AS our government ministers went on retreat to ponder the year’s challenges, we heard that we had a tragic new record of 1,680 murders for 2009 and a four per cent increase in crime over the previous year. We are being told to buy and eat Jamaican, but my farmer friend is refusing to put one more seed in the ground after the theft of his beautiful, well-tended crop of watermelons. An avowed patriot is telling his newly qualified daughter that she should find a job abroad because he is worried about her personal safety in Jamaica.

Even as we agonise over the economy, we need to face the fact that this country of eternal summer would be booming, if only we could secure the lives and livelihood of our people. President Obama said it well as he addressed his people last Thursday on the recent terrorist plot: “Now is not a time for partisanship, it’s a time for citizenship, a time to come together and work together with the seriousness of purpose that our national security demands.”

The privileged can afford the alarms, gate openers and car trackers. The poor are at the mercy of the criminals, and this is why gang recruitment is so appealing to our inner-city youngsters. For them, it is either kill or be killed. In these poor communities, the elderly will hark back to a time when they could walk peacefully while two successive generations cannot remember such a time.

Here are important steps needed to bring Jamaica back on track:

* A national security programme involving closer collaboration of the Jamaica Constabulary and Jamaica Defence Forces

* Fast-track reform of the justice system

* Courses on values and ethics as an integral part of our school curriculum

* Church joining with state to ensure that rehabilitation programmes are effectively implemented at places of safety, reform schools and prisons

* Minister of Agriculture’s priority: an end to praedial larceny

* A website where the media and general public can monitor the activities and spending of our members of Parliament (this could be a feature of the excellent JIS website)

* Neighbourhood Watch to become the joint responsibility of police and parish councils, with stipends provided for participants

* Consumer affairs parish groups, guided by the Consumer Affairs Commission to protect the consumer from price gouging

* A National Council for Peace and Justice comprising the chief justice, commissioner of police, JDF chief of staff, political ombudsman, public defender, children’s advocate, the contractor general, director of elections, commissioner of customs and church and civic groups

* Education Ministry support for stronger alumni and home-school associations

* Increased support for primary and high school sports programmes

There is no shortage of good citizens in Jamaica, but something seems to be preventing us from pooling our resources to solve our problems. On the part of government, there have been puzzling mis-steps that call into question the competence of some of our main players. Meanwhile, the Opposition has been sharpening its act, but dancing away from invitations to participate in various national efforts.

On a golden Sunday morning recently, we heard STGC coach, the inspiring Neville “Bertis” Bell, introduce his Manning Cup team with an affectionate story about each and every member. Sponsors like Lennox Robinson, the two Carl Changs, Richard Lake and Dianne Edwards were there to roll out the red carpet for the youngsters. Principal Margaret Campbell was lauded for her unstinting support and football legends Louie Knight, Walter “Bubba” Campbell, Dennis Charley, Lascelles “Muggy” Graham, Lennox, as well as Errol Huie of track-and-field fame and old boy Monsignor Mike Lewis, encouraged the young players.

It was obvious that the composure and confidence of the team came from the concerted efforts of these fine individuals. They could have easily stayed home to criticise the play from their armchairs, but chose to board buses and loyally follow the team on their campaign. They ensured that they had the right balance of practice, rest and nutrition, and gave them the required financial and academic support.

This nurturing of young sportsmen and women, replicated throughout Jamaica, particularly at the traditional high schools, has yielded focused and disciplined players.

When all stakeholders get together for the common good, what great goals we can score!

We have to agree with Ronnie Thwaites’ comment on Independent Talk, that we need to look out for our children and stop berating the mothers, as he reflected on a letter calling on the poor to have fewer children. Congratulations to those quiet heroes, some of limited means, who are seeing to the well-being of the little ones in their communities.

Our leadership needs to recommend not only the importance of education, but also the need for discipline and productivity. Successful entrepreneurs have been able to grow their business and the prospects for their employees by encouraging a strong work ethic backed by professional development programmes and incentive schemes. In contrast, many of our politicians have made impossible promises that have frustrated their followers. We are now experiencing the inevitable anger, manifested in a lawlessness that is destroying the lives of our people – 80 per cent of those killed are from our inner-city communities. Regardless of the size of that IMF loan, it cannot buy justice and peace. That is the responsibility of every single citizen, as expressed in our National Pledge.

We should be concerned but not discouraged by the recent allegations of corrupt practices at the NHT, some NHF-approved pharmacies and the ongoing dismissal of wayward police officers. The quick succession of these revelations is unprecedented, which means that the corrupt cannot find enough people to cover up their corruption. We owe a debt of gratitude to those fine Jamaicans who continue to uphold high ethical standards. They give us hope.

lowriechin@aim.com

www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com