Garth Rattray
I NEVER believed in Santa Claus but, at this point, I am willing to try anything if it will bring peace back to our little island paradise. I am desperate enough to write down my one wish and send it to Santa c/o the North Pole by special delivery (I hope that my friend Dr. Blossom O'Meally-Nelson, postmaster general, is reading this). I don't want a fancy house or lots of money, I don't want expensive stuff; all I want for Christmas is peace in Jamaica.
I constantly wonder when and how we went wrong. Was it dirty politics that introduced the gun, tribal warfare, hate, loss of respect for life and antisocial behaviour? Was it poverty and the attendant alienation that it visits upon people? Was it poor parenting? Was it poor social planning? Was it urban overpopulation? Was it all of the above?
Almost all of my friends residing overseas express their fears about returning home to live or invest in Jamaica as it is today. The true magnitude of the problem is unknown because many criminal activities are not reported and/or don't make the news.
Jamaica has an entire segment of internally displaced people fleeing their violent communities. There are thousands who must call ahead for a daily "gun activity report" before deciding to chance going home at nights. Many children must forego attending school because the journey is just too hazardous.
Many must sleep on the floor just in case some errant bullet kills them or their family in their sleep. Many families will be mourning on Christmas day instead of celebrating the commemoration of the birth of the Prince of peace. Even this year's unusually crisp Christmas breeze hasn't cooled down our hot-bloodied criminals.
POLITICAL SPOILS
Gunmen once fought over political beliefs then they fought over the political spoils and they eventually fought to establish gang dominance for control of the extortion and/or drug trade. Now I hear that there is fighting between members of one particular Jones Town-based gang because of a disagreement over who should lead them. Subsequently, the lives of the peaceful, decent residents have been immeasurably altered and endangered.
Christmas has certainly changed. Gone are the days when firecrackers (clappers) were legal and the air was filled with the celebratory excitement of explosions and the smell of burnt sulphur. We even had 'thunderbolts' (a giant red firecracker) and a popular tiny ball that exploded when thrown against any hard surface. Nobody ducked or ran for cover when explosions were heard. In those days, nobody confused the sound of a firecracker with the sound of gunfire. After the explosions died down, there were no hearses coming to pick up dead bodies off the streets, no forensic teams retrieving evidence and no pools of blood to scour away, only garbage details to sweep up the paper remnants of the festivities.
We have very little to celebrate this year. With an average of about 28 murders per week, how can we make merry? With so many families displaced and in mourning, how can we enjoy ourselves? Can anyone truly laugh with uninhibited abandon when we are being picked off like fish in a barrel? So, I decided to send my one wish to Santa but when you get right down to it, "Santa Claus" is the representation of the good deeds and selfless sacrifices of regular, everyday people who make things happen by their hard work and creativity. We are the architects of our future; it's time that we reclaim our island paradise. And so my fellow Jamaicans, remember, all I want for Christmas is peace, what do you want?
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
