Crime is the problem
published: Wednesday | May 5, 2004

THE EDITOR, Sir:

IN RESPONSE to the article that states that fewer Jamaicans are returning home, is it possible that the decline is due to the crime situation? When I speak with my fellow Jamaicans, they tell me that they will not return home because they do not want to be robbed or killed.

Whether this statement is true or not is for the authorities to quantify and correct but the perception among Jamaicans that live abroad is that the country has become a violent place. Beauty is not enough to draw people back home.

The country must provide a positive law-abiding place for residents to live. A basic need of every individual is to feel safe. Another issue that I hear is the cost of living. The developed areas that returning Jamaicans would like to live in cost more than some places in America. Some potential returning residents simply cannot afford the cost to live in Jamaica.

I am, etc.,

ELSIE CUNNINGHAM

elsiecunn@comcast.net

Old Hickory, TN

Via Go-Jamaica