The Editor, Sir:

It was with mixed emotions that I watched a JIS documentary highlighting the series of events signalling the birth of a sovereign nation, from its previous rulers, Britain.

On the one hand, a strong sense of pride overwhelmed me to see the great feeling of unity and love which swept across the length and breadth of the country, as a people celebrated what ostensibly was supposed to be a new beginning for a nation that had been battle worn by slavery and rule by a foreign territory.

Clearly the celebrations were of some import as it was attended by a number of foreign dignitaries including Princess Margaret and then United States Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, who actually stayed for almost if not all of the festivities.

On the flip side having had the benefit of 46 years of hindsight, can we as a nation be truly proud of our post-independence history and the present state of affairs? More specifically, can the present and retired crop of politicians of the two major divisive forces (JLP and PNP) rest with a clear conscience knowing the negative cumulative effect that post-independence garrison politics has had on the country and its people?

All this begs the question; Did we as a nation in our quest for self-rule do the right thing at the wrong time. Would we have been better off if we had opted for delayed gratification, or managed our affairs up to now in a better way?

As a nation we are at a critical juncture in our social and economic life. We can either continue to sink towards a bottomless ocean or put all hands on deck in seeking to restore this beautiful gem of an island to some semblance of its former glory and prominence within the region.

I am, etc.,

CHRIS GAYLE

christez3@yahoo.com

Letter

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