Jamaica Observer

Dear Editor,

The upcoming Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) presidential election has not generated as much buzz as in former years. There have been whispers in education circles as to a possible reason(s) for this rather dull and uninspiring campaign among the candidates vying to become leader of the 20,000-plus teachers in the public education system.

Two possibilities have emerged to explain the lack of interest in the election, which is less than two weeks away. Is it possible that the 2014 candidates are not as imposing as in former years? Secondly, is it that the voter apathy which affects the general voting population has now caught up with the eligible voters in the upcoming JTA election?

Regardless of the answer, there has not been a clear favourite among the candidates. This occurrence is rather disappointing, especially since the JTA, is celebrating its 50th-year anniversary.

A number of issues have once again emerged as the candidates enter the final two weeks for the June 16-20 president-elect selection of 2014. One troubling issue is the fact that principals have a clear advantage over classroom teachers in the annual polls. In many quarters the debate rages on as to whether the JTA should represent both principals and classroom teachers. It is reason to argue that once one becomes a principal or vice-principal his/her concerns change from that of the average classroom teacher.

Also, campaigning in any election is financially burdensome. Each candidate is expected to travel to all 14 parishes to speak to teachers at various schools to get their support. In quite a number of instances the classroom teacher does not own a vehicle, while in most instances principals do. The elections would be more balanced if the JTA were to set aside some sort of travelling allowance so that candidates who are in need of such support could benefit.

Additionally, aspirants need time-off from school to campaign. The classroom teacher, in this regard, will also be at a disadvantage. A principal has the privilege of taking the time off from school while this position of privilege does not extent to the classroom teacher. Some special leave entitlement should be afforded to classroom teachers who are candidates in these elections.

Historically, males have been more "privileged" regarding the presidency of the JTA. I appeal to all those who have a vote to carefully scrutinise all five candidates and not allow themselves to be swayed by the sex and/or social class of the candidates. We are in need of transformational leadership at this time in our country's development.

The JTA needs to move with the times and organise debates among all candidates. We need to hear all the candidates articulate their plans and vision. Stakeholders could then judge the suitability, or lack thereof of candidates.

Let us be reminded that the most popular candidate is not necessarily the best to lead. In voting for the next president I urge educators to vote for that candidate who is best suited to represent their interest and the image of the teacher in the 21st century.

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com

www.wayaine.blogspot.com

JTA prez polls going under the radar

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Paulwell has actually done a lot of good.

This is the same man that removed the monopoly from Cable & Wireless making phones and the entire communication industry much cheaper; this is the same man that removed taxes from computers and has actually supplied many schools with free internet access and computers; this is the same man that has pushed for solar energy to be available to us much cheaper than it is, and has actually made other companies come into the market to supply energy to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS).

We are so focused on negatives we have totally forgotten the positives.

Tell me which minister has done more? And what wrong has he done here really?

The man said in parliament that he accepted their bid because Energy World International (EWI) would actually bring cheaper energy and were the only one that actually had its own supply of natural gas. Cabinet accepted this.

So now that the company has defaulted (no fault of Paulwell) he is being blamed for that. Nobody in Government is an angel or perfect for that matter, but I have actually seen and have benefits from policies implemented by Paulwell.

Most of the comments I have heard are just political ones from people who I'm sure have never stopped to even check what is really going.

Gary Rubbas Harris

I went to school with one of Jamaica's most celebrated intellectuals who died from the ravages to his body inflicted by the AIDS virus.

Now this man wore the prestigious accolade of professor, but what struck me like a bolt of lightning was that, with all of this education, he apparently did not know that when engaging in sexual intercourse with people whose status he was not privy he should have always used a condom.

Against this background, it is becoming increasingly obvious that this matter regarding Professor Bain's needs careful analysis.

Nonetheless, I support the dismissal of Professor Bain from his position because he was put there to protect the rights of these people who are consistently discriminated against.

So I am calling on the professional protesters to cease their activities and advise the professor thatm, now that he is no longer associated with the programme, it is the right time for him to exercise his right to freedom of speech.

Ken Spencer

Kingston 8

ken3_1999@yahoo.com

I support Bain's dismissal

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Dear Editor,

Dr Shane Alexis, president of the Medical Association (MAJ), in his letter of May 18 on the issue of Professor Brendan Bain's professionalism, reflected in my considered opinion a low standard on his part for medical 'professionalism'.

