Dear Editor,

The lack of respect for the rule of law and order in Jamaica in recent times is troubling.

Social media has been abuzz with videos showing more and more people in confrontation with members of the security forces.

Private motor vehicle operators are now, more than ever, willing to join taxi drivers in committing breaches of the Road Traffic Act.

Criminals have been elevating the level of their brutality, evidenced in the savage manner in which people are murdered.

The happenings in Jamaica are not a good look and are cause for great concern after multiple extensions to the most extreme security measures.

The land of wood and water has been replaced by drugs and guns to now closely resemble our second cousin, Haiti.

We are now branded as being the murder capital of the world, competing with countries that are engaged in civil war. The level of crime and violence in Clarendon has caused the parish to be blacklisted by the United States of America.

The contributing factors to our current state of being are diverse and stretch from the home to the Parliament. Poor parenting and lacklustre governance have created a lawless society.

“Yuh haffi learn fi dance a yard before yuh dance abroad” is a popular Jamaican proverb. Unfortunately, this is no longer practised in Jamaica as values and morals have become old wives’ tales.

People cheer on and endorse the breaking of the law without realising that one day their tears will come in the aftermath of lawlessness.

It might sound like a cliché, but we all have a part to play. The police and the Government can only do so much; let us do our part.

Hezekan Bolton

h_e_z_e@homail.com