Ja’s rise to glory or fall in utter despair

Dear Editor,

I write to express my concern over the issue of abuse of power and corruption in government. We have seen the privilege given to some individuals to manage the affairs of this country being misused, abused, and dynasties created. Some have enriched themselves and their cronies and, in turn, the very people who have elected them to serve have been neglected and the country is saddled with enormous debts which our children and grandchildren will have to repay. Therefore, in my opinion, it is a frustrating scenario on repeat, with nothing being done to alleviate the bias and abuse of authority of some government officials.

The recently held launch of the Rise United campaign in Mandeville, Manchester, last Sunday, gave aspiring People’s National Party (PNP) leader Peter Bunting the chance to urge Comrades to bank on his integrity. Through this he bashed the current Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government in an effort to align himself as the right man to lead the country. He also claimed that integrity is not just a word, but rather a way of life, and with that he used the platform to outline his plans/manifesto as the new PNP party president, stating that under his watch there will be zero tolerance for any financial “hanky-panky”.

The Manchester Central Member of Parliament also mentioned the difficulties faced by small business owners and a majority of the labour force as a worrying trend. Lamenting reports of irregularities and misappropriation of funds at the energy and education ministries he suggested that focus be shifted to making things work in the interest of Jamaicans. Similarly, he bashed the current scandals coming out of the JLP Administration, stating that organised crime and political corruption go hand in hand; thus, that when two Cabinet members are booted under the cloud of scandals and criminal investigations it goes to show why the current Government is so weak in the fight against crime and corruption.

As such, we must agree that it is unfair for educated individuals, with the right qualifications, and deserving jobs, to not be getting them due to nepotism. With scandals such as that hanging over Petrojam, Caribbean Maritime University and the education ministry still unresolved, we must anticipate that more is yet to come.

I am not choosing sides of this political dynasty, but simply making it clear that no matter who we put into government they almost always end up losing sight of the primary job. We, as a unit of Jamaica’s population, whether educated or not, must fight for the upliftment of our country. Hence, for the next few months, let us analyse all that is happening in our country as we hold the key to our rise to glory or our fall in utter despair.