THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE SOCIAL disorder and criminality which now characterise our beloved country has in recent times inspired many, from various walks of life, to propose a variety of solutions to the problem. I think this influx of 'bright ideas' can be a source of hope and I would certainly wish to encourage more of us to put on our thinking caps.
Very often it is out of the crucible of desperation and despair that solutions are found. Put another way "When trouble tek yuh, pickni shut fit yuh". Some, however, in their zeal for quick solutions can overlook the complexity of the situation or the root issues that need to be addressed. Surely there are social and economic factors behind what's happening, but I think Ian Boyne put his finger on the pulse when he said in his contribution to the Sunday Gleaner on December 15 that, "Our culture of crude materialism and acquisitiveness lie at the heart of our crisis. We don't fundamentally have a security problem. We have a moral and cultural crisis which manifests itself in a security problem, among other problems."
Moral and cultural shifts don't happen overnight so all who think that change can come quickly had better think again. What is more unless we address the sources of socialisation we are merely treating a haemorrhaging wound with a band-aid. Offering his analysis of the problems of male identity, in his 1999 Grace Kennedy lecture, it was Prof. Barry Chevannes who said "In a situation where one person out of a population is a deviant, we would focus an explanation of his deviance on the formation of his personality. But in a situation where an entire section of a population is deviant, our focus inevitably must be directed to processes that shape the foundations of behaviour."
It is family life and education that are the foundations of behaviour, it is they that are the primary sources of socialisation in any society. It is for this reason I believe that as part of whatever is done to address the situation in Jamaica it should include a much more aggressive attempt at improving the quality of family life for all families and a serious review of our education curriculum.
I think we need a national movement for family renewal centred on community-based institutions. Think what it would be like if every community had a collaborative effort of schools, churches, and community-based organisations (CBOs) which provided a range of family empowerment programmes aimed at improving the quality of socialisation of our children and at providing support for the problems faced by families in the community.
For example, there ought to be more programmes that provide mentoring for boys who are growing without the positive influence of a significant male. There should be more programmes which help develop the moral, and cultural potential for the many children left unsupervised for hours after school. Think what it might be like if more parents got support to improve their parenting skills or if every community had something like a Women's Centre to help teenage mothers receive emotional support and an opportunity to continue their education.
Maybe you think the idea of a national movement for family renewal is unrealistic but I feel it gets to the real problem. Moreover it recognises the long-term investment that a national solution requires, so for what it is worth I'll add it to the pile of 'bright ideas'.
I am etc.,
DAVE HAZLE
discotsman@netscape.net
Edinburgh, Scotland
Via Go-Jamaica
