MY WISH FOR 2017
This is my first column for 2017 and I want to start by wishing for some things to happen in Jamaica that I believe will help us become a better nation going forward. For too long, we have been descending a very slippery slope at the speed of ‘knots’, and there is no time like the present to bring things back under control and make our country safe from those who, by their selfish ambitions, would destroy this land we love. So let’s start with: For 2017, I wish we would spend more time focusing on education and informing ourselves, as opposed to becoming increasingly ignorant and not caring that we are ignorant. Knowledge is power and the more we know, the less likely it is that people can feed us misinformation and l ead us astray as they pursue their personal agendas. Let us aspire to be the smartest people on earth.
LESS POLITICALLY DIVIDED
I also wish that we will be less politically divided and find ways to work together as Jamaicans.
For too long, I see where people politicise everything in an effort to justify wrongdoing by the people they favour.
Whether it is JLP or PNP who are the perpetrators, wrong is wrong and just because one party may have done it before doesn’t now justify the party you favour doing it now.
I wish we would stop harbouring criminals and turning a blind eye to their misdeeds.
Mothers, if your sons or daughters have committed crimes, they need to face the consequences.
The people they are killing, scamming or assaulting are mothers, brothers, sisters and sons, too. Think about it.
I wish we would finally do away with the National Prayer Breakfast (NPB). It is a com- plete waste of time and money.
The NPB was introduced in 1981 following a particularly violent year in 1980, when election violence claimed more than 800 lives.
Between 1981 and 1989, murders averaged around 440 a year up until 1990, when the number hit 500 for the first time.
Since then, murders have gone up every single year, to the point where we now average more than 1,000 murders a year.
The more we pray, the more violent we become. It is time to stop it.
I wish church people would grow brains and stop being led astray by what they believe to be ‘gospel’. It is not doing you or anyone any good.
And, finally, I wish we would stop acting like sheep. It would benefit everyone if we desist. Happy New Year, everybody! Send comments to levyl1@hotmail.com