THE EDITOR, Sir:I LISTENED intently to a conversation between Motty Perkins and a Brown's Town businessman on August 29, 2003 as the businessman so ably pointed out the various problems he observed that were affecting business people and Jamaica on a whole.
One of the problems he noted and one that I would like to highlight is the abuse of several reggae artistes in reggae music today. He expressed utter disgust at the fact that some reggae music was distasteful and was even more appalled that Jamaicans were purchasing these types of music.
One of the things to note however is that some of these artistes have tried for years to get their big break by singing clean lyrics, many of them have just found something that works for them - slackness. Which brings me to this point: Jamaicans on a whole have found themselves in a survival mode doing whatever they can to make money as our present economic situation is such that it is almost impossible for businesses to pay their employees much more than the "minimum wage".
One of the saddest things affecting Jamaica today is the high drug trafficking and prostitution rate. If we were to look, say, at the life of a typical Jamaican middle-class woman we might observe the following: total earnings for the month - $40,000; rent - $30,000; utilities - $6,000; groceries - $7,000. Already this person has far extended herself beyond her earnings; what then would we expect from the poorer class?
Our Government has placed poor people between a rock and a hard place. Prostitution and drug trafficking of course will seem glamorous to them because this is a means of making additional money. Singing dirty and derogatory lyrics would be far more economical for some reggae artistes because this is how many of them gain their fame, this is how they earn their money.
Please do not get me wrong, I am totally concerned about the breakdown in our value system thus my reason for writing this article. I would like to use this medium today to encourage our Jamaican people. It has become evident to me that as a people we cannot depend solely on the Govern-ment to take us out of the quagmire we are in.
It is totally up to us to stand up for ourselves and to create a more fulfilling future. We need to recognise that we have a problem, step up to the plate, make positive suggestions and ensure that these suggestions are enforced. We need to lobby for a change to our current economic situation.
As Jamaicans we lack "stick-it-to-it-tiveness" we start a lot of things but we never finish it. It is our duty to get together, form a committee and put our hearts and heads together and come up with ideas on how to create a better Jamaica. We need to show the Government that we are frustrated and tired of the current state of affairs. We need to make this as much our business as it is the Government's.
I am, etc.,
Y. WALLACE
spoogie@hotmail.com
