I had hoped that, by now, natural disasters - hurricanes, floods and earthquakes - and world recessions would have taught Jamaicans individually and nationally to be independent.

Alas, today we still have not shaken off what seems to be the the only common philosophy shared by many Jamaicans - dependency. Parents, teachers, religious leaders and the Government were responsible when I was a child. My employer, the Government and any number of foreigners, capitalists, communists, socialists, colonialists and imperialist powers were responsible when I became an adult.

Fortunately, I was brought up to understand that while parents, teachers and other adults could guide me as a child, I am responsible for myself on attaining adulthood and must, therefore, put myself in a position to provide for myself and those I have brought into the world - if any. Sadly, I must now confess that having entered the final third of my natural life it has become clear that as the saying goes, "If you can't beat them, join them."

Unspeakable atrocities

Therefore, as one of a small number of Jamaicans (including a member of Parliament) who can prove ancestry to Christiana, an Amerindian woman, I am making a claim on behalf of my family - Jamaica. In addition, my family has recorded African, British and German/Jewish ancestry, and before we are left out, I am claiming reparations from the Spanish, British and German governments for the unspeakable atrocities too numerous to mention that they inflicted on my predecessors, not me.

Please do not give my money to the Government. My dream of becoming wealthy as a result of reparations came to an end when a loud voice from a yonder saying, "You fool", woke me up.

Come on Jamaicans, including but not limited to ministers of government and religion, parliamentarians, trade unionists, lawyers, doctors, farmers, teachers, nurses, political economic and even radio programme commentators, stop relying on others, local and foreign.

At the risk of being lambasted by those who always seem to know the answers to everything, may I put forward the following proposition.

Jamaicans, change your attitude individually and nationally from one of dependence to one of independence/inter-dependence and perhaps, if enough of us do so, then we can call ourselves a nation.

I am, etc.,

ROBERT P. D. BAUGH

Kingston 6