Dear Editor,

The question most Jamaicans here and in the Diaspora are asking is: Is Jamaica in a moral and ethical crisis?

Well, from where I sit and from what I am seeing across the private and public sectors, I think the country has been plunged into a deep moral and ethical crisis. The indices and indicators are quite glaring and certainly not good for a country that is beloved for its warmth, sports, culture, and food.

The recent swindling of millions of dollars from the investment account of athletics’ icon Usain Bolt has been plastered across newspapers in every corner and crevice of the world and social media.

Coupled with Bolt’s issue is our country being labelled the lottery scamming epicentre of the Caribbean and a former government minister along with a former university principal being arrested for fraud.

These things add up, and our political and religious leaders, who should be the standard-bearers for morals and ethics, are not helping either. Too often we see religious leaders being arrested for immoral acts, and our political leaders have been faring no better in the court of public opinion.

Governance in any country is directly related to the level of morals and ethics among its leaders. The higher the moral and ethical standards, the higher the standard of governance.

It is not only children who live what they learn, but all people. The spate of arrests and accusations against those in positions of trust is just a microcosm of the wider problem in our society.

Embarrassment is no longer a powerful deterrent as greed for power, money, and other material things supersedes all other social factors.

Fernandez Smith

fgeesmith@yahoo.com