Reshaping public order should be priority in the election campaign

THE EDITOR, Madam:

General election in Jamaica is constitutionally due in just over a year, and the political aspirants on either side will peddle promises of better management of state affairs. In the process, both sides will, among other things, claim superior management of the country’s economy, highlight the other’s reports of public corruption, and they will politicise the country’s crime and socio-economic challenges.

Let us consider how frequently we witness police vehicles disregarding the road code, in situations that do not constitute emergencies. Then, there are the daily occurrences of emergency vehicles speeding to address real emergencies, while motorists refuse to pull to the side of the roadway. The insanity on our roadways symbolises an unparalleled degeneracy in our society; and the fact that a majority of these infractions are unlikely to be prosecuted, our citizens are emboldened to push the boundaries.

We are in a perilous state, and Jamaicans appears to be of the view that the pursuit of macroeconomic developmental benchmarks and the creation of an ordered society are mutually exclusive. In the past three decades, there have been vast improvements in the standard of living for most Jamaicans. The evolution in mass communication, the improvements in access to housing and in the major road networks are among areas multiple administrations will brag about. Sadly, the improvements in the standard of living have not seen commensurate improvements in the quality of life. Despite our positive trajectory within global developmental benchmarks, a critical mass of our citizens does not entertain the pursuit of social actualisation.

The conduct on our roads may be singled out as one of Jamaica’s most demonstrable symbols of the erosion of order. The daily carnage on our roadways, an upshot of undisciplined and untrained drivers, has reached crisis proportions, to the point where those who attempt to observe the rule of law are abused and threatened. Our roads are unsafe for senior citizen and tourists who wish to drive. Has the country been taken over by an ochlocracy? In the past three decades or so, we have seen the liberalisation of the economy and, sadly, the collapse of order and good governance.

There are many other areas of disorder, and shaping the character of failed institutions, if not addressed frontally, will have serious consequences for the viability of the State. While homicides are at intolerable levels, breaking the backbone of public disorder is an imperative, one in which the fight against violent crimes may be framed. For it is evident that our citizens have been pushing the boundaries, based on the lack of consistent enforcement when statutes are breached.

As our major political institutions get ready to present their case for management of the country’s affairs, a blueprint for the reshaping of values and conduct in our country must be presented and be considered the catalyst for the pursuit of true prosperity. Whomever demonstrates the resolve to create a more ordered and functional society may be best deserving to be first past the post.

MARK HYLTON

Montego Bay

markahylton@hotmail.com