Dear Editor,

The Abiola Foundation has noticed much deterioration as it relates to the development of Spanish Town and its people, and even more significant, the wider society. When other countries and towns are moving towards a civilised and ordered society, we are regressing and moving towards social unrest and economic and moral decline. This negative trend is viewed by many as the effects of the unjust laws that the Jamaican government has inherited from its predecessors and also their lack of will to shift.

The Rastafari community, the Afro-centric organisations and patriotic citizens have over the years lobbied the government to hold a referendum as it relates to constitutional reform. The psychopathic behaviour of the police and soldiers and the larger society, especially manifested in the youths, reveals that something is inherently wrong with the approach to governance.

We are once again lobbying the government and the Opposition to review the constitution. Unless there are significant constitutional changes, the implications could be staggering. Since we are governed by a democracy, the citizens’ input could prove invaluable. Models of some First-World nations could be looked at as well. For example, the United States,, with its effective drug laws has been able to maintain a reasonable level of civility within its jurisdiction. Both perspectives could provide a basis for consensus, thereby eliminating the psychopathic approach in order to have a civilised society we so badly need.

However, there is a genuine feeling among the majority of Jamaicans that the present constitution disregards the masses and favours the interest of the elite investors and the former colonial masters. It is our belief that a constitution that is drafted within the cultural context of the large majority of its citizens is one that has the potential to empower the populace and initiate growth and success within this particular jurisdiction. This, on the other hand, could appear contrary and counterproductive to the interest of businesses like the IMF and other large corporations and foreign investors whose desire, it seems, is to exploit the nation’s natural resources at the expense of the populace. It is clear that governments will only govern in vain if the masses are deprived, and growth will be inhibited in such environments.

We do believe that the present constitution is contributing to the breakdown of the Jamaican society, breeding feelings of hopelessness and animosity, and it is with this resolve that we of the Abiola Foundation are preparing to lobby the government and the Opposition to review the present constitution, especially that section which governs the island’s security forces. We no longer want our government to be pledging allegiance to the queen and to her heirs and successors, nor our jurors taking an oath to “our sovereign lady, the queen” in our courts of law, or our police personnel swearing allegiance to her Majesty in Independent Jamaica. We do believe that these efforts could begin to instigate political, social and economic development and prevent further deterioration within our communities.

Michael Wright

Abiola Foundation

27 Martin Street

Spanish Town, St Catherine