In response to the editorial, 'Mr Golding's dancehall summit', published on Wednesday, the author clearly underestimates the power of the music. The author highlights and seems to understand the potency of the Gaza-Gully conflict on the youth and the ability for it to escalate the country's crime rate. Still, people remain unwilling to accept the importance of tackling this issue at the highest level.

I suspect that no one would have a problem if Bruce Golding met with Michael Lee Chin regarding banking reform or Roger Clarke to discuss faeces in fertilisers. However, to meet with the two most influential deejays of our day is reprehensible; after all, they are not proficient at speaking the Queen's English, nor do they wear a jacket and tie.

Paradigm shift needed

It is apparently quite acceptable to blame the music, but absolutely wrong to legitimise its effect on steering the direction of the Jamaican youth. I believe that there should have been a paradigm shift long ago in how the mainstream views the power structure between politicians and artistes since that dreadlocked man named Robert Nesta Marley brought together Michael Manley and Edward Seaga at the Peace Concert in 1978. However, I must admit that the conservative opinion of what someone of power looks like is increasingly difficult to change.

Who knows? Maybe the author is right and the Office of the Prime Minister should not diminish its 'high prestige' by meeting with these men. After all, it's only a few ghetto people killing each other. Maybe the prime minister shouldn't be so proactive; maybe he should wait until Gaza and Gully infiltrate the automatic security gates and high walls of Norbrook, Beverly Hills and other uptown communities. Wouldn't that be a true crisis?

I am, etc.,

RICHARD COORE

richardcoore@yahoo.com