One, in his association's authority, Dr Alexis stated that Professor Bain as an expert witness in giving testimony to the court (Belizean) did so in a personal capacity as an "expert himself". Yet, surprisingly, Dr Alexis goes on to say: "We (MAJ) sincerely hope that our responsibility, under the law, to the court is not under any form of attack."

That 'connection' between Professor Bain's conceded individual right to an association's responsibility in a court of law being affected is logically problematic and semantically a non sequitur.

Two, the letter of Dr Alexis projects the tone of a legal prosecutor rather than a scientist. Not to mention any link logically to the president of the MAJ. He says quite rightly "our training and expertise are in science and scientific research". But he is not quite right in saying that the "veracity of a scientific conclusion should only be challenged on the basis of science". His statement raises a definitional problem regarding science -- which there is -- for there is laboratory concept and the logical research finding concept.

If, for example, research shows that same-sex practioners or homosexuals are the primary group of persons in the Caribbean responsible for the spread of AIDS or HIV, that conclusion would be arrived at from systematic research, but not necessarily scientific -- certainly not based on laboratory-kind medical science.

Third, Dr Alexis notes with high praise the outstanding work of Professor Bain in the leadership of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training efforts and so seems to link what a scientist thinks of the 'objects' of his endeavor with the passion of his efforts. But surely it would be true to say that Professor Bain in carrying out his highly praised work attended gay activists with professionalism and excellence.

Finally, in the legal reality so much boils down to what Professor Bain may have said while giving expert testimony. What in Professor Bain's untainted reputation to date would suggest that the Medical Association should be responding so excitedly to anything more than propaganda memos from likely the very gay activists Professor Bain has helped so faithfully?

Billy Hall

billsophia@hotmail.com

MAJ can take off its legal hat

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It was interesting to read Dr Dayton Campbell's article in the Sunday Observer (June 1), entitled 'Abortion: Let's get rid of those ancient laws'. Dr Campbell confidently states "Jamaicans support abortion"; however, upon further reading his article I realise that this was quite misleading.

Dr Campbell makes reference to a 2006 study which found that "60 per cent of respondents support the legalisation of termination of pregnancy under special conditions such as incest, endangerment of the woman's physical or mental health and/or life". This qualified support cannot be used to make the sweeping statement that Jamaicans support abortion. The best which could be drawn from the study is that 60 per cent of Jamaicans support abortion under specific circumstances.

I am interested to ascertain which competent authority would determine the "mental health" of pregnant mothers. I suggest that this category, mental health, would result in widespread abuse. Does Dr Campbell realise that there are some doctors who routinely provide "sick days" for patients who are not sick? What will prevent some doctors from falsely claiming "mental health" issues for pregnant mothers?

Dr Campbell speaks eloquently of the rights of the mothers, but does an unborn child have any rights? I wish Dr Campbell had taken the time to inform us of what actually happens to the unborn child during an abortion. Based on my reading, an abortion involves the tearing apart of limbs and crushing of the head of the child. Does the unborn child feel pain during an abortion? Dr Maureen Condic, an associate professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Utah, posits the view that, by the eighth week, a foetus can, in fact, feel pain. She states that "the neural circurity responsible for the most primitive response to pain, the spinal reflex, is in place by eight weeks of development." Should we be concerned that the unborn child feels pain?

Invariably, the push for abortion rights is cloaked in the issue of rape. No one denies that rape is a horrendous crime and the perpetrators should be put away from society for a very long time. However, let us not use a "horrific crime" to justify legalising abortion in Jamaica. I refer Dr Dayton to Valrie Gatto, Ms Pennsylvania 2014, a self-described "product of rape". She believes her life has a purpose and wants to "inspire people, to encourage them, to give them hope that everything is possible, and you can't let your circumstances define your life."

Dr Campbell speaks about the effects of illegal abortions and the harm they do to the mother. I am sure he would have heard about Dr Kermit Gosnell, who did many legal abortions which harmed many mothers in the USA; some even died. I also refer him to our Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who has repeatedly said the best form of family planning is a job for young women. I would prefer that our young MPs tell us how best they see us tackling youth unemployment and enhancing the education our young people receive. I am sure Dr Campbell is genuine in his push for reproductive rights, but I firmly believe that the majority of Jamaican women are happy that they decided to have their children despite these trying times.

