The Editor, Sir:

"The countries of the world that are doing well have strong, vocal and growing middle classes that represent their values, ideals and image. When a country's middle class is doing well, the country is doing well," says Delroy Chuck in his commentary, 'Helping the middle class', in your newspaper.

The middle class, as he describes, ranges from assorted professionals, self-employed persons through to intellectuals and they do not need any help; they should be helping themselves and directing the running in a productive and innovative manner. The Jamaican middle class, I assert, has made themselves the worst group of people in this country - a group of parasitic, lazy-minded, chattering class, creating a kind of 'chatocracy'.

Though a relatively small group of persons that constitutes just about 10 per cent of the electorate pales in significance in terms of numbers, it is important in terms of interpreting and disseminating ideas to the rest of the population. This class must, therefore, always be objective, unbiased and true. The middle class must cease to be coward 'lumpen' sell-outs and parasites hanging on to the coat-tails of the upper class, standing on the heads of the lower classes, hustling and trampling them while constantly chanting 'helping the poor', effectively creating a glamorised, well populated sub-culture of poverty.

The middle class produces the majority of the politicians who sell out the country, fool up the people, destroy the economy and push this country to virtual ruin.

I am, etc.,

MICHAEL SPENCE

Micspen2@hotmail.com

P.O. Box 630