For 300 years our people were enslaved. Slavery was abolished, but we are in psychological bondage.

During slavery, the ruling class devised a number of strategies of control. They divided and ruled, played upon the differences between tribes and set groups of slaves against one another. A hierarchy evolved that was used to control - 'the backra' was superior to the gang leader who was made to feel superior to the field slave. The house slaves and tradesmen also reigned supreme. Those who were white were superior to those who were brown and 'the browning' was superior to the black slave.

Food, clothes and other scarce benefits were also used to exercise control. While many slaves detested slavery, they were so grateful to the master for the distribution of scarce benefits and while our ancestors were held in servitude, they were given the hope that one day things would be better.

The new rulers

Today, the new rulers are the politicians. They too have used the same tactics to control us and to keep themselves in power. They have divided us into political tribes, the green, the red, the orange and the yellow. The tribes are made to feel that each one is the other's enemy and grow to hate, fight and kill each other.

The system has disempowered our people by failing to facilitate economic development and proper education. As a result many Jamaicans remain poor, uneducated, unemployed and unemployable.

During slavery, the slave was always made to feel sympathetic towards his 'poor' master who was trying his very best to feed him. Many of our politicians would want us to feel that way even when they are doing a poor job. But, we must send a clear message to those who rule that they are being paid to do a job and that we expect the job to be well done.

Perfectly designed system

The system is perfectly designed to keep the master in power and the slaves in bondage. Let us take a hypothetical case of a farmer. He needs water for irrigation and good roads to transport his produce to the market. The politician gives his friend the contract to build a road. The road is poorly built as part of the money is squandered in politicking. The poorly built road is washed away. The farmer remains poor and dependent and the politician remains in power. The farmer, however, is ever so grateful to the politician for having built the road and he remains dependent.

Our current social system has evolved into a situation where parts of the society live and feel superior to other parts. Like slaves in the barracks, we have many people living on gully banks and in garrisons. Many of them remain helpless, hopeless and dependent. They become dependent on the politicians who control us through the distribution of spoils and scarce benefits. Like the poor slave, they remain in subjugation and have accepted that state and status.

Poorest in the Caribbean

It is very instructive that both Jamaica and Haiti are the two countries that experienced the harshest form of slavery and today remain among the poorest in the Caribbean.

Our National Heroes, Nanny and Sam Sharpe, George William Gordon made sacrifices to take us out of bondage, but we have allowed ourselves to fall into mental slavery. Let us heed the words of Marcus Garvey and 'emancipate ourselves from mental slavery'.

Dr Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and head, Section of Psychiatry, Dept. Of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.