Marsha Thomas

marshburns@hotmail.com

Leave abortion alone, Dr Campbell

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A horrific onslaught of murders has been rocking the country in recent weeks. The lives of hard-working Jamaicans have been mercilessly snuffed out by demon-possessed men who are hell-bent on turning our streets red with blood.

Old men and women, taxi operators, tradesmen, entrepreneurs, farmers, and even children are being wiped out. The sight of yellow tape, dismayed onlookers, puzzled police, and wailing relatives and friends make up the common scene in news broadcasts. It is terrifying and depressing to, say the least.

When darkness falls it is almost a mad scramble for people to get off the streets to go home and lock themselves behind bars. We no longer have to commit a crime to be locked behind bars since Jamaicans have now become their own prisoners, for fear of human demons, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to steel-cage the place they

call home.

Peace of mind has become a luxury and only tourists seem to get a taste of it these days. There seems to be no way out for us as the authorities seem bewildered by the gruesome killings across our nation. The remedy seems far from them, so much so that the minister of national security, religious leaders and mayors are timidly saying that we need divine intervention.

I would like to suggest an intervention. I recently heard that the gallows remains and fully functional. If that is so, we need to be using it. Hang the men who go around killing innocent, hard-working people. We are tired of the bloodshed. When these brutish men are caught, the DPP should spring into action and the buzzword should be 'gallows'.

And, please, let's not wait months and years to hang the convicted murderers, just get it over and done with. It is clear that these murderous criminals have no intention whatsoever to build anything, so I say hang them. If we don't start taking deliberate action along this line the murderers will not believe we are serious and will continue their rampage with no recourse. They will continue to slaughter and we the good citizens will continue to be prisoners in our own homes. I support putting the gallows to work for the sake of national security and justice.

Derville Lowe

Montego Bay

drvlllowe@yahoo.com

Put the gallows to work

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Dear Editor,

A friend of mine bought some stuff and I put them all together in a small box to ship to Jamaica. It cost me US$35 to ship the package.

The cost of the merchandise in the box totalled about US$300. I sent all the receipts in the box.

Jamaica Customs charged US$700 to clear the box.

This is ridiculous and outrageous. She is paying twice for the stuff. Something needs to be done to correct the high cost at Customs. Somebody needs to address the issue. This is crazy and cannot be allowed to continue. It is not the first time this has happened.

Donald Melvin

Florida

dmelvin1@hotmail.com

Outrageous Customs duties

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Dear Editor,

Please accept my thanks to you for having dedicated the entire Editorial of June 5, 2014 to me. You make me feel important. There are very few persons in the world who have been so honoured by a newspaper of your international repute. I assure the public that I neither paid you nor bullied you into communicating any of the views you expressed. If someone did, please hold me blameless.

Please feel free to continue your sustained acidic comments about me. It is an excellent way to keep "fitter, faster, fresher than our (your) ageing competitor". "And the best is yet to come", as you asserted. Wow!

K D Knight, QC

KD thanks the Observer

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Dear Editor,

This must be the greatest of ironies. While senator and former government minister, K D Knight, was dragging Gordon 'Butch' Stewart's name through the mud in Jamaica this week, the Caribbean was honouring the Sandals chairman and outstanding son of Jamaica in New York for his personal work that has provided a productive life for thousands of Caribbean people and their families.

What has Knight achieved for Jamaica, other than the nickname Star Boy for his very rude and disrespectful treatment of former prime minister, Bruce Golding during the Manatt/Tivoli commission? Maybe his greatest achievement is that pyrrhic victory in getting Kern Spencer, his political colleague, off the corruption charges related to the Cuban light bulb scandal?

It is clear from Knight's extremely venomous remarks that he has up Mr Stewart in his 'craw'. But he would appear less cowardly if he just came out and said what is his problem. Lawyers have to represent clients all the time. You don't see them behaving as if the cases are personal. If that were the case, every lawyer who represents a murderer in court would be supportive of the murderer's cause.

