Who calls the shots in this country?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The recent attacks on Beryllium security guards who were servicing automated teller machines (ATMs) across the island have uncovered, amplified and caused some serious problems, chief of which are immorality, poverty and desperation.

Imagine the distress of people being out of cash and driving around to no less than seven ATMs – which are all ‘out of service’. The street vendor from whom I would purchase ground provisions, or the fruits man, does not own point-of-sale machines. Replacing the gas cylinder and calling in the gardener had to be delayed due to a lack of cash.

My child, who looks forward to getting lunch money, almost experienced disappointment when she saw her mother searching out every crevice and corner to find coins to make up the money. While the criminals shoot to kill and loot the insured money, the police try to persuade us that they have the matter under control.

It is still fresh in our minds how ‘Lord’ Nigel told us there was no money to pay teachers, then threatened them with an ultimatum, “Tek weh yuh get, or else”. Yet, while many civil servants live from hand to mouth and are actively engaging in side hustles to survive, parliamentarians use their authority to enrich themselves with pay increases of 200 per cent or more.

Again, I ask, who’s calling the shots in this country? I’d say the politicians and the criminals are at two ends of the tightrope of power, and decent, hard-working, law-abiding citizens are caught in the middle, suffering the inconvenience of low cash flow and the mental distress of a possible shoot-out at any time.

I don’t want to just complain. Here are some recommendations:

• Jamaicans need to hold politicians accountable to perform at a high standard – make public the job descriptions so we can objectively assess their performance.

• It needs to be written into the Constitution that a member of parliament can be recalled for non-performance within a period of, say, two years.

• Establish an independent committee free from the tribalism of Jamaican politics, who proposes (not decide) the salaries of parliamentarians for discussion and agreement.

• Expand the banking network, hire more tellers, so people don’t have to take a whole day from work to do their business. If the ATMs will not be serviced, help us with the cash flow problem.

TASHI CAMPBELL