Dear Editor,
I am a little taken aback by the responses of members of Parliament Fenton Ferguson, Richard Azan and Dayton Campbell in relation to the claims made by the Opposition that their constituents have threatened suicide as a result of the difficult economic times being faced by them.
Perhaps these sitting MPs, who claim they have never had the experience, must be living in another Jamaica.
I am not a member of parliament, but at one point I was forced to write a letter to the editor in response to a rather emotional story told to me by a young graduate who had studied at a tertiary institution for four years, obtained a degree, and was unable to get a job for over three years.
He told the story of how he would get up each day and send out resumes all over to get a job, but would get the same response: 'No vacancies at this time.' At times not even a response.
Coupled with that he was saddled with a student loan that had escalated to a point where even if fortune would smile upon him and he did get a job, repayment of this debt would take him almost his entire life.
I recall him telling me the only way he could rid himself of the utter despair he felt was to end his life.
I am not surprised by the responses of these Government MPs, however.
Clearly the problems of the people are never their priority, their priority is to use the people and keep them downtrodden so that they can exercise the control over them to gain victory at the polls.
The upliftment of the people was never their goal, so long as they can extract every dollar from every corner in taxes to meet their glorified lifestyles, drive their fancy cars and hand out the scarce benefits to the faithful, they have no other option.
Perhaps they have never heard these stories because they have no interest in the people of this country.
I believe leadership is meant to uplift a people, not to place them in positions of hardships and desperation in order to secure control over them.
I would like to remind the Government that the resources of the State belongs to the State. The taxes of the people are to be used for the benefit of the entire country.
Please, I am asking the leader of the nation to request her MPs to cease and desist from "claiming" that they give X or Y to the people. Only when it comes from their earnings and from personal wealth obtained outside to politics can they claim the "giving of gifts" to the people. Outside of that, all resources in the form of taxes, levies, State lands and assets belong to Jamaica and Jamaicans.
We have allowed politicians to use the taxes and assets of the country as if it belonged to them. The greatest sin of all, however, is that we the people have allowed them to reduce us to the point where our dignity is lost and our country plunged to the bottom of the pile.
This PNP Administration must remember the words of Norman Manley: "I abominate fraud in all its disguises and forms, no matter how it may dress itself up or don an air of innocence to conceal the nasty thing that is below". Perhaps the Government of the day needs to re-examine the true spirit of its founding father to guide their steps.
F E Jacobs
St Andrew
Politicians have taken us to desperation
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I am a little taken aback by the responses of members of Parliament Fenton Ferguson, Richard Azan and Dayton Campbell in relation to the claims made by the Opposition that their constituents have threatened suicide as a result of the difficult economic times being faced by them.
Perhaps these sitting MPs, who claim they have never had the experience, must be living in another Jamaica.
I am not a member of parliament, but at one point I was forced to write a letter to the editor in response to a rather emotional story told to me by a young graduate who had studied at a tertiary institution for four years, obtained a degree, and was unable to get a job for over three years.
He told the story of how he would get up each day and send out resumes all over to get a job, but would get the same response: 'No vacancies at this time.' At times not even a response.
Coupled with that he was saddled with a student loan that had escalated to a point where even if fortune would smile upon him and he did get a job, repayment of this debt would take him almost his entire life.
I recall him telling me the only way he could rid himself of the utter despair he felt was to end his life.
I am not surprised by the responses of these Government MPs, however.
Clearly the problems of the people are never their priority, their priority is to use the people and keep them downtrodden so that they can exercise the control over them to gain victory at the polls.
The upliftment of the people was never their goal, so long as they can extract every dollar from every corner in taxes to meet their glorified lifestyles, drive their fancy cars and hand out the scarce benefits to the faithful, they have no other option.
Perhaps they have never heard these stories because they have no interest in the people of this country.
I believe leadership is meant to uplift a people, not to place them in positions of hardships and desperation in order to secure control over them.
I would like to remind the Government that the resources of the State belongs to the State. The taxes of the people are to be used for the benefit of the entire country.
Please, I am asking the leader of the nation to request her MPs to cease and desist from "claiming" that they give X or Y to the people. Only when it comes from their earnings and from personal wealth obtained outside to politics can they claim the "giving of gifts" to the people. Outside of that, all resources in the form of taxes, levies, State lands and assets belong to Jamaica and Jamaicans.
We have allowed politicians to use the taxes and assets of the country as if it belonged to them. The greatest sin of all, however, is that we the people have allowed them to reduce us to the point where our dignity is lost and our country plunged to the bottom of the pile.
This PNP Administration must remember the words of Norman Manley: "I abominate fraud in all its disguises and forms, no matter how it may dress itself up or don an air of innocence to conceal the nasty thing that is below". Perhaps the Government of the day needs to re-examine the true spirit of its founding father to guide their steps.
F E Jacobs
St Andrew
Politicians have taken us to desperation
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