Which leads me to ask whether Knight is now using his client's cause from the ATL pension fraud trial to attack Stewart for personal reasons.

Chester H Lynch

cheslynch@gmail.com

Irony of ironies; only in Jamaica

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Dear Editor,

Ni Hao. I am writing from the exciting city of Shanghai, China, where I was invited to attend a seminar on urban planning for Caribbean and South Pacific countries. The course was sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China and organised by the Shanghai Education and Training Centre of Commerce.

I am told that, just over 50 years ago, the Chinese Government started implementing a comprehensive urban development plan for Shanghai. Since then, the city — 60 per cent of the size of Jamaica — has grown into a modern metropolis that houses over 24 million people, most of whom work in the booming trade and finance industries. With a subway network, high-speed railways, thousands of high-rise buildings, and the world's busiest container port, Shanghai bears little resemblance to the fishing village it was in the 1960s.

A common theme among the presentations at the seminar is that 'the transformation of Shanghai didn't happen by chance'. Instead, the Chinese Government made long-term plans for economic growth, which were supported by sustainable infrastructure goals, in areas such as housing, energy, water supply and transportation.

While speaking about the development plan for the city, a senior Chinese engineer said something incredibly profound. He said: "Life should support production." Therefore, decisions for infrastructure and social development are made with the specific intention to support the local economic strategy. This prevents situations where business-focused areas are formed without adequate supporting residential infrastructure, such as housing, transportation and water, for workers in the area. I strongly believe that if Jamaica were to employ a similar strategy it could go a far way in the reduction of unemployment, squatting, utility theft, and other crimes.

The rapid realisation of such an incredible vision for Shanghai is truly amazing. A young Shanghainese lady told me she saw Shanghai develop "before her eyes". The fact that this could be accomplished in such a short time renews my hope for Jamaica. If we get it right, there is no justifiable reason our Jamaican youth can't also reap the rewards of our labour.

Stephen Edwards

Shanghai, China

patriot.ja@gmail.com

Rome wasn't built in a day; what of Ja?

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Dear Editor

There are many categories of unsung heroes in the Jamaican society. The tendency is for us to ignore them. However, the greatness of any society is measured in terms of how the least among the populace is treated. The time has come for us, as a people, to pause to pay tribute to and formally recognise the sterling contribution of the numerous individuals who work as pedestrian-crossers across the island.

These categories of workers are mainly found in front of our schools, where they assist our children in crossing the busy thoroughfare daily. They are always smartly clad in their white coats with their wooden "Stop! Children Crossing" sign.

These unassuming Jamaicans have, for the most part, been forgotten by the society. However, their invaluable contribution to the nation's children and to the development of our human resources should not go without recognition.

Sadly, many have died without being formally recognised; some retired. However, the proud tradition of service to their fellow Jamaicans is unbroken. Their service is characterised by commitment and dedication to task.

Many of our pedestrian-crossers have fallen on hard times and have been left out in the cold struggling to make ends meet. One wonders if they have a pension? Health benefits even? They continue to be treated as the invisible and voiceless among us.

In spite of the harsh economic times, we should remember and pay tribute to our unsung heroes?

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com

www.wayaine.blogspot.com

Stop! Hail our unsung heroes

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Dear Editor,

In 2012 I was confronted with the dreadful reality of missing children in Jamaica. Between July 22 and August 30 of that year, 28 children were reported as missing via the Ananda Alert system. My Internet search back then revealed that no less than 15 Ananda Alerts were raised per month. These statistics point to the dire state of affairs.

My initial outrage subsided, mainly due to the weight of it all and the soothing escape brought on by a heavy dose of denial. But then I had a recent re-acquaintance with the family of a missing child, coupled with the horrible news about the abduction of over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls; the emotions came flooding back.

Are we seeing the 'Boko Haramisation' of Jamaica when it comes to the abduction of our children? If so, where is the outrage that translates to the creation of twitter hashtags, declarations by prominent leaders, the mobilisation of church communities and civil society, and, importantly, the establishment of resourced law enforcement units dedicated to making an impact against this scourge? Consider the families, the mothers, the siblings who must carry on without knowing what has become of the children. No funeral service to aid closure, no police updates, no news. Just unspeakable pain and untold suffering.

