THE EDITOR, Sir:
AS A Jamaican who grew up in the genteel days of the 1960s and the early 1970s, nothing is more disturbing than the slide into lawlessness and depravity that the country seems to be heading into. What has gone so wrong that every time you read a newspaper or listen to or watch the news coming out of Jamaica, another act of atrocious gun violence is a part of the headline? And to make matters worse, there seems to be no real solution coming from the political directorate or from the security forces!
Another scary part to this frightening situation is, most of these criminals with guns hardly have a formal education! If the security forces cannot mobilise their intelligence and manpower to destroy the illegal gun culture that is so rampant in certain inner city conclaves, how can they fight against the so-called white collar crimes in the society? I am praying for quality leadership that can speak the truth and stop these election promises which they know are pie in the sky.
A DEVELOPING COUNTRY
Jamaica is a developing country, not the 51st state of the USA. This materialistic mindset has to be tempered to match the economic reality of the country. Many politicians create too much false hope for gullible sup-porters. This, coupled with greed, leads many into criminal activities. The time has come for the voters to demand more from those who want to lead.
Politicians are servants, not masters, and their service must be for the people, not their party supporters. The deep-rooted political tribalism must come to a stop, for the betterment of the country. That is the root cause for most of the gun crimes that are stifling the nation. We need to continue to develop that rich culture and educate ourselves to the level to which so many Jamaicans are gifted to go.
I am, etc.,
RAY G. STENNETT
ray4rs2000@aol.com
Larchmont, NY
Via Go-Jamaica
