The Editor, Sir:

It was with utter glee and relief that I saw an exuberant Asafa Powell celebrate the results of his record-breaking run of the 4x100-metre relay final.

I feel that possibly more than any other Jamaican athlete, Asafa is the one who most accurately represents the Jamaican spirit - endowed with such amazing abilities, but having woefully little to show for it. Not anymore now though, at least for Asafa - he has an Olympic gold.

The onus is now on the Jamaican people to follow suit and clean up our act. Politicians need to be accountable; teachers need to teach; the police must act with integrity; criminals need to find honest work; murderers need to respect life. How many generations of Asafas, Usains, Veronicas, Shelly-Anns, Melaines ... have we kept out/down/in school? How many have we kept too hungry, or too scared for their lives to make good of the opportunities they may have accessed? How many have we murdered, short of achieving their 'golds'?

I am, etc.,

CHARLES EVANS

charock01@yahoo.com