As citizens of this country, we have a right to wonder aloud about the action plan of the authorities to address this situation in its various dimensions. Law enforcement must do the work to determine if this phenomenon is being driven by organised crime, human-trafficking syndicates, or spontaneous, brutish and sadistic impulses of adults scattered across the several towns of our beloved island home.

Perhaps, we can unleash the power of the many to accomplish what we cannot accomplish on our own. Perhaps we can leverage social media and effective crowd-sourcing techniques to launch a grass-roots effort to find and recover these children. Every owner of a bar or cookshop can check to make sure they have no child workers in their establishment. Every farmer and market worker can do the same. Every taximan and bus driver can take an interest in their underage passengers who may seem frightened or scared. Every principal and teacher must assure themselves of the bona fides presented by the guardians of their pupils. Every nurse in a clinic, every doctor and health-care professional must be acutely observant of their patients who are children. And every minor that gives birth must be appropriately interviewed to learn the circumstances that resulted in a crime being committed against her. Every pastor and church member must look around and take note, too.

The suggestion is not for citizens to become spies or for the unleashing of Gestapo tactics on each other. Rather, we need to confront the situation. It deserves more than nine-day talk. We need action. We need to find our children and bring them home.

Christopher Pryce

christopherjmpryce@yahoo.com

'Boko Haramisation' of Jamaica

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Dear Editor,

"Duppy know who fi frighten" is one of Jamaica's truest sayings.

I have to do business in the New Kingston area every day, and right opposite Trafalgar Park a group of men leave no doubt in people's minds that they are homosexuals. In fact, the police have tried to get them to leave their place of 'residence', which appears to be under a bridge next to some offices occupied by prominent businesses.

In fact, it was only recently that one of your investigative reporters wrote an article on the activities of these people whom she interviewed and there was some jaw dropping stories about the type of people who engaged the services of these males and the financial rewards they were given for their favours.

This brings me back tpo my opening salvo.

After Professor Baines was fired from his job at the University of the West Indies there was an eruption of great disgust, with many people saying this was the last straw and some were saying that we all were heading into the fires of hell and it was an abomination of ghastly proportions and we must reverse the decision so that we can seek forgiveness for this great misdeed.

I am suggesting to those people who have set themselves up to destroy the career of Professor Nigel Harris that should turn their wrath upon the homsexuals on Trafalgar Road who are a corrupt and destabilising group who verbally abuse people who have to use that thoroughfare on their way home after a hard day's work.

Ken Spencer

Kingston 8

ken3_1999@yahoo.com

Take out the plank first...

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Dear Editor,

Prof Brendan Bain has been fired by UWI on the grounds that he "has lost the confidence and support of a significant sector of the community, which the CHART programme is expected to reach".

To our knowledge, Prof Bain has been the pioneer of this programme and has served UWI and the Caribbean community for over two decades. He has travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean on behalf of the development of this programme and for the benefit of the communities served by the CHART programme which he has led since 2003. He has published widely in peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed journals on the issue of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. In 2007, he was the recipient of the Chairman's Award for Distinguished Service to the National AIDS Committee of Jamaica, and in 2008 he was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.

The fact that, in 2012, he gave a professional opinion in a court of law in Belize appears to have been used as the basis of an evidently orchestrated campaign against him by a group of people now referred to as "a significant sector of the community, which the CHART programme is expected to reach".

We have known Prof Bain as a man of utmost integrity, a careful scientist, with measured views. He has served a variety of public constituencies well, and in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Caribbean community in the field of public bealth, as a professor of medicine, the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology made him a Distinguished Fellow of the school in 2009.

We, therefore, stand by Prof Bain 100 per cent and pray that this evident miscarriage of justice will be redressed by UWI in the interest of natural justice, the pursuit of truth, and the resistance to tyranny and oppression in all its forms, and from anywhere, which UWI has inculcated in the peoples of the Caribbean since its inception in 1948. We are concerned that the outcomes of this case will affect the delivery of education in all our institutions of learning.

Las G Newman, PhD

President

Caribbean Graduate School of Theology

Kingston 8

cgstpresident@yahoo.com

From one place or learning to another

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Dear Editor,

Over the past few weeks, pronouncements made by some of our political leaders have brought into focus the very difficult road leaders generally have to travel when they open their mouths to speak. Not only are they often taken out of context, but also like most other human beings, they get carried away with the emotion of the moment.

