The Editor, Sir:

Somehow urban poverty with its overcrowded living conditions, inter-town rivalry and homelessness seemed like the worst kind of human depravity to me, until recently when I started making frequent trips to rural communities in Jamaica.

Rural poverty is even more disheartening than urban poverty. I have met persons who cannot tell how old they are without referring to their date of birth recorded on voters' ID; people, who have somehow failed to receive even basic education, have no means of employment whatsoever, inadequate or no water facilities, persons who are highly skilled but illiterate and have erratic opportunities to use their skills; men on every corner, stretching their hands out for 'a money' and, unlike in urban areas, there are little opportunities to hustle a living.

My message is to the members of parliament, the people's representatives. Does your responsibility to the people you represent end once you take office? Are you satisfied with getting persons on the voters' list and being elected to serve another term without actively seeking to address the issues that they face? Aren't you accountable to the people for the lack of educational facilities and basic infrastructure needed for them to be trained and employed?

I think it's time for policymakers to get as serious about rural development as they are about urban development. Policymakers, you have the power to engage the private-sector entities and form a coalition to decentralise services and create opportunities for rural development.

Power of engagement

You have the power to engage the people whom you represent, find out what their skills and interests are and use the various governmental institutions like HEART and National Youth Service to make trips up into the hills and down into the valleys to train, certify and educate the people in the rural areas.

National development and human development must go hand in hand. Furthermore, human development is not solely for the cities and towns, opportunities need also to exist in the rural areas!

So, policymakers, MPs, do justice to the people and represent them.

I am, etc.,

JESANYA SCALE

jesanya19@hotmail.com

Spanish Town

St Catherine