Delroy Chuck

Frantically, Jamaica prepares to host Cricket World Cup (CWC) in less than three weeks. The main roads leading into Kingston and in and around Sabina Park are getting a cosmetic facelift to hide our nation's shame. On the surface, everything will appear nice and clean but around the corner, in the inner cities or rural communities, on the byways and city lanes, along the roadsides and into the gullies, the 'uglification' of Jamaica is the true and stark reality.

While we must treat our visitors well, the mad rush to put in a few plants along the thoroughfare, restore some sidewalks and remove some derelict buildings demonstrate the Government's utter contempt for its citizens. Beautification, cleanliness and improvements to our surroundings should be a normal part of our national agenda. It should not require the visit of Her Majesty the Queen or other Heads of State or an important event such as CWC to fix our roads or clean and beautify our cities and towns; it should come naturally and be done steadfastly.

Surely, if we had any national self-respect or esteem, we would want our country to be clean and nice, improved and beautified, all the time. Our concern is that the Government has not demonstrated its full commitment to a clean and beautiful environment for our people.

The nation's leaders

In truth, when Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller spoke about balancing people's lives instead of only balancing the books, we thought the Government would at least fix the residential roads, collect the mountain of garbage, keep our streets and gullies clean, repair the bridges to avoid their collapse, equip the hospitals, secure our children safely in their schools, and the other simple things that would make life pleasant and comfortable. We were mistaken. And, even the planned crash programme work of $635 million to clean and beautify, so eloquently and proudly announced by Madam Prime Minister in September 2006, in time for CWC, is yet to materialise. What we have going is a few small contracts given to the genetically connected to spruce up a few areas for CWC.

Interestingly, with CWC around the corner, no attempt is being made to involve the nation's leadership. How many professional organisations, teachers' bodies, ministers fraternal, private sector bodies, parish councils or Members of Parliament have been engaged to promote CWC? CWC should have been a national event, bringing out the best in each of us, inspiring and enthusing even the reluctant, enjoining cricket fans to come out and enjoy every game - even the match between Ireland and Zimbabwe - and mobilising and unifying Jamaicans as Football World Cup 2000 did. Presently, we are likely to cheer for the West Indies behind our television sets.

I suspect secrecy

Sadly, I suspect that even the organisation of CWC in Jamaica is secretly and politically controlled. My understanding is that some two years ago, MPs Audley Shaw and Edmund Bartlett were nominated to serve on the organising committee but they have never been invited to a meeting. After 18 years of Peoples National Party leadership, everything has been politicised. Every contract, large or small, has a political connection. Sensitive appointments, benign or important, are politically selected. The best and brightest are ignored and the politically loyal and committed are chosen to serve on hospital and other public sector boards. No wonder our country is in such a mess. If CWC succeeds, the Government will take the credit, but if it fails, the Government will find enough scapegoats to blame.

Jamaica lacks national esteem and self-respect because it lacks sound national leadership that takes responsibility when things go wrong and accords credit to others when things go well. Until Jamaica finds strong, unifying, leadership that is inclusive, self-effacing instead of hero worshipping, and fully embracing instead of politically dividing, it will always be in a mess.