The Editor, Sir:

The recent Gravel Heights incident will, unless corrective action is promptly taken, become the death knell of the Jamaican economy. The very authority of the State has been challenged and faced down by criminals, garrison rulers and dons. This is starkly reminiscent of Beirut, during the 1975 civil war, of Baghdad, during the American occupation, of the conflicts between Uganda and the DRC, of Darfur. This may seem to be a hyperbole but the incipient signs are there of a State breakdown.

Dependent on tourism

Jamaica is very dependent upon the flow of funds from external sources, for example, tourism, remittances and direct investments. Let us think of what happened to the above-named political entities when the troubles began. If these sources of income diminish significantly, the state of the Jamaican people will become dire indeed.

The argument that this is a one-off incident only happening in an obscure, small district is not valid. The revolt against the rule of law is not just confined to Gravel Heights. We see it happening in Montego Bay and other areas with increasing frequency. We can only imagine the catastrophic impact upon tourism, especially, but also remittances and direct investment as Jamaica begins to be perceived as a failed state.

It is difficult for those of us who love Jamaica, but do not reside in the country, to be critical. We are not there in the trenches fighting the battles to uplift the nation and restore it to its former social climate. But I can state that our own plans for travel to Jamaica, and those of our relatives and friends, have diminished as the sense of lawlessness increases. Gravel Heights is a new plateau in this unfolding drama, a quantum leap to the unthinkable status of the failure of law and order.

I suggest a Gleaner editorial calling upon the diaspora to submit its concerns over this incident and the implications for Jamaica's future to selected government and business leaders. Perhaps our editorial could include a suggested list and their email addresses.

I am, etc.,

WILLIAM PALMER

bpalmer@21st.org