MEMBER of Parliament for St Andrew East Rural Juliet Holness has decried what she called a breakdown in good values across Jamaica, which she said is far removed from what existed in the 1960s.

“We are at a place, Labourites, where we have lost some of the values that we had when we were younger. Some leaders never realised that good values and attitudes mattered until they were ready to leave leadership,” Holness said at a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) divisional conference, hosted by JLP councillor of the Norbrook Division Susan Senior, at the Constant Spring Primary and Junior High School in St Andrew.

Holness continued: “I want you to understand that families matter. We need to ensure that our supporters understand that their communities, and how they care for each other, matter. If a drain is blocked, don’t wait for the councillor or MP to clear the drain, and even if you naa get no money to clear the drain, remember that it is still your community and it matters.

Holness, the wife of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, pointed out that it is important for citizens to recognise that the crime plaguing the nation sprang from a lack of good attitudes and values. She took aim at rogue taxi drivers who endanger the lives on Jamaicans on a daily basis with reckless driving as well as the “get a bly” culture that is rooted in the mindset of many Jamaicans.

“I want you to start understanding that crime comes from a place where we don’t have good values and attitudes from the root. I have a basic school in my constituency and when I see the long dagger that a little boy carried to school to stab his teacher who spoke to him about something he did, I cannot believe where we are going.

“When a man mek up him mind seh the only way to survive in Jamaica is to get a bly, it is not true. We are a Government that has started to show people that only the right way will be rewarded. When you see a taximan a lick shot through a red light, people I travel with say, ‘oh, a my taximan dat’. We have come to normalise bad behaviour and people think nothing is wrong with that.

“I want us as Labourites to go out there and start to practise good behavior for yourselves. Start to understand that you must join lines, be decent, respectful and you must require it from the other people around you. When we function like that, Jamaica will become a better place to live. I implore Labourites to talk to your friends, whether they are PNP or JLP. If we want to live happy, we have to learn that law and order is critical.”

Councillor Susan Senior, meanwhile, encouraged people in her division – Norbrook – to put things in place to ensure more positive role models are produced.

“This is important in order to ensure that the youths of tomorrow can gain something towards creating a positive Jamaica. I ask communities to take responsibility. It is a call for everybody and not just the Andrew Holness-led Administration. The reality I see is that most people who grow up in communities become successful and then they move out and do not return. The youths are mostly exposed to negativity from social media and otherwise,” Senior said, calling for a softer approach in how people communicate and respond to situations.