Dear Editor,

It’s the beginning of another school year. It’s all systems go. There is a lot of hope and expectation that our education system will deliver and the end products (our children) will be above the functionally literate level, which will enable them to take their rightful place in our still evolving society. Amidst all of this, however, is a very painful reminder that if we fail there will be more dairies similar to that of the slain Stone Crusher gang leader, Cedric “Doggie” Murray.

The diary’s contents must not only be accepted and published for the sake of publishing for all to see. It must be analysed by our crime enforcement team and our social scientists and whoever has the ability to get the real message being sent by Doggie.

The diary must also be examined to learn what is producing this type of person within our midst. It could teach us whether our education system is providing our youths with the necessary education to survive in a fast-changing society. Information from this diary must be used to examine our methods of policing, especially in the inner cities, Portmore and other areas where there is a high concentration of youths, to ensure that the by-products do not become undesirables.

Cedric Murray and many others were willing to give their lives for the extradited former strongman Christopher “Dudus” Coke. Both men were not illiterate youths but people who, if given the opportunity in the right type of environment, could contribute tremendously to society.

To those who might doubt that, and I am not glorifying the man despite the fact that he was a fugitive and constantly on the run, he still had the self-discipline to keep and update a dairy.This was no ordinary killer and we must learn from what he has written. Take away the sensationalism of its content and look for the message. If we are really serious about curbing crime then we must give the youths something worth living for other than the gun and a life of crime.

We must begin this process where we have most influence over their activities – in our education system.

Our education system needs to be radically overhauled to reflect what we desire for our young. We must re-introduce civics into the curriculum and it must be compulsory for all, even at the undergraduate level.

To create a sense of belonging and recognition that they are important to complement the new passport system for children, all high school students should be given the following on leaving fifth form or grade 11 – TRN, NIS card and a national ID card.

We must provide our youths with the basic documentation when they leave school. Too often they fall through the cracks without knowing who they are and most often when they do and pursue a life of crime, we only know them by their aliases and nicknames which often spell terror to our ears.

Too many unnamed DVD vendors out there ,too many unnamed windshield washers out there,too many unnamed higglers out there, too many of our citizens are left to fend for themselves without an identity.

The main thing that makes human beings different from the lower animals is the ability to learn from our mistakes. Cedric “Doggie” Murray is telling us what life is on the other side and we must learn from it.

Howard Hamilton

Portmore Pines

St.Catherine