Jamaica’s Delinquents
Today, I chanced upon a Jamaican newspaper. As I eagerly and curiously flipped through the pages of The Jamaica Observer, I was aghast at what I saw in the backpage of the newspaper. There were photos of 21 students or ex-students who had been late in paying back their student loans. Well, the paper just said delinquent, so I assume its just a case of late payment and has not yet reached legal action.
I am not sure I can call it an ad - whatever it was, it was published by the providers of student loan, which I have to assume, for lack of better information, is the Government of Jamaica. Along with the very clear and rather large passport-style photographs of the delinquent students captioned with their names, the student loan providers reminded the public how each delinquent student makes it harder and harder for new students to get loans.
Now I know next to nothing about Jamaica and its legal structure and what it says about publishing delinquent creditor’s photos in the newspapers. They could very well be within what is legally allowed. But it really seems a strange and unsettling practice. A loan is a contract, and when someone breaches a contract, you take legal action. Publicly damaging a person’s reputation, especially when he or she is a mere student who more likely than not entered into the contract before they were of legal age, seems rather harsh.
Jamaica is a world away. I am just surprised. And taken aback.
