The pursuit of national renewal

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I WOULD imagine that like most Jamaicans I get up each morning with the feeling, "What next?". After listening to the radio programme "Positive Thinking" on RJR where a Jamaican who has made good has returned to the land of his birth to give back something and to help in the creation of jobs, I suddenly realise that Jamaica and its inhabitants are really good people but somehow we have lost our way and like the parable of the Lord going out to find that lost sheep, I realise that we are indeed the lost sheep. But we are so lucky and blessed to know that the Lord is out there looking for us to bring us back into the fold, and so we should not despair but continue to work together to heal all wounds and to love one another.

But we must help ourselves and force our government to ensure that all the laws on the statute books are obeyed. We must collectively try to stop the indiscipline that pervades the land. The justice system must be improved to get rid of the backlog of cases. Even if we have to hold court seven days per week to do this it must be done. Justice delayed is justice denied. The frustration of having cases brought before the courts taking years and years to be resolved must end and both the government and civil society must work towards this end.

We must stop littering our streets, gullies and rivers and when the rains come and the gullies etc. overflow out come the protesters blocking roads, burning tyres, stoning JUTC buses and they all get away with this wanton destruction of property - our property and theirs too, if they would really stop and think, but because of weak and inept governance they have got away with all the mayhem and it gets worse each day.

Where are our statesmen in the government and the various opposition parties and the private sector? Please do not run a popularity contest, do what must be done and get our beautiful country back to gracious living. Each of the sectors must help each other in enforcing the laws and if this is done gradually we should begin to see improvement in our behaviour, in our environment and certainly there will be more smiling faces around.

First we have to admit that in each of us there is that ingrained indiscipline. How do we go about retraining citizens to be law abiding, to respect authority, to help build and not destroy. This is the million dollar question but the answer must be found because if we don't we will all perish.

Prayer is essential but remember the Lord helps those who help themselves and we cannot allow ourselves to sit back and think that by just praying all our problems will miraculously disappear. It takes prayer and the commitment to right the wrongs and to bring those who break our laws to justice. Our children must be taught right from wrong and parents must be brought to book for abandoning children and leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets. Fathers must also be brought to book for non-support of children. All our social services must see to it that children are protected.

We should endeavour in our own lives to economise not to spend what we do not earn and we must insist that our government when they are spending our money ensure that value is received for every dollar spent, and please send a message to our government we can do without electronic voting - all that money should be used to buy equipment for our hospitals, upgrading our police stations and schools.

All we need to secure elections free from bogus voting is for all of us to realise that honesty is the best policy and I think that if it is not already on the statute books we should stop having outdoor meetings - let the political parties rent halls etc. to hold their campaign meetings and on the day of election all candidates should not be allowed to travel with an entourage, but should just vote, return to their office or home and await the result in the evening.

All polling stations should be manned by ministers of religion with scrutineers for the political parties observing. I think these measures would go a far way to cutting down on election violence.

Politicians should not allow themselves to be used by various interest groups by the act of taking donations. Instead their supporters should pledge to pay dues thus giving them funds to run elections.

I am etc.,

BARBARA COVER

47 Glendon Circle,

Kingston 6

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