Then they are also subjected to the very well set traps of journalists seeking sensational headline stories. Our leaders might find some resonance with the advice given by one of the twentieth century's outstanding military leaders, and a man of Jamaican heritage, General Colin Powell, when he spoke to the officer corps of the Jamaica Defence Force in 1992. He pointed out that his task as a leader was difficult whenever he had to answer questions in public, because he had to be mindful of the many audiences he was addressing and the sensibilities attached to each one.

Then they are also subjected to the very well set traps of journalists seeking sensational headline stories. Our leaders might find some resonance with the advice given by one of the twentieth century's outstanding military leaders, and a man of Jamaican heritage, General Colin Powell, when he spoke to the officer corps of the Jamaica Defence Force in 1992. He pointed out that his task as a leader was difficult whenever he had to answer questions in public, because he had to be mindful of the many audiences he was addressing and the sensibilities attached to each one.

As a military commander he had to be mindful of the troops he commanded, their families, his political masters and opponents, his military allies and his adversaries. Not an easy task at all, but one that has to be mastered if the message is to be effective and instil confidence in those who trust their leaders.

When Speaker of the House Michael Peart attended a funeral recently and made a comment that could be interpreted as advocating or supporting vigilante justice or extrajudicial killings, he obviously forgot the different audiences he was addressing. Although he may have been caught up in the emotion of the moment, he certainly forgot he is chairman of the Independent Commissions of Investigations (INDECOM).

Minister Crawford, on the other hand, forgot the era in which he was speaking when he made his "dutty Labourites" remark, and that there was a JLP audience, a non-partisan audience, and indeed the whole of Jamaica of which he is one of the leaders.

Whether it be military, political or any other form of leadership, the principles and time-tested qualities of a good leader are applicable. I have had the privilege of holding leadership positions in the military and outside, and careful thought has to be exercised. One careless answer to a question or act can have a devastating impact on those you lead. The silence of a leader who fails to comment on fundamental issues affecting the welfare of his followers is often interpreted as implicit consent or agreement. In this context, leaders should be careful not to boast that they do not read newspapers or listen to comments or criticisms, because that suggests they are not interested in the criticism of others. Such a leader, intolerant towards criticism of himself or disinterested in issues of individual or national importance, could well end up silencing the media.

Our leaders are often prone to engaging in hyperbolic language when they try to communicate their passion about a situation. This year alone we have declared 'war' on just about everything, from mosquitoes to praedial larceny, even throwing in a drone for good measure. Based on utterances and headlines, we are a nation totally at war on so many fronts. So let us use temperate language to describe our dedication when we confront issues, otherwise we may just overreact and apply inappropriate measures. In any event, if we use exaggerated words they become commonplace, and when they are really called for they are likely to be ineffective.

Colonel Allan Douglas

Kingston 10

alldouglas@aol.com

Watch your words, leaders

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Dear Editor,

Why is anyone surprised by the contradictions in the call by a former prime minister to revisit an aborted campaign of his tenure to promote "values and attitudes"? What's ever balanced in Jamaica?

I paused from reading Grist for the Mills by eminent former public servant Professor Gladstone Mills to write this letter. In a chapter about life as a boarder at Jamaica College (JC), Mills, on the one hand, wrote: "It was an age (1930s) when great emphasis was placed on traditional values — integrity, sportsmanship, fair play, discipline, courtesy, and good manners." He wrote, on the other hand, that: "Our physical preparation for sport was supplemented by the perennial practice of rising very early — sometimes not long after midnight — pillow case in hand, to raid mangoes from the vast Bombay Estate which extended from Hope Road opposite the JC front fence."

I paused from reading Grist for the Mills by eminent former public servant Professor Gladstone Mills to write this letter. In a chapter about life as a boarder at Jamaica College (JC), Mills, on the one hand, wrote: "It was an age (1930s) when great emphasis was placed on traditional values — integrity, sportsmanship, fair play, discipline, courtesy, and good manners." He wrote, on the other hand, that: "Our physical preparation for sport was supplemented by the perennial practice of rising very early — sometimes not long after midnight — pillow case in hand, to raid mangoes from the vast Bombay Estate which extended from Hope Road opposite the JC front fence."

