Celebrations across Europe and the USA on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, caused me to wonder if or when our wall(s) would be breached. In the 47th year of Jamaica's Independence, our walls seem more impenetrable now than ever.
Unlike East Germany, Jamaica's physical barriers are not designed to keep citizens in. Zinc fences and other less permanent barriers around certain inner-city communities are to keep out threats and invasions to 'garrison' governance. Removal of zinc fences and other barriers are painfully slow, perhaps reflecting the failure of political will or a warped sense that this is appropriate in such communities.
Jamaica's psychological barriers are more significant as they shackle us to different states of consciousness. Ignorance, illiteracy, intolerance and 'Anancyism' reinforce our divisive-ness; black/white and shades in-between, including bleaching, uptown/ downtown, urban/rural and rich/poor are prominent.
Tribal politics
Until we overcome the mindset that impedes our ability to think beyond our narrow prejudices, to rid ourselves of tribal politics and linked politicians, green and orange alike, to break the bonds that enslave us to our selfish and corrupt endeavours, we will not be able to acknowledge and cherish our common heritage that should bind us as a nation, except during flashes of excellence in athletics.
Our political leaders fail us with unnerving predictability - Trafigura, Cuban light bulbs, Mabey & Johnson Ltd, to mention the obvious few. Oh what a lonely and courageous battle waged by the contractor general as cost overruns, concealment and subterfuge are revealed!
Visions of the future are words on paper, forgotten manifestos. Talks of reform remain just that: plans are unimplemented or abandoned, the legislative process to combat crime is glacial, no wonder agents of the State seem unable to serve, protect and reassure and are querulous in the pursuit of justice.
Our dancehall kings and queens spew venomous noises that entice vulnerable youth. Even the Church proclaiming messages of universal peace and love cowers in different denominational space.
In 1979, 351 Jamaicans were murdered. Twenty-six years later, the murder toll has grown, reaching 1,674, whereas the murder rate is estimated at 59/100,000, the highest in the world in per capita terms.
Betty Ann Blaine's noble initiative Hear the Children Cry rivets our attention on the children; 1,206 missing between January and September this year, 676 returned home but 537 apparently lost.
Our political leaders need to acknowledge past misdeeds, publicly sever links with criminal enterprises, rebuild trust that will engender hope, and then Jamaicans can resist being treated like sacrificial lambs. Only then can we rescue this land we love.
I am, etc.,
TREVOR GORDON-SOBERS
teejays@hotmail.com