The Editor, Sir:

I am advising those Jamaicans in the diaspora who are endangering their health worrying about the crime levels, corruption and injustice in Jamaica: There is not much you can do to influence the tide of events at home from outside the country's borders. If you do not wish to come home, give up the worrying and the concern, and just move on.

Jamaicans have no will to change what is happening around them, and they actually resent any implication that they are incapable of solving their own problems. They believe in positive affirmations and prayers, and if you dare point out that the island is doomed unless drastic change occurs, the discussion suddenly becomes hostile.

The point is that the population has become saturated with the high levels of crime, so in order to maintain their sanity, many have simply switched off their compassion, caring and concern. Those below the poverty line are intent only on survival, and those with the means have become selfish, as they have no intention of losing their positions of privilege and prestige. The middle class can only tread water to keep their heads above it. Many have stopped listening to the local news and don't question the authorities on anything.

Out-of-control spending

I fail to understand, however, why it has taken so long for Jamaicans as a nation to realise that their Government gets away with only what the citizens permit. I listened to the current debacle regarding ethanol use, and earlier challenges like the Portmore toll road, the out-of-control spending in preparation for Cricket World Cup and many other instances where the people have allowed the Government to impose its will upon them instead of operating like a real democracy, where the Government operates in the interest of the citizens. It is usually after decisions are made and the people are feeling the pinch that they begin to complain. Too late.

Where are the educated Jamaicans who are supposed to speak on behalf of the citizenry? Where are the young intellectuals who are traditionally on fire for justice and equality, who have in other countries changed the course of their nation's history? Why is there such a stony silence at the tertiary level of education in Jamaica?

Something had changed

I returned to the island for a two-week vacation, and realised that it is easy to miss the despair if you just look the other way, avoid certain areas and keep your car window up at all times. I could afford to have a grand old time simply because my hosts live in an affluent section Jamaica that exists independent of the economy. But I was aware of what lurked beneath the surface, I saw the bodyguards and the closed-circuit screens in a private household that were not there before. Something had changed.

Jamaicans will have to lead the charge if they wish to effect change, even if that change has to be really initiated by international agencies exposing our soiled underclothes. But overseas Jamaicans should stay out of it and let the folks at home find their own solutions.

I am, etc.,

HUNTER GRAY

grayhunter19@yahoo.com