"Happy New Year!" I like the sound of those words, they carry with them all the hope and promise of a new beginning. I like shouting it at midnight through sips of champagne just before giving a tipsy lurch forward into big friendly hug.

I like saying it to old acquaintances and new friends over a quiet cup of coffee. I actually like saying it to complete strangers. The idea of putting all the troubles of 2007 behind us and looking forward to what could be a great year is fun.

This euphoria lasts only a short while into each year for me, as that year racks up its own share of troubles, but week two still holds much hope!

The advice I was given this year was to make sure that 2008 was better than 2007. Depending on your circumstances that might not be so hard, nevertheless I took it as good advice. I certainly hope that 2008 will not pass quite as quickly as 2007 seemed to pass. In my tornado life, yesterday was September and last week I was tipsy and shouting "Happy New Year 2007!"

So, how hard would it be for Jamaica to have a better year in 2008? Surely, 2007 was not exactly a bed of roses on the old rock. I probably don't have to go into all the various impediments to citizens of this country having a prosperous and happy year; we know them too well.

Tough times ahead

Then again, there were some who did prosper in 2007 and 2008 isn't looking so good for them. But for the rest of us, what would make a better year? The thing is, there are so many things that need improvement and so much improvement, that perhaps we could just focus on one.

Take for example, crime. If 2008 were to be the year of fighting crime. Goals could be set such as bringing murder rates down by 75 per cent. A wish list, including a well-paid, effective police force with effective facilities.

An accessible way for citizens to report all crimes, and an adequate and prompt response to these reports. Policemen on every major corner, surveillance cameras on public transport, speed cameras on major highways, state-of-the-art equipment, and a few more Scotland Yard imports, whatever was needed to restore order.

We all know the impediment to this success; there is no money to pay for such a plan. We would have to sacrifice something. Say we shut down Jamaica Trade and Invest (formerly Jampro), a very fancy and high-powered institution? Wouldn't a reduction in crime do more for investment than Jampro can realistically claim they have achieved?

Crime reduction

What about cutting the Ministry of Tourism in half? Sound radical? But surely, the existence of a Tourism Development Product Company, TEF, Ministry of Tourism and a stream of other entities are duplicating their efforts, and likewise wouldn't a reduction in crime be more of a boost for tourism than whatever it is that all these entities do?

If our government were to be honest, there are some very obvious areas for cutting costs, and it is obvious that the police force is in dire need of improvement to meet their formidable match; crime in Jamaica.

So, if I were to choose what could be done to make 2008 better for me than 2007, I would say that a considerable reduction in crime would go a long way. If I had to sacrifice other things in the short run, the sacrifice would not outweigh the overall positives, like peace of mind.

So, 2008 has begun, and while we still have the optimism of a new year fresh in our minds, and before news of food prices, failing investment schemes and crime start to wear us down, let us hear how our government is going to really make 2008 a better year!