Jamaica may be an island of only 4,411 square miles and 2.5 million people. But pound for pound, as they say in boxing, there is no more country more full of contradictions. For this nation combines a decidedly third world standard of living with a virtually first world life expectancy. It is one of the world’s most stable democracies but has one of its highest homicide rates. It probably has both more churches per square mile and a higher out of wedlock birth rate than any other place on earth. Its most famous sons Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley are international symbols of racial pride, yet it is likely the only state to have more than once elected a visible minority leader.

Sometimes it seems the normal laws of logic do not operate here. How is it that in a poor country which has seen practically no official economic growth in five years the car population can increase by over 50% percent and the phone companies cannot keep up with demand for cellular phones?

And look at our mysterious political system which everyone seems to hate. The public considers it so corrupt and inefficient that less than 50% of eligible voters cast ballots in the last election. Yet the politicians themselves consider it just as distasteful in private, lamenting the way it forces those who seek success to compromise their principles.

But since independence Jamaicans have been free as any people in the world to determine their own destiny. Our leaders have been completely of our own choosing. And for all our electoral faults we have never had a government not genuinely favoured by the populace. Now most poor and violent nations can usually point to some disruptive factor beyond direct government control as the source of their sorrows. But in most aspects this island has been singularly fortunate.

Geographically Jamaica is rich in mineral wealth, has excellent harbours and beaches, and may be the most beautiful island on earth. We are without significant ethnic or linguistic divisions and by world standards have a fairly high literacy rate. We have never suffered a shattering natural disaster. And we have never been invaded or experienced civil war, a military coup, a major assassination or dictatorship. We talk as if there is some strange external force forcing us all in a direction we don’t wish to go. But looked at objectively our situation is clearly one of our own making.

In every election Jamaican voters choose the same type of rum and curry goat dispensing and land of milk and honey promising “sweet mouth” politicians. Candidates address the country’s real problems – massive over borrowing, low productivity, and a fractured family structure – are usually fortunate to retain their deposit. Now when a people have a chance to change their situation and repeatedly choose not to, the logical conclusion is surely that they are content with things as they are. The constant complaining and perpetual lines at the US embassy certainly suggest otherwise. But if Jamaicans are truly dissatisfied with our present state of affairs, why do so few seem interested in making any changes to the system under which we are governed and live? Do we like being unhappy?

“Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering” Dostoyevsky once wrote. And maybe to a certain extent this applies to Jamaica on both a national and personal level. Psychologists say women who claim “my man only beats me because he loves me” and “I don’t mind the beating because the making up afterwards is so sweet” are victims of “abusive dependency” syndrome. But even many “normal” women here – the nation’s resident sex expert Daddy Oh could probably tell us if it is a majority – seem to enjoy nothing so much as wallowing in misery as they recount their philandering lovers’ lack of affection.

It is astonishing really how many Jamaican women ignore the earnest importunities of decent, hard working males in favour of shiftless, womanizing wastrels. And disdain emotional openness and sensitivity in men as signs of “softness”. And keep expecting self-proclaimed “old dawgs” with ten children and seven baby mothers to miraculously become monogamous when they get involved with them. And then wail “guys are all jerks!”. No wonder when men get together the unanswerable question “what do women want?” inevitably comes up. Females of course never ask “what do men want?” because they say answer is self-evident - as much, as often, and with as many women as possible.

Collectively countries are generally female in character – we fight for the motherland’s honour. Furthermore Jamaica is one of the most matriarchal countries on earth. And certainly at times our attitudes to our leaders seems to reflect this perverse female affection for men who mistreat them. Take last year’s Stone poll that asked “Which prime minister has done the most to benefit Jamaicans”. Of those interviewed 45% chose Michael Manley while only 1% picked Hugh Shearer.

Now judging leaders is an inexact science. But during Manley’s 1972 to 1980 regime Jamaica’s per capita GNP fell in real terms by 35% and its murder rate relative to the USA’s nearly doubled. During Shearer’s 1967 to 1972 term our real per capita GNP rose by 45% while our murder rate relative to the USA’s was stable. Now there were some mitigating circumstances in both cases. But no objective statistical analysis could conclude anything but that the quality of life for the average Jamaican improved markedly under Shearer and declined dramatically under Manley. Yet Manley is talked about as a possible national hero while Shearer is almost forgotten. Why would a country lionize a man who indisputably made it worse off and ignore one who clearly improved its lot? Maybe for the same reason some women prefer unreliable but charming rogues to dependable but boring nice guys.

The French writer Germaine de Stael once remarked that “life is a choice between boredom and misery”. If true, Jamaicans as a whole clearly prefer the latter. And maybe a moderate level of misery is preferable to ennui, because at least you feel something and know you are alive. In truth we have never let things get too bad here, and for all its faults Jamaica works as a country. I do not agree with the doom and gloomers who see this country ending up in Haitian like disaster - Jamaicans are far too resilient and resourceful for this ever to happen. But neither can I envision us ever becoming a Singaporean ‘first world’ success. Because if everything worked well and ran smoothly we would have nothing to complain about. And nothing could make us unhappier than that. changkob@hotmail.com