Dear Editor,

Dr Peter Phillips made some very interesting comments in the August 29 Sunday Observer article:

"Phillips sees advantages, disadvantages in having ageing politicians". He spoke about the genius of Norman Manley and the age at which he died. It is undisputed that Norman Manley was brilliant, but how many of our ageing leaders can honestly say they have his level of intellect and talent? Many of our members of parliament and prime ministers have come to power through self-interest and nepotism. Age is nothing but a number. It is the deeds of a man that are important. If our leaders had been effective in their respective positions, then corruption would not be as ubiquitous, and age experience and integrity would not be a concern. Looking at Jamaica's "underdevelopment" from the 1970s to the present, we can see that some of our leaders have deceived us.

Jamaicans betwen 25 and 40 years old have grown up under most of these ageing politicians and have come to the realisation that if drastic changes are not made soon the country and its people will perish. Their children will become enslaved because they have leaders who have allowed them to become dependent on other countries for basic needs.

How can a country move forward if we cannot trust our representatives? Politicians seem to suffer from narcissism and the track record of some of them shows corruption and mismanagement.

PNP and JLP leaders must take responsibility for Jamaica being a "failed state". Every aspect of Jamaican life is affected by reckless actions of our leaders. Some of our young leaders have also been tainted by corruption and have become accomplices to the destruction of Jamaica. Youth organisations like the PNPYO and Generation 2000 are not without blame - they have sat placidly and said nothing for years. Until our leaders stop using their educational and intellectual capacity to manipulate and misguide the people, Jamaica will never be a productive and prosperous nation.

Still, it is important for ageing politicians to note that for any country to experience real development, young people with new ideas must be given an opportunity to contribute to nation building.

Rev Tanasha Buchanan

tanashabuchanan@yahoo.com

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