THE EDITOR, Sir:
IN THIS NEW YEAR, one cannot avoid thinking about what it will bring. The first thoughts may be the effect of crime and violence on our society and the individual families that make up our society. How many more sorry souls will have to die before the society feels the tears of the innocent and demand social change?
The second thinking would be about the vast population of youths that are becoming the major source of contention. This contention is with us, the mothers and fathers of the very youths that are posing new questions of economics, of culture, of morality and most importantly questions of authority. Will the fortunes of these youths change with chance or will the social engineers of the government change the plan design of these youths through programmes of social integration with the completion of the new Highway 2000? One can see the urgency of the need to shift from the position of macro planning with the family as the basic unit in society, to one in which the family is the central unit around which the society's institutions are built.
Finally, what will the Government do about the need to build and rebuild the social institutions that are needed to repair the lives of the massive number of poor people, that are being affected by the shift in the economy, to a service-oriented economy, one which seems to be demanding a more educated population.
This new displacement and need for retooling is now affecting not only the poor working class; but a significant number of middle class families that originally never saw the necessity for higher education because of family money. But with our present rate of increase in prices, these families are now finding it difficult sending four or five the same age group to both college, high school and university all at the same time. Thus, the rapid fall in standards of living caused by the limitations on family income and the high cost of formal education.
Then, for the new year, we must address our minds to engaging our young people in a planned economy that will motivate them towards pursuing higher education and technology skills and build, rebuild and repair, the social institutions that will address the socio-psychological rationalisation of this new thinking.
I am, etc.,
BARRY THOMAS
Southboro
Portmore
