Dear Editor,
It would seem that we have allowed David Cameron of the UK to occupy centre stage of our lives due to his insensitivity to the criminal and historic reality of slavery and the question of reparation.
While all reasonable and well-informed people should readily agree to advocate for reparation, I wonder if we should dedicate so much energy to "beating a dead horse with a wet noodle". The horse will not budge! Yes, let the reparation demands continue, but at the level of the Caribbean governments -- nclusive of the African collusion in this matter. The Caribbean proposal is more comprehensive to growth in the region.
What I am most concerned about is that we Jamaicans are so excessively preoccupied with the reparation issue -- usually erroneously focusing only on money -- that we become distracted from major issues that face the nation, issues that are constantly being ignored: crippling crime, extortion and violence; deplorable situation of our health facilities crying out for improvement; lack of housing for the lower income group; land distribution; slow parliamentary attention to electoral reform matters put forth by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica since 2013; water and energy, etc. Our public servants should be much more efficient in delivering on such crucial matters of life and death.
As long as we preoccupy ourselves with the now "unreachable dream" of reparation and the insensitivity of colonial masters, we will never take hold of our own destiny to heal ourselves -- if you please, with the help of God's grace, for we are indeed graced -- and to concentrate on the now doable in order to make something great of this nation.
A distracting "victim mentality" with the subsequent sense of entitlement becomes more entrenched in our wounded psyche with no possibility of moving forward. We are perpetually mesmerised with the "poor me" syndrome because of others who couldn't care less.
Yes, we look back, learn from the past heinous crimes of slavery and indentured servitude which have forged us into the resilient people that we are. But "rear view" driving alone gets us nowhere. Let us dare to dream dreams of greatness, and manage our destiny as a proud people. Reparation or no reparation, let us "emancipate ourselves from mental slavery," embrace discipline and unselfish "non-tribal" dedicated service, and do what is in our best interest for our families and our country, Jamaica, land we love!
+Donald J Reece
Archbishop Emeritus of Kingston
Acting Pastor, St Richard's Church
don.j.reece@gmail.com
Focus! Don't be distracted with reparation talk
-->
It would seem that we have allowed David Cameron of the UK to occupy centre stage of our lives due to his insensitivity to the criminal and historic reality of slavery and the question of reparation.
While all reasonable and well-informed people should readily agree to advocate for reparation, I wonder if we should dedicate so much energy to "beating a dead horse with a wet noodle". The horse will not budge! Yes, let the reparation demands continue, but at the level of the Caribbean governments -- nclusive of the African collusion in this matter. The Caribbean proposal is more comprehensive to growth in the region.
What I am most concerned about is that we Jamaicans are so excessively preoccupied with the reparation issue -- usually erroneously focusing only on money -- that we become distracted from major issues that face the nation, issues that are constantly being ignored: crippling crime, extortion and violence; deplorable situation of our health facilities crying out for improvement; lack of housing for the lower income group; land distribution; slow parliamentary attention to electoral reform matters put forth by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica since 2013; water and energy, etc. Our public servants should be much more efficient in delivering on such crucial matters of life and death.
As long as we preoccupy ourselves with the now "unreachable dream" of reparation and the insensitivity of colonial masters, we will never take hold of our own destiny to heal ourselves -- if you please, with the help of God's grace, for we are indeed graced -- and to concentrate on the now doable in order to make something great of this nation.
A distracting "victim mentality" with the subsequent sense of entitlement becomes more entrenched in our wounded psyche with no possibility of moving forward. We are perpetually mesmerised with the "poor me" syndrome because of others who couldn't care less.
Yes, we look back, learn from the past heinous crimes of slavery and indentured servitude which have forged us into the resilient people that we are. But "rear view" driving alone gets us nowhere. Let us dare to dream dreams of greatness, and manage our destiny as a proud people. Reparation or no reparation, let us "emancipate ourselves from mental slavery," embrace discipline and unselfish "non-tribal" dedicated service, and do what is in our best interest for our families and our country, Jamaica, land we love!
+Donald J Reece
Archbishop Emeritus of Kingston
Acting Pastor, St Richard's Church
don.j.reece@gmail.com
Focus! Don't be distracted with reparation talk
-->