Yielding to the temptation to indulge in the midnight sport of praedial larceny was quite easy, despite the emphasis on values. Even the headmaster had a conspicuous vice. According to Mills: "While most boys were mercilessly beaten, others, a select group, mainly white or light-skinned, were privileged in the type of punishment they received. The headmaster kept a light piece of board in his study, using it to pat such boys on the back with the admonition: 'Naughty boy, you should not do this again'." The patent double standard is a feature of the examples learned by national leaders like the former PM and Mills from those entrusted with the task, in schools, even in churches, of moulding an impressionable child's character.

Values are deceiving, culturally specific and subjective, no less so when an iconic corporation includes them in its much-advertised corporate mission statement.

Contrastingly, virtues are the real proof of good character. They include, among them charity or love, compassion, faithfulness, forgiveness or pardon, patience or tolerance, understanding and trust.

Every one of us, being just ordinary humans, yields to temptation of one sort or another daily. It may be over-indulgence, fabrication of deceiving tales, pretension, harbouring malice, plotting murder and executing it, or whatever else. Some of us lie with a straight face and kill with a cold heart even as we parade under a public veneer of righteousness and judge and condemn others.

When we yield, inevitably, to temptation, it is virtue that will come to our aid to deliver us from our evil and 'restore our soul'. Virtue, also, will restrain us from doing further evil. So teach children virtue.

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow as night follows day, how canst thou then be false to anyone?"

H W Dennis

Mona

Teach children virtues not values

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Dear Editor,

This is in response to the article dealing with the proposed increase in traffic penalties.

I would like to raise the question of what is, in my opinion, an illegal speed trap. Exiting the ramp off Highway 2000 onto Mandela Highway the speed limit says 80km/hr, and leaving the traffic light from the Portmore exit to Mandela Highway — driving into Kingston — the sign says 80km/hr, yet police teams always place a speed trap on the highway by the trees.

There is no sign to alert motorists that the speed limit has changed, or that you are approaching a school or police station. It is therefore unethical for them to have a speed trap there. What are motorists to use as a marker? The first tree? The second?

I don't see anyone highlighting this issue, but something has to be done. If they want to increase traffic penalties, they must place clear signs for motorists to obey so they can prevent continually being violated by an unfair system. Answers are needed before stiffer penalties are proposed.

Sophia Beecher

beatrice67@hotmail.com

Unethical speed trap?

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Dear Editor,

To begin with, let me say that I am no expert at football, having only made house teams at high school. However, I am tempted to comment on the performance of the Reggae Boyz in France recently and what it reflects about the effectiveness of the programme.

When we went to the World Cup in France, some years ago, we did so primarily by recruiting talent from among our nationals abroad. I cannot help thinking that this approach is but an extension of the culture of recruiting athletes and other players for various sports teams at the schoolboy level.

When we went to the World Cup in France, some years ago, we did so primarily by recruiting talent from among our nationals abroad. I cannot help thinking that this approach is but an extension of the culture of recruiting athletes and other players for various sports teams at the schoolboy level.

The focus in both cases is not to develop the game, but rather only to prepare talented players to put on a good show. Invest in giving more young people access to take part in the game and the talent will emerge.

Former technical director, Rene Simone once said that when he looked at 12 and 13-year-old players in Jamaica their game was not much different in quality than what he knew in Brazil. However, he also said that, by the time they reached 16 or 17, there would be a significant difference, and at 19 and 20 there would be a huge gap between the players in the two countries.

I would suggest that the Jamaica Football Federation abandons goals of trying to reach the next tournament in Russia and concentrate its efforts and resources on building youth teams at the under-7and under-23 levels. Aim at winning an Olympic medal in soccer rather than reaching the World Cup. The African countries that have done so well started out doing well at the youth level. Ghana and Nigeria have won at the youth level more than once. This allowed them to develop a cadre of world-class players who play at clubs around the world, and provide a pool of experienced and talented players from which to build respectable teams. It is not inconceivable that we could do the same.

