My heart bleeds for Jamaica THE EDITOR, Sir: IT WAS with horror that I received the news that Jamaica has once again erupted into violence, presumably due to an election that is still well over a year away. This is the 21st century, yet Jamaica portrays behaviour that is both barbaric and self-destructive. I literally cry for the country of my birth. I would not even begin to say that I understand the ins and outs, or the rights and wrongs of the situation; but one thing I am sure of. Pulling the country apart only serves to destroy it. It does not help the poor. It does not enhance respect for the powerful. The country suffers. The people suffer. People in England are frightened to visit Jamaica both black and white. Tourists and those indigenous Jamaicans referred to as tourists. All the violence does is feed those who want to govern by fear. I do not know if the police force is corrupt. I do know that if that is the case, then not all the police are corrupt. By killing policemen or soldiers, then they are only the messengers. But most important of all, killing will not and does not solve anything. The voice of the poor and the dispossessed must be listened to. The rich and the powerful must work for an inclusive society. Drugs provides a few people with a lot of money, but they cause more people pain and suffering. It is not the answer. Jamaica, this small and in parts, extremely beautiful island, has a worldwide reputation for all the wrong things, except for its music. I will not even pretend that I have the answer. But when I speak to my mother and she says she is scared to leave her house, and only has one chicken in her 'fridge to last, for God knows how long, then my heart bleeds for her and all my fellow Jamaicans trapped in a country that is turning in on itself. I am, etc., CHARMAINE THOMPSON-JONES charmaine@thompsonjones.freeserve.co.uk Birmingham, England Via Go-Jamaica
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