THE EDITOR, Sir:
In response to the article in The Gleaner entitled: 'Crime and Violence: Business leaders want action', I wish to support the view expressed by the immediate past president of the Jamaica Manufacturer's Association (JMA) Clarence Clarke, on the need to seek a long-term solution by implementing the Values and Attitudes programme announced by the Government previously.
To use a medical analogy, while surgery may be necessary for an immediate symptom to be addressed, causal factors have to be addressed to cure the illness. Several factors in recent decades have cumulatively helped to undermine the fabric of society. The extended family which served to raise children in a values oriented environment has diminished considerably. The tendency to rely on material values rather than spiritual values has seen the medium of television entering everyone's private domains, bringing in often foreign cultures and norms that slowly influence and degrade our traditional values, in the name of freedom of the press and of expression.
We reap but what we sow. What is needed on a national scale, is for all stakeholders, to recognise the importance of integrating human values in all spheres of activities, in the home, the school and the community.
Indeed, in Barbados, the Prime Minister declared Year 2000 as the Year of Human Values. That is a good start, but it must be embraced by all.
It has been proven that even schools in Zambia, where human values were integrated within every subject in the curriculum, resulted in dramatic positive effect in terms of character, behaviour improvement and in academic scholastic results.
What is needed are leaders from all spheres of activity to show the courage needed to take a positive stand, to do what is right, and not what is popular.
I am, etc.,
Lalu N. Vaswani, chairman
siewibb@promotech.net
Sai Institute of Education W.I.
(Barbados Branch)
25 Clapham Close
Bridgetown
