Letter of the Day | Call to action: Do what we did not

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Dear young people of Jamaica,

I want to begin by apologising for our failure to build a country where you can bloom: academically, financially, socially, and spiritually. We dreamed of a better Jamaica but never demanded it. We passed down our caution. We passed down our silence. Do not inherit them.

Your parents and grandparents were brave in their own way. We loved you. We survived. We put food on the table. But many of us made peace with dysfunction. Too many of us got comfortable with corruption. Too many of us traded courage for connections. You must want – and demand – more from the people who lead your country.

Revolt – Against the old excuses. Against the lie that “Jamaica cyaan betta”. Against politicians who buy loyalty with public money. Against parents who ask you to hush so they can protect their connections. Against the inherited cynicism that declares, “A jus’ so di ting set”,

Demand a republic rooted in real liberty. Demand Jamaica’s full membership in the Caribbean Court of Justice. Demand fixed election dates, term limits for prime ministers, a mandatory retirement for all elected officials, and campaign finance laws that break the grip of dutty money. Demand the removal of the gag clause on the Integrity Commission. Demand a reversal of the Auditor General’s removal from the Integrity Commission.

Jamaica’s Corruption Perceptions Index still limps along at 44, choking investment, bleeding classrooms and hospitals. If the past is prologue, neither political party will present a credible plan to improve that dismal number. Their glossy manifestos will be gaudy and meaningless as usual, because they believe you do not care. Prove them wrong.

Demand better politics, honest governance and leadership with a conscience.

You have the power – and the precedent – to smash the cartel of excuses propping up the green-and-orange duopoly. From Chile’s students, who rewrote a dictatorship’s constitution, to Kenya’s Gen Z, who forced a retreat on a punishing finance bill, youth around the world have shown that a determined generation can detonate sclerotic and toxic politics.

Through tech-savvy activism, creative resistance, and persistent courage, you can begin to build a new Jamaica.

So rise up! Insist on laws that shine light on government spending. Insist on contracts that are public, not private deals. Insist on leaders who show what they own – and how they got it. Insist on an anti-corruption body with real teeth that can investigate, arrest and prosecute.

If you want a better country, then do what we, your elders, did not. Be more courageous than we were. Be willing to lay your bodies down – not for tribal politics or party colours, but for principle, for justice, for your future children. A better Jamaica is possible. You have the tools. You have the truth. Now take the reins. If the young people of Kenya can begin the process to achieve a new Kenya, so can you.

XANDER J. BROWN