THE EDITOR, Madam:
I wish all Jamaicans a happy and prosperous and crime free new year. In this new year I wish to see changes for Jamaica politically and financially. The major problem will be crime and violence, no doubt about that.
Everyday one looks in the media we can only see who is trying to be the next president or Prime Minister of Jamaica.
What we as a people must demand is change in the political system and the Constitution of Jamaica in order to realise and live a true democracy.
Politicians who foster crime in most of the inner-city communities must resign in order to give birth to a new crime free nation.
As a nation we cannot keep on voting for the same people who did little and no change to this nation or its people. We need to see new faces with new values that can fuel a nation.
Let's not kid ourselves. How on earth we get up voting for these people that only know us on election day. Look at the faces of the people seeking to be the next Prime Minister of Jamaica and ask yourself for how long you have been seeing these figure heads and what have they done for this nation or their constituencies.
We need to wake up and think what is good for us all as a people. We must elect someone as the next Prime Minister who has on his/her agenda solutions to crime, G.C.T. reduction, free education, better healthcare, rebuilding of the inner city; remove taxes from all reading materials, reduced taxes on imports and exports; unite the police force as one and erase the name special constables.
To combat crime they must create a paramilitary police like a swat team to combat all levels of crime. The Jamaica swat team should have the power to apprehend any member of the security forces and above without the DPP ruling, as long as there's enough evidence to warrant an apprehension.
We have lots of youth in the inner city with potential. I think we need to give them a chance to prove their worth. The government must try hard to recruit some of these youth in the nation's security forces.
As a nation we need to have in place a system where the central government cannot act alone without the approval of two/thirds of the house. Basically I'm saying Jamaica needs to go through a reconstruction era, that's the only way we the people of Jamaica can achieve true democracy and the pursuit of happiness.
We must eradicate the present system by all means. The present system only works for the few, while the majority suffer on a daily basis. We need to see a system that reduces the term of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament to two terms only and a Prime Minister upon retiring from such office cannot hold any government office.
We must think before we vote and not vote and be sorry later. Let's stop empty promises from these politicians and vote them out. New year, new faces, attitudes and values. Vote for a change. Vote for the future. Vote for our children. Vote for a better Jamaica where we can live as one.
I am, etc.,
PAUL T. ROBERTS
45 Baldwin Crescent
Duhaney Park
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