THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE RAMPANT scourge of crime in the country and the response of the island's security forces have been the centre of attention recently, given the occurrences in Canterbury and Flankers in the 'Second City'. As is typical when these events take place there is the usual heated discourse as to why this has happened and who is to be blamed. Having listened to a number of these discussions there is an obvious common theme, and it is the fact that the root cause of these events can be placed squarely at the feet of our inept leaders, corrupt businessmen and an apathetic and irresponsible citizenry.
The fact that there is the human element in all of the above-mentioned culprits suggest that the problems we face are not entirely insoluble. History is replete with instances of mankind taking control of its destiny and turning things around. If we believe in mankind's power of recovery then we must have hope for Jamaica. It cannot be beyond us.
We need to establish a rule of law that applies to all, rich and poor, ruler and ruled; to weed out corruption at all levels or at least make transparent efforts; to ensure that our Government recognises that Jamaica's most valuable resource is its populace and that immediate steps are taken to invest more directly in its basic education and health care. Not only are these remedies economically feasible, they are morally necessary.
These tasks are not easily managed nor are they capable of being implemented in a short time, but we have to believe that committed leaders and citizens in a truly engaged global marketplace can and do work miracles.
I am, etc.,
DARREN MOORE
moored@colis.com
Kingston 5
Via Go-Jamaica
