A scathing repudiation of criminal dons, roadblocks and dancehall culture and their perceived negative values has come from educator and thelogian Dr Herbert Thompson, who also slammed politicians for failing to take the moral high ground and govern effectively.

Thompson charged Thursday that Jamaican society had regressed in the past 25 years, and was particularly critical of what he called the “deification” of the don.

By subjugating themselves to dons, said Thompson, president of Northern Caribbean University, such communities have abdicated the rule of the state, resulting in some decent citizens falling under the sway of criminals.

Speaking at a forum on ‘Good Governance: Perception versus Reality’ at Jamaica House, the base from which the prime minister governs, the university president insisted that the state had a duty to rescue its citizens from their exploiters, and that the best way was through the creation of jobs, as an alternative source of survival.

“The worship of the person who provides lunch money and bus fare for the children is quite understandable,” said Thompson.

“The alternative is to provide employment for these families to prevent them from selling their souls. The fact is that many a mother discovers too late that the price for food and money is the virginity of her eight-year-old daughter.”

Thompson acknowledged that defying the demand of dons was often fatal, and he lashed out at politicians for ignoring this reality.

“Those hypocritical politicians who refer to the strict code of discipline practised by the second-tier governments in certain constituencies, know how many persons are killed in the name of community justice. No elected government should allow its citizens to be subjected to such barbarism,” he declared.

On the issue of roadblocks, Thompson noted that their tolerance as an acceptable form of protest had grown “beyond the constitutional right to disagree with those who govern”.

“When police officers clear roadblocks only to have boisterous demonstrators put back the debris within full view of the representatives of the law, such persons must be arrested and subsequently charged. Failure to do this sends a message of weakness on the part of the government, and the lawbreakers will be even more bold and defiant the next time around,” said Thompson.

As for dancehall culture, he charged that it took freedom of expression to extremes by promoting the physical destruction of persons such as homosexuals.

He warned that those who condoned such activity might well become the future target of hate.

“Those who laugh today at the clarion call for the burning of gays may awake tomorrow to the call for the killing of the capitalist drivers of luxury sedans and SUVs. When those who sing along include members of parliament and business leaders caught up in the frenzy of a night on the town, they should remember that others are watching,” said Thompson.

Thursday’s forum was the second in a series to assess Jamaica’s development, organised under the auspices of the Cabinet Office.

The university president, in his 10-point presentation, also identified squatting and land capture, garrison constituencies, corruption in law enforcement, the high rate of crime and violence, and the connection of political parties to gangs as allied challenges that needed to be overcome.

On the latter point, Thompson said its occurence was an insult to any organisation, noting that the code of conduct requesting politicians to indicate that they would discontinue their connection with murderous gangs was bizarre in the sense that such a pact had become necessary.

“Any power hungry politician who would use the proceeds of gang operations to stay in power should be publicly exorcised,” said Thompson, who also called on responsible political leaders to identify and expel those with such connections.

bellanfanted@jamaicaobserver.com