The Editor:

As a Jamaican living in the United Kingdom, I try my best to keep up with the happenings in Jamaica via this website, which started after my departure from the island and other sources.

Before I continue, I would like to place on record that I voted only once in Jamaica, 1980, and three and a half years later, I migrated to the UK. I therefore have absolutely no allegiance to any political party in Jamaica or for that matter in the UK.

What is becoming clearer and clearer is that corruption has taken a strangle hold on my country. Almost most everyday, I wake up and visit this website, I read about Petrojam, Trafigura (mostly from comments), Mandeville Parish Council, now Dunn’s River, the bushing saga, Nesol, the Carolyn Warren saga among many others.

What is thoroughly depressing is that people, that is, the general Jamaican public, are oftentimes placing corrupt acts, whatever, they might be into a party-political hat, which is so wrong.

For example, a corrupt act takes place, the government, any government in power, is quite rightly placed under scrutiny and there is usually an investigation. So far, so good. Then comes the usual cries from the Opposition which is a necessary part of our Westminster democracy.

This is then followed by the various party people, who set about literally defending their parties, most of the times without paying the requisite attention to the corrupt act itself.

To me, my view, it makes no sense bringing up the ghosts of corrupted acts from the past to deal with our present situation.

Any which way you look at it, corruption by any public governing body must be dealt with on its own merit, as quickly as possible, by independent bodies, and if stewards of our public trust are implicated then so let it be.

For me, if we want to solve corruption, it must be kept free from any political influence.

DON MARTIN

BIRMINGHAM