THE EDITOR, Sir:
AS WE seek answers to the rapid social disintegration of the Jamaican society - as reflected in Spanish Town and downtown Kingston - a number of studies provide irrefutable evidence that a suppressed and disadvantaged people usually exhibit anti-social and reckless behaviour as a result of decades of built-up anger, hate, hopelessness, abuse and depravity.
According to the highly respected Harvard Professor of Sociology, Dr. Julius Wilson, "High levels of serious crime are strongly associated with the high proportion of the population that does not (or is unable to) participate meaningfully in the society, and which consequently shares a disproportionately tiny fraction of the nation's wealth." He further asserts that mass social and economic disfranchisement is the major source of much serious crime - from formation of warring urban gangs, to acts of wanton violence.
Miserable social and economic conditions make for miserable family life and, consequently, for neglectful parenting, which is the closest link to crime and delinquency in a sequence of other factors. These are the daily realities of garrison constituencies in Jamaica.
The garrison phenomenon has negatively impacted our democracy, since the outcome of a national election is not necessarily a fair reflection of the wishes of the electorate. In other words, the political party with the most garrison constituencies is likely to form the government.
IGNORANT AND DEPENDENT
Therefore, the so-called, disadvantaged and under-educated of the inner city-based garrison constituencies are powerful and influential enough to determine the quality of life of the enlightened‚ and advantaged‚ of the broader society. Unfortunately, this power is not known by these residents and, therefore, was never utilised for their advancement. Any wonder why this critical mass‚ remains ignorant and dependent?
Could it be a deliberate plan to keep the residents of garrisonised communities dependent and uneducated, as a means of control? And if this is so, shouldn't the society be outraged by such socio-political incivility? Why then place all the blame on these Jamaicans for exhibiting gross anti-social behaviours when we as a society stood back and allowed power seekers to manipulate a section of our society with impunity? How dare we think we can hold at ransom and deprive thousands of Jamaican citizens of an opportunity to choose freely and seek upward mobility, without paying a heavy price? Didn't we expect to be reaping what we have sown?
God help us all!
I am, etc.,
DELROY SCARLETT
dhsscarlett@yahoo.com
St. Andrew
Via Go-Jamaica
