Garth Rattray | Shaken, not stirred

The first of Ian Fleming’s James Bond books, Casino Royale, was published in 1953. It was about a suave and efficient British spy. Sean Connery became famous for playing the character. In Connery’s third movie (in1964) as James Bond (agent 007), his character was captured by the villain, Goldfinger. When asked what he would like, Bond replied, “Just a drink. A martini, shaken not stirred.” Those words come back to me whenever I think of our situation in Jamaica. Many people are shaken by Jamaica’s problems, but they are not stirred into action.

Our rampant crime and murder rates are obviously contemptible; such suffering and loss of lives, they’re all very regrettable. Day in and day out we’re bombarded by killings, it’s indigestible; slaying the unborn kids and elderly too, it’s incredibly unbelievable. Double, triple, quadruple murders are no longer inflammable, we’re learning to take them all in stride, and that’s despicable.

From little children killers grow, because as teens they’re incorrigible; with no father figure around, moms and grandmas find them unmanageable. They seek a ‘family’ outside of the home, and gangs find them recruitable; handing them guns, they’re told to make duppies, that’s nothing short of abominable.

With no academic motivation, they dream of street life, and become uneducable; all restrictions and corrections they find absolutely objectionable. They master street survival and practise reprisal for things that are unremarkable; they crave shotta status because they hate us and find us detestable.

Trying to stop crime by picking its rotten fruit is commendable; but our need to get to the root of it all is irrefutable. Less police intervention, more social interaction is obviously inescapable; we won’t solve our problems by using crime-fighters even if they are capable. We need anthropologists and sociologists to put a stop to this ever-worsening debacle.

No matter how hard you try to hide, you’ll find that it’s totally unavoidable; images of those who have died will remain starkly indelible. In crashes that are caused by drivers that do the incredible; dangerously manoeuvring their vehicles, they are indefatigable. Throwing away all safety rules is simply abominable; launching tons of metal anywhere they please as if they are indestructible.

Overtaking dangerously is now almost fashionable; forcing others off the roads has become easily doable. Speeding recklessly seems to be enormously irresistible, how we are dealing with them is certainly questionable. Increasing fines and amending laws are not sustainable; we need to think outside the box to effect change that’s tangible.

EASILY FIXABLE

Mangled machines and bodies, too, are not relatable to a small country such as ours where everywhere is reachable. Would that someone could take heed and become changeable, less static stops, more mobile cops, this thing is easily fixable. Making drivers wonder who’s watching them is quite feasible, forcing them to behave while driving along is very sensible.

Make the laws so that recording traffic violations will be acceptable; having traffic court at night because our days should be untouchable. The idea of de-emphasising fines and demerit points may seem unfeasible, but emphasising traffic school instead will turn out far more viable.

Corruption permeates every nook and cranny, and that is incontrovertible; it’s so woven into our fabric that it’s now almost indestructible. Denying and lying about how deep it goes is embarrassingly indefensible; it will take political will, but more importantly still, no one should be exculpable.

Red tapes disappear and paths are cleared, anything can be accessible, in a country like this where bribes can fix the hitherto unfixable. Files are lost, for a cost, and that’s incontestable; beating the system has become universally preferable.

Corruption thrives where efficiency dies, is displaced or unavailable; but the pretence persists, as if it doesn’t exist and characters are unassailable. But we know better, who follows the letter when cash is made available? From top to bottom, the corruptible flourish and live a life that’s comfortable.

Check what we’re left with, in a society that is rapidly becoming degradable; respect is gone, and crassness rides on a very ugly dirigible. Soaring above all and sundry, being crude is no longer abominable; tempers easily flare, precipitating fear because they are very unpredictable.

Where once love was found, pure hate abounds, pleasantness is now invisible; it’s become a dog-eat-dog life, filled with strife, I wonder if it’s reversible. Peace between communities no longer exists, they’ve even tried treaties that are not enforceable; empowered to fight for scarce resources, the manipulators find them gullible.

Criminality has been validated by those who conveniently find our laws replaceable; their immoral stance benefits them and their ilk, and is therefore unshakable. You’d be surprised to find, that that kind of person is uncommonly unflappable; because they know that they’re not alone, their numbers have grown, and they’ve become uncontrollable.

People who pursue power and money feel that they are infallible; whatever it takes to acquire a fortune, to them, is quite respectable. Our morals are so shot that now we accept these things as being irrevocable; in fact, some view the outlaw life as something that’s admirable.

Though, shaken some Jamaicans may be at things they find confoundable; they’re not stirred into action to save their country because they think it’s insurmountable. Just do your part to hold our elected officials accountable, they owe it to us to do their best for us to live in peace and have a life that’s affordable.

- Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com