Rural development needs attention
Dear Editor,
Crime continues to be one of the drawbacks to Jamaica fulfilling its potential as a leading country for investments and for returning residents.
On investigation, it is apparent that one of the leading causes of crime in Jamaica is the lack of rural development. When you travel into the inner parishes of Jamaica, it is clear that some of our politicians are not doing their jobs to help the communities becoming a place where the average person can live and have a sustainable lifestyle. The roads are in a bad state of disrepair, some roads have gone back to becoming only donkey tracks and foot paths. Bridges are falling apart, waiting for a major disaster to happen. Jamaica is the land of wood and water, but there is no proper water distribution system. The world has become a global village, therefore every area of Jamaica must be wired for electricity and telecommunication hookups.
Instead of staying in their communities and creating a job, like raising a few animals and growing things that can be sold in the marketplace, a lot of hopeless young people migrate to the inner cities. Without proper skills, they join the ranks of the unemployed; and to survive, hustling is the only way to “get a food”, and unfortunately, this can lead to a lifestyle of criminal activities.
This Government needs to make rural development an urgent part of its manifesto. Jamaica is not just Kingston and the tourist areas. Stop waiting until election time to go in and make promises, as if you are dealing with young children. They know that funds are not there for every project needed, but not to do anything at all is abandonment, and that’s the way it looks in many rural areas of Jamaica.
For Jamaica to grow and develop, the neglect of rural development must come to an end. The prime minister, and every minister within the Government, should find the time to tour the country to see for themselves the condition of the country. Then they can form working committees to revitalise the rural areas.
Ray G Stennett
Larchmont, NY, USA
ray4rs2000@aol.com