THE EDITOR, Madam:
WE ARE all concerned about the problems in our country but there are few solutions being offered. Below I offer some to be considered.
Economic
1. Fix prices and wages for two years to allow everyone to plan ahead.
However, complete all overdue wage negotiations first.
2. Fix all mortgage and interest rates once a loan is finalised, the interest rate cannot change no matter how interest rate rises, but the person or company taking the loan can pay it off for a small penalty and take another loan for a lower interest, to allow for forward planning.
3. Give tax breaks for new local business.
4. Give old businesses, half a per cent tax break for every 10 per cent increase in profitable production. (Company production to be benchmarked to 1999).
5. Require every company with more than 10 employees, to hire one to five qualified persons from an inner-city area (subject to size of company). Companies would have the right to fire such persons if they are not performing and choose a new person to fill the slot. Companies would get a quarter per cent (or something to be worked out more for tertiary trained persons) for each such person employed.
6. Give tax incentives for setting up business in poor areas in poor urban areas and in rural communities.
The justice system
7. When the new prison is built, use some prisoners to re-furbish the old ones and use them for first time or non-violent offenders with short sentences. This will help to prevent overcrowding in the new prison.
8. Raise police pay and require all in-coming police to have at least five CXCs, and preferably a first degree, and psychological testing for all candidates. Also psychological testing for present members of the force repeated every three years.
9. Institute a non-police investigative agency to look into police cases within three months of any incident (Charges automatic against the government if not completed on time. Action to be taken within six months).
10. Any police or soldier at the scene of police infringements is guilty as accessories and should be jointly charged if one or more cannot be or is not identified. All must share punishment.
11. Fines for members of the police and army should be double that of other citizens when they break any law, (three strikes and they are out of the force for minor matters. Once for major offences).
12. There should be a special police complaints court where private citizens can bring cases against the police without going through the police or any other agency. Use a panel of three qualified judges, one chosen by the police, one elected to the post by citizens from one list nominated by the government, and the last one to be nominated by citizens writing to the newspapers or phoning in to radio stations, over a period of one month.
Persons making malicious and unnecessary action against policemen in this court would be required to pay damages to the policeman as well as the officer's legal costs.
Police who interfered with the proceedings of this court by threat or otherwise should lose their jobs and be given a mandatory jail sentence.
Education
13. Primary schools should have a ratio of 20 students to one teacher and each school should have at least one specialist Mathematics teacher who would teach across the grades. In addition, the classrooms should be separated by walls, not chalkboards.
14. At least two primary schools in every parish should have a trained specialist teacher for students with learning disabilities and these schools should be provided with a school bus to allow them to collect students from throughout the parish.
15. Every primary school child should get a cooked lunch, preferably prepared by teams of parents (who should be paid) and where that is not possible by a school cook.
16. All students should be checked for sight, hearing and learning abilities at Grade 3 or earlier.
I hope these suggestions will get others thinking, even if they disagree with my suggestions. But whatever we are doing we need to do it now, or at the latest within the next year.
I am etc.,
CONCERNED CITIZEN
Mandeville
Manchester
