By Cecelia Campbell Livingston
Emanuel Azan has been coming to Jamaica for the past 10 years to build one-bedroom houses with bathrooms for the indigent and provide back-to-school supplies, groceries, and clothes to residents in several communities who are facing challenges.
Azan, who hails from the troubled community of Farm/Effortville, knows firsthand the struggles faced by residents there, hence the reason for targeting them in his three-times-a-year community outreach.
He has spent millions of dollars trying to impact lives in Jamaica, but the philanthropist, who resides in Tennessee, United States, is frustrated and is now contemplating throwing in the towel.
“Imagine, I have several people that I buy medications for, and there are some that I assist by sending more for their upkeep, and I have been blocked by Western Union. I tried several other remittances, and my agent out there even took the charity certificate to show, and even then she has challenges receiving the money,” he stressed, adding that this process plus what he went through on his most recent trip to Jamaica is proving to be a bitter pill to swallow.
Azan, who flew into the island on May 12, has just completed a one-room house for an indigent male. His representative went to clear the shipment he sent—five barrels and a crate—but was unsuccessful as the custom officer informed her she would need a private custom broker to upload the documents at Birth 7, Kingston Wharves.
It was an added expense for Azan’s representative, Suzan Beal, who travelled on Monday from Clarendon to Kingston, where she eventually sought the services of a customs broker. Upon reaching the cashier to make the payment, she realised the custom officer canceled the entry, telling her to return to the broker to use the original invoice.
“By the time the changes were done and I got back to the wharf, the cashier had closed off, and not even my pleas about making two trips from Clarendon could save me. I had to make another trip to eventually receive the goods I checked off before customs on Friday,” Beal informed Freedom Come Rain.
Azan said it is red tape such as this that has been driving him crazy, as he has shipped charitable donations to Guatamala in the past and has never had to deal with so much stress.
“This government cannot help all those who need it, and yet they are frustrating a lot of people like myself who want to give back to their country. Why reach out to the Diaspora when you are making life so hard for them?” he quizzed.
Azan noted that, as much as he loves his country, there are just so many roadblocks and frustrations that one person can deal with.
“They don’t care; that’s the conclusion I have come to. Some of these customs officers have attitudes; come with personal issues and take it out on customers. I have seen the way they deal with us at the wharf and the way they address queries. A lot need customer training,” he asserted.
Commenting on Customs not processing documents anymore, Communications Manager for the Jamaica Custom Agency, La Donna Manning, told the Freedom Come Rain Newspaper that on May 11, 2020, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) implemented the Express Clearance Process for the processing and clearance of all personal shipments below US$5000 (to include cost, insurance, and freight). Customs officers can no longer prepare declarations in keeping with regulatory requirements for customs administrations.
Instead, she pointed out that importers should authorise their clearing agents (consolidators, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and warehouse operators) to prepare, submit, and pay for a Simplified Declaration (IMS4). The clearing agent can then complete the entire customs clearance formalities, including the delivery of the cargo/goods to the consignee, upon request.
She also stressed that a charity entity can only receive duty-free items as per its object and powers.
Azan said that following his most recent experience, he is now seriously thinking about calling it quits.
“The only thing keeping me thinking about not giving up are the people who are desperately in need of my assistance. But honestly, it is getting to the point where I don’t even know if I will be making another trip,” he shared.