George Henry, Gleaner Writer

O'Neil Ankle as he delivers an address to long serving teachers

SPALDINGS, Clarendon:

O'Neil Ankle, who was named Lasco Principal of the Year for 2007, is blaming adults for much of the ills that are plaguing the society.

Addressing a long-service awards function for 17 early childhood teachers at the Mandeville Hotel, in Manchester, last Thursday, Ankle, who is principal for the Green Park Primary and Junior High School, in Clarendon, said adults have turned a blind eye to many injustices and 'mean' behaviour in the society for too long.

"We have remained silent on the lewdness and uncivilised behaviour on our public transportation, saying that we don't care. For years, we just remained isolated and locked ourselves in our closets, and allowed our homes, communities and, by extension, our country to disintegrate into moral decadence. We have sown the wind and today we are reaping the whirlwind", he stressed.

Ankle said that Jamaicans have ignored the nation's slide into decadence and now that fact has come back to haunt virtually everyone living on the island.

'Denounce the mess'

The principal said though the nation is confronted by high levels of crime, corruption and other ills, all is not lost as there are teachers in the education system that are playing significant roles.

He challenged the authorities and those who are putting forward suggestions to legalise abortion and for condoms to be distributed in schools to "stop feeding the nation's children's minds with a diet of sex and immorality".

Already the nation's children are being adversely affected by lewdness on buses, the Internet, videos and carnival, he said.

"They have turned around asking us to distribute condoms and for the society to legalise abortion on demand. This is absolute madness. When will these leaders with guts and gumption come forward and totally denounce the mess we are in?" questioned Ankle, who is also an elder in the United Church.

Emergency appeal for water in 'st Bess'

The St Elizabeth Parish Council has made an emergency appeal to Robert Montague, state minister in the office of the prime minister with responsibility for local government, for $2.5 million from the equalisation fund to assist with the trucking of water to the drought-stricken areas.

Speaking in an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, Kenroy Stewart, head of the parish council's roads and works department, said, "Once the funds are in place, the council will truck water to the most affected areas. These include sections of southwest St Elizabeth, most of the north western side, as well as a significant portion of the southern section of the parish. Residents are having a hard time, judging from the councillors' representation about affected areas at council meetings," Stewart said.

-Rayon Dyer