THE EDITOR, Sir:
AT THE height of the cold war, United States President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an evil empire. In other words, a country rotten to the very core.
When one takes stock of the happenings in Jamaica, one may very well ask the question: Is ours an evil society?
For the nation, it seems, has a death wish or is suffering retribution for unrepented sins. Listening to the radio talk shows and increasingly in my daily walk, I hear the groan of people who have come to a painful conclusion that Jamaica, or at least the "system", is irredeemably wicked. They say the constitution is inherently flawed, corruption and injustice are institutionalised, savagery is endemic and political tribalism is entrenched.
For them the prospects of life in this country can sadly be described in the words of a heart-broken divorce who said of his ex-wife, "she is seductively beautiful but unreliable in satisfying the urges to which beauty gives rise".
I don't see it like that, I know Jamaica to be a democratic nation. One where I enjoy freedom of choice in speech, worship and the conduct of my business. I meet wonderful people everyday and still feel more secure than fearful when I see a cop drive by.
Despite the problems, this remains one of a few countries where after a stay abroad, travellers spontaneously applaud when the plane touches down. In a way, Jamaica is the world's favourite country.
There is a moral majority who reflect the true Jamaica. It has fallen the lot of those who believe there is something worth saving, not to run away but instead to work to exorcise the nation of the demons that threaten to destroy the blessings we have for too long taken for granted.
I am, etc.,
Dr HENLEY MORGAN
