Dear Editor,

Jamaica, my heart bleeds for you. Your political leadership is under fire. Your citizens are looking for fiscal and economic miracles.

Your people of every stripe are yelling and screaming, ‘Jobs, jobs, jobs, investments, investments’. Jamaica, Jamaica, where art thou? There is internal fighting from within the ranks, although this will not be acknowledged. Former high-profile ministers are fomenting and have drawn their verbal swords.

Jamaica, oh Jamaica, why not work co-operatively to attain the required goals? Why can’t you work for the benefit of all your citizens, instead of creating social suicide for them? Jamaicans are screaming, ‘We want our garbage picked up regularly, we want water in the rural areas on a more regular basis, we need good roads that are repaired and safe, many of our roads are a living disgrace.’

We complain, we complain, our crime rate is so high; small farmers become poorer, because of thieves. Jamaica, oh Jamaica! I cry loudly for thee.

You took over with a lingering unfinished IMF deal and suddenly this sits on our shoulders; with business organisations, large and small, screaming for an IMF deal. Everybody is getting overly anxious over this languishing IMF situation.

Why do we seek overnight miracles for our economic and financial woes? Jamaica, oh Jamaica, awake and arise from your slumber, because China National Bank and an IMF deal will not rescue you from all your ills. Jamaica, oh Jamaica, we are fast becoming a knowledge export country.

I am unsure about this strategy for knowledge export. Jamaica, oh Jamaica! You have done some wonderful things, so let us expand those good things for a brighter Jamaican future. Jamaica, oh Jamaica, sacrifice no more of our industries to foreign entities. Jamaica, oh Jamaica, do not give away our birthright, retain some for us.

Jamaica, oh Jamaica, awake, arise from thy slumber, lead us to a better day. Lead us not into the valley of no return. Jamaica, oh Jamaica, your leadership is under fire.

Dudley E Morgan

Alberta, Canada

yeldudem@gmail.com