Dear Editor,

Bob Marley has left us many truisms to help us chart our lives within the spirit of getting together to solve our common problems, with “one love, one heart” and one purpose.

Of course, there are pseudo intellectuals who think that it is infra dig to quote Marley over Shakespeare, despite the relevance thereof. John Maxwell’s column in the Sunday Observer of January 10, “Walls within walls”, reveals some basic fault lines that a handful of self-appointed experts are using as pathways (on our behalf) that will only realise the end result achieved by the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

The environment and the natural preservation thereof have great potential for posterity on one hand, but to abuse it for short-term financial gain can wipe out the future of mankind. Whatever the reason , albeit ignorance, mental slavery, selfishness or bad card, the abuse of the democratic process is pathetic. We have been blessed with a land sometimes referred to as “God’s little half-acre”. We have also been blessed with great minds, yet some of us choose to abuse both blessings, most times for inferior foreign substitutes, alien culture, political tribalism, or plain stupidity marinated with selfishness, and con artistry.

When Norman Manley discovered the potential of Negril beach, he was laughed at and even today one talk-show host is blaming him for anything in our constitution that doesn’t work. The environment is God’s gift to us, despite our ecclesiastical professor’s summation of life and death relative to the rich and the poor. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but we are not taking care to ensure that posterity fully enjoys this patrimony. Water is no more taken for granted. In the Middle East this is a bone of contention between Israel and Palestine, so when we prostitute our shoreline to tourism to deposit waste, those concerned will only move to another Third World harbour when ours is saturated.

I suppose our talk-show host would encourage us to dredge for agricultural manure, ignoring toxicity, the fishing industry and fish life in general. Con games falsely appear to elevate mediocrity.

John Maxwell is in the realm of those who relentlessly enlighten and it behoves us to follow the natural path dictated by nature as it relates to the environment. But as they say, no local person is an expert or can be accepted as a prophet. We hope, however long from now, that the trumpet won’t ever signal the too-late cry. So don’t give up the fight, John.

Fitz Anderson

fitzanderson@yahoo.com