I am rooting for this government to succeed, because failure is not an option. Jamaica is on the brink of a precipice and seems ready to topple over. Crime is engulfing us; the lack of discipline on the island is frightening. The number of homeless people seems to be growing and public infrastructure appears to be deteriorating. These problems are compounded by a lack of direction from the political directorate. The inability to get public sector boards functioning properly tells the story.

I am not ready to give up and I hope that Jamaicans at home and abroad are ready to roll up their sleeves and build up Jamaica as a safe and prosperous little country. I am suggesting to the Government, let us have some serious discussions with our citizens and lay out a blueprint for the way forward.

I would love to see Government start the ball rolling by taking on two communities in Kingston, namely, Patrick City and Cooreville Gardens, and making them into model communities. These two communities because they were once thriving middle-class areas and now seem to be falling apart. Here are some recommendations:

1. The Government needs to move in bulldozers and clear all debris from the roadsides.

2. Build up the roads in the communities with the best material available, so that they will last a long time. Put in paved sidewalks for pedestrians and jogging trails for fitness enthusiasts and cyclist. Repaint the homes and remove those shops from the houses.

3. Let us have the very best early-childhood education system in the world set up in these communities.

Social services

4. Move in all the social services needed. Healthcare workers should be knocking on doors and screening people and providing the best care possible, social workers should ensure that families are living under the right conditions and the police should move in and build community policing and keep all criminals out of these areas.

5. Provide homework centres for teenagers along with proper counselling sessions.

6. Bring in the entrepreneurial centre from University of Technology to teach people entrepreneurial skills.

7. Make these areas energy efficient with solar panels to generate electricity for street lights and proper garbage recycling.

There are many more things that we could do, but start off with these. When all this is fine-tuned, we could then move into other communities road by road, block by block and replicate the same systems right across the country. We must make sure that they are sustainable.

I will be ready with the first $1,000 for the Jamaica Building Bond that could be used to fund this project and hopefully many more. It's now over to you, Mr Prime Minister and Mayor Desmond McKenzie.

I am, etc.,

SHAWN JOHNSON

jamaicanshawn@yahoo.com

Via Go-Jamaica