Only change in the new year is the number

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As we as a country start another new year – unfortunately, with less hope and aspiration– the conundrum of survival is a stark reminder that our quality of life will not be improved with the same policymakers, policies and priorities.

For anything to change for the better for us the common man, bold and radical initiatives must be put in place to rebuild our economy ravished by a pandemic, corruption, bad governance and bad policies.

The prime minister’s New Year’s message, in my opinion, has failed to rekindle any hope in us as a people, especially those who do not trust the Government.

We still have not heard about the promised term limits, fixed election dates, job description for Cabinet posts, and a structured crime plan. Governments over the decades (possibly with the exception of the Manley regime of the ’70s) have failed to be innovative and that paradigm has always pushed the country one step forward, two steps backwards.

Do you think that Mr Holness, as our prime minister, would have taken the bold and radical decision to replace three of his senators with three outstanding Jamaicans who have the best interest of the country at heart and proven track records?

RESTRUCTURE CABINET

Would the same prime minister restructure his cabinet post to include a ‘Ministry of Values, Governance and Social Transformation’ and name one of those three independent senators as the minister?

Give me the country to run for three years and we would have seen that our dearly beloved Jamaica can be transformed morally, economically and socially with the same or even less resources than we now have.

I would start by giving the law-enforcement agencies the resources and a free hand to fight crime. No security personnel must carry on his or her duties within the dictates of any politician. The appointment of an anti-corruption czar would have been high on the list of my priorities, and also impeachment of corrupt public officials and the enactment of ‘recall legislation for a member of parliament ‘.

I can only dreams these actions – it seems that our present leaders want to keep us enslaved, hungry and dependent, so that when they say fetch, we go fetch!

Nothing will change in 2022 from what happened in 2021. Well, there is one change; the number ‘one’ in 2021 has changed to the number ‘two’ in 2022.

Aayie sah!

FERNANDEZ SMITH