Dear Editor,

In this year of our golden anniversary, are Jamaicans really standing tall?I am wondering just how mature we are as a nation, and even though it is undeniable that we have achieved much in 50 years, the questions have to be asked: What have we failed at and what have we learnt from our failures in this our 50th anniversary of Independence?

It is very disconcerting to see some of our political leaders making a mockery of the planned celebration. The actions and damaging utterances by some of these public figures have proved to me that many of the big talkers in our country do not have Jamaica's best interests at heart. Seasoned politicians seem to thrive on sowing discord among rival party supporters with their speeches, then ending same with statements such as: "Let us put Jamaica first."

When did it become so easy to belittle Jamaica and feel good about ourselves? How do you think we can indeed put Jamaica first when our political party of choice and all the wrong it does is easily explained or defended by us? How can we put Jamaica first when a minister of government and her Opposition counterpart seem to find it hard to communicate and reach a consensus outside of the public eye?

Since it is irrefutable that we have a God-given right in this country, maybe with the re-introduction of Civics into the curriculum in September, we will see the genuine need to put Jamaica first, as we become more cognisant of the fact that along with that right, there comes certain responsibility. In this case the responsibility to be good citizens.

Kesreen Dillon

karenkaye71@hotmail.com