Needed: a political rebirth

The Editor, Sir:

The civil servants pressing for their retroactive payments have accused the Government of lacking credibility. Even the Opposition has said as much. Well, if we did not care to take their view, the prime minister's latest utterance has only served to bury what little credibility the Government had left. I am expecting the Opposition to lead the call for the resignation of the Government, a call I would endorse.

However, this is Jamaica. Even with the call, the Government is already of the view that the Opposition has no moral authority to pass judgement and, as such, would only treat such a call with scant regard.

No moral authority

We have found ourselves in a dilemma where none of our political leaders has the 'moral' authority to govern the country. It would appear that from both sides of the fence, the respective parties are cut from the same cloth. None is able to offer constructive criticism to the other party, as each, in their maturity, is only able to unleash the sins of the others in defence of their own or behave as if to say, "a nuh nutten, yuh nuh do it too?!".

Where does this leave Jamaica? If you ask me, the situation will only change when the 'mature' representatives we now have in the Houses of Parliament have resigned or retired from politics, thereby allowing fresh blood to enter, without the overwhelming baggage of three or four decades weighing them down.

The country and its people need a political rebirth, one that is void of garrison politics, corruption, and all the other ills that continue to befall us as a country and people. We need to be emancipated from intellectual dishonesty - to learn to say what we mean and mean what we say. We need leaders who will speak to us and not speak down at us, and not treat us as illiterates.

I am, etc.,

FABIAN SANCHEZ

emelio12@hotmail.com

Gordon Town

St Andrew