family links between the two countries. Along with its recent economic boom, it enjoys a much bigger share of Spanish investment than Jamaica.
The Silvas are leaving Jamaica with more than a tinge of sadness, having spent their honeymoon here 17 years ago. Their three children, too, have learnt English and will miss the friends they have made. During his five-year tour of duty, the ambassador lost his dad, but he's happy that the elder Silva visited Jamaica twice; Jesús mother, who recently spent a month here, will also miss Jamaica.
Asked why he chose Jamaica as the place to begin life as a married man, he said the choice was because the island seemed like a very exotic place. "It had a strong name, and seemed attractive to us. Since our first posting after marriage was Argentina, and being July, we needed a warm and sunny place after the stress of the wedding and before we went into winter in a strange country," he said.
An Irony
Twelve years later when he heard he would be posted here, he was glad. "It was quite an irony to be posted to the same place where I started life as a married man," he said. Over the years, he has grown used to moving from one country to the next every four years; it's a way of life, and although he has spent many of his years in the diplomatic service at home, Jamaica has been special. "Jamaica will probably be the country that will leave the biggest impression in both my family and business life," he said.
Spanish investment
There was massive Spanish investment, particularly in the hotel sector, under Silva's watch. He has seen 11 new hotels open, and though he did not bring them here, he came at an exciting time when the new companies were establishing themselves here. The companies did not know much about Jamaica, nor did Jamaica know much about them. There were teething pains but, to date, the value of the investment by the Spanish is US$1.2 billion.
Initially, there was an intense process of visits on both sides by heads of state and other officials. Many new agreements between countries were signed. "We established the legal framework to solidify the relationship with the private sector. Spain has also become more active in assisting with funding social programmes such as in the health sector. A request was made by Jamaica for Spain to become more involved in Spanish Town because of the historical links between both countries.
Those links have resulted in a new state-of-the-art King of Spain wing at the St Catherine capital's hospital; it is equipped with one of the best physiotherapy departments in the region. The second phase of that assistance is the Queen Sofia Women's Centre that will focus on decreasing the incidence of cervical cancer in the Caribbean through broadening women's awareness of the disease. Over time, it is hoped that this centre will lead to reducing cervical cancer by half.
"We also began the process of restoration of the main square and historic district in the Old Capital. Our future goal is to establish a workshop school following the model that Spain has in many Spanish-speaking countries in the region. It will train the people of the city in jobs relating to restoration, while at the same time delivering some restoration work," Silva told Outlook. It's an ambitious project but the proposal is there.
Restoration
The Holy Trinity Cathedral on North Street in Kingston has seen massive restoration and funds have been earmarked to complete it. Silva is gratified that the work was done by the citizens of the community who were trained by Spanish experts and have now been certified by HEART/NTA. "The citizens are very proud of the work done on one of the jewels of Jamaican heritage; it is an important psychological tool for community integration when a heritage building or site exists and the residents have a hand in its restoration," Silva said of the project funded by Spain's Ministry of Culture.
In spite of his successful tour of duty (World Cup included), Silva is not taking any credit or pinpointing any one success story. He describes his achievements as the result of team work between his country, the partners involved and Jamaica. But he counts as satisfying the visit of the king and queen of Spain to Jamaica and the relationship that has developed between both countries.
"The feeling that is more satisfying is the rich relationship so that Spain is no longer unknown and Jamaica is now our most loyal and closest partner in the Caribbean."
Silva regards the best memory as that of the people. "We have felt at home, it's been made easy for me and my family. It's nice to be treated as one more Jamaican, not just a foreigner."
He took a lot of heat, as it was not all smooth sailing. Established hotel brands did not welcome the lower hotel room rates the Spaniards introduced to the mix. He says it was part of a process where both sides did not fully understand each other and both made mistakes.
"Jamaica was not prepared for such a big arrival of foreign investments, with such massive and intensive use of supplies; of goods manufactured here, of a workforce that had to be managed. This lack of preparedness sometimes damaged the investment; approvals were late, unfair accusations were made about damage to the environment and bad treatment to workers. That stemmed from a lack of knowledge of who was coming," he said.
Spanish companies took some time to understand the realities of Jamaica. In any relationship that becomes as close as this one, and especially in the case of investment which was a crucial ingredient in the bilateral agreement, the embassy and government had to take a decision in defending their interests and find ways to build bridges. Investors were invited here so some structures had to adapt to make the investment profitable and successful to become a business-friendly country.
But, Silva noted that even at the height of disagreements, it was never a totally acrimonious relationshiop. "... There was always the opportunity to sit and talk things out. I have developed good relationships with all with whom I came in contact, whether they were competitors or not.
"On the Spanish side, we had to understand the nuances of the Jamaican process. In the long run it has been a very successful process Spanish companies are very happy about Jamaica, results are good, they feel a part of the country, hotels are largely staffed by Jamaican workers."
And what about repatriation of earnings from Spanish hotels located in Jamaica? He said more has been invested to date than what has been gained but that is a consequence of our open-market system. "Competition is part of the modern economy and it's good for the tourism industry," Silva said, citing expansion of the economy and job creation among the benefits to Jamaica.
As for unfinished business, Ambassador Silva says there were many projects on his agenda; some have already materialised, some are going to materialise in the near future and others will come on stream in the long term. A farmer-training programme and hospitality school are among the projects. New companies will come and existing ones will be expanded.