Dear Editor,

Dr Franklin Johnston's column in the Jamaica Observer of September 21, "Message from Mugabe" is an excellent response to Mr Mugabe's comments about Jamaican men.

Mr Mugabe is 88 years old and I view his comments as a father figure making a constructive criticism. The proof is in the pudding. Jamaica's social problems include one of the highest crime and murder rates in the world. These crimes are mostly committed by dysfunctional non-productive Jamaican men. In an April 2012 report to the UN http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2012/Agenda%20item%204/Country%20statements/Jamaica_Item4.pdf, we see that Jamaican women and girls outperform men and boys at all educational levels.

The truth about Jamaican men is an offence, but not a sin. In Jamaica at the university level, women comprise about 70 to 80 per cent of all graduates. Women have been making significant in-roads in occupations that were once dominated by men. Many young men in Jamaica are chasing the fast money such as lotto scam, drug trade, and gangs. This trend is not unique to Jamaica. Men are the strength of a nation. To grow the economy and improve our image, Jamaica needs to address the failure of its young men.

Winston McIntosh

wmac001@hotmail.com