R Howard Thompson

Mandeville, Manchester

The JFF needs to reset its goal

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Dear Editor,

I suggested to a friend some years ago that, on the road to ensuring the best leadership choices for our country, the time might have come to look at ensuring that all voters get the chance of being declared capable of analysis and reasoning, by attaching a caveat requiring the passing of a simple but insightful reasoning-ability test.

I suggested to a friend some years ago that, on the road to ensuring the best leadership choices for our country, the time might have come to look at ensuring that all voters get the chance of being declared capable of analysis and reasoning, by attaching a caveat requiring the passing of a simple but insightful reasoning-ability test.

We admitted that this would be probably heretic and most difficult to gain acceptability and implementation in our tunnel-vision political paradigm. We further agreed there's no guarantee that much will change, because polarisation and blind allegiance may still override reason.

Of late these thoughts have come back hauntingly; largely so because of deep reflection on the leadership crisis our country has been faced with for a long time now. The initial thought had its genesis from the belief that it is always best for a country facing critical and pivotal decisions to have its most efficient minds at the helm of its governmental structure. The best minds, however, may not necessarily be employed.

Though usually suggested to be one of, if not the most democratic methods of choosing a government, first past the post elections don't guarantee best choices. This process of choosing members of Parliament, and hence leaders, is inherently flawed. Firstly elections don't primarily embrace natural consensus, so when 51 per cent are winners, an almost equal 49% are losers who may at times have a better solution.

Secondly, as is topical these days, voting is not mandatory; so no interest, no vote. That leaves things up to the "interested" which, in the Jamaican experience, is dominated by a large sector consisting of the least capable of doing the analysis necessary to make proper choices. This sector is usually poorly educated, have a huge subsistence deficit, and generally opportunity-deprived. There is a school of thought that suggests that this may be so by design. Their vote is therefore driven by the lure of possible handouts, which generally only temporarily and inadequately meet the cycle of recurring subsistence needs. Balanced analysis is therefore alienated in these decisions. They think with their bellies and are propelled by the desire for short-term stop-gap fixes. Most needs are never fulfilled, yet hope — buoyed by hunger — springs eternal in the bosom of their deprivation, and so like fish watching their relatives being caught on a hook will await their turn to get caught by the same hook. They therefore become fodder for mealy-mouthed political representatives who only seek to prey on their desperation.

It is impossible to make proper decisions under these conditions. So consequently, a country may from time to time suffer the effects of poor and untimely decisions made by elected leaders who came to office predominantly on the wings of the immediate needs of pandering voters with hungry bellies and itching ears. Effectively, therefore, barring appropriate intervention, we will always run the risk of having pretenders at the pinnacle of power. We keep the status quo at our own risk.

Vernon B Willie

Linstead PO, St Catherine

Voters should pass a reasoning test

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Dear Editor,

I was more than dismayed when I listened the Leader of Opposition Andrew Holness and those who support him stating categorically that they would not support the team set up by the Government of Jamaica to oversee the 360-megawatt project which would bring cheap electricity to the Jamaican people.

In one of the now regular weekly press conferences to promote himself as an effective leader, Holness said the JLP will not support the team. This team is being led by Vin Lawrence and other reputable people, and supported by members of the private sector organisation. On what basis is the JLP not supporting the team? Are they saying to us that the private sector is in cahoots with the Government to do something untoward?

I am still trying to understand what is the rationale for Holness and his team to have arrived at such a stance given that the team has not even met. Who called for the previous committee to be resolved and who called for the licence to be revoked?

I am therefore convinced that the Jamaica Labour Party means the people and this country no good, and so at all cost they are trying to become a stumbling block. What do they want? I liken their behaviour to that of children on a playground. Is this a delay tactic by the JLP?

I say to the prime minister, on with the project that will bring cheaper electricty to the people of Jamaica, with or without the support of the JLP. Do not allow the JLP to derail the project in an effort to score cheap political points.

I hear Don Wehby of GraceKennedy saying that if we can get the cost of electricty down, he can triple his manufacturing here in Jamaica. Is this not what the JLP wants? Is Holness not concerned about the struggling households which suffer the high electricity bills?

Ralston Chamberlain

Toronto, Canada

ralston.chamberlain@alum.utoronto.ca

Why oppose this one, Holness?

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