THE EDITOR, Sir:RECENT PRONOUNCEMENTS by some members of the clergy that in future their churches will be implementing new procedures and guidelines for funerals of persons from 'certain' communities is long overdue.
For too long as a society, those of us with ingrained morals have allowed social misfits, miscreants, criminals and 'boogooyaggas' to dictate to us how we should govern the affairs of this country. Daily, the decent among us have to be putting up with unnecessary road blocks, slack music on buses, illiteracy and fashion shows in schools, bad manners and disrespect, extortion on businesses, social disorder and general criminality almost unabated.
A COMMON SOCIAL CONCERN
It is good to see the churches and other civic groups, community organisations and non-government organisations uniting on a common social concern. The government should join this crusade also if they want to avoid ruling over a country where chaos and anarchy is the order of the day.
A funeral is an occasion of mourning and soul searching and should not be seen as some grand spectacle to show off the latest fashions from Milan or Paris and an occasion where anything goes on within the church and its precincts. How can one explain smoking ganja and vendors peddling alcoholic beverages in a churchyard? If this is not gross disrespect to God and man then I do not know otherwise.
I am, etc.,
DUDLEY MCFARLANE
dudsjnr@hotmail.com
P.O. Box 129
Kingston 20
Via Go-Jamaica
