“The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that, because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.” — Turkish proverb

If you are looking for an excellent compass for the new year, please consider this proverb. I think it is practical and profound.

This is the time of year when many people do keen assessments of the direction of their lives. Where there are deficits, some try to correct these and set new and sustained pathways. We all should.

I am not a psychologist or relationship expert, but I know when something makes sense. Toxic personal and political relationships readily come to mind when I examine the local applicability of the mentioned proverb. Why do so many of us stay in abusive relationships? Why do so many of us abuse our physical environments, even when we have accessible and healthier alternatives? And why do so many of us continue to vote for deadbeat politicians who have made us collectively poorer? Is it Stockholm syndrome or something worse?

INFLECTION POINT

Whatever the reason(s), one thing is obvious to me: Here at home we are at an inflection point, regarding many critical and especially long-standing issues in our country. An inflection or turning point is a juncture when significant change occurs or may occur. Behavioural experts say when an inflection point is reached a reset or change, sometimes radical change, is possible and/or is often needed. For a reset to begin, experts say, individuals first have to see themselves and their realities as they are and not as they were and/or as they pretend or imagine them. It is crucial that all Jamaica understands and accepts this reality.

I believe the realisation of our fullest potentials, as a country, has eluded us because, among other reasons, too many of us have conveniently ignored especially long-standing realities which have stymied our progress. As an example, Illegal and deviant behaviours which many of us have turned a blind eye to for decades are exploding right before us. The social, political and economic consequences have been costly and deadly.

Ponder this headline: ‘Stinky! Overpowering stench from human waste at St William Grant Park’. The news item said among other things: “The open space at St William Grant Park in downtown Kingston is being used as a public toilet, with people not only urinating, but going as far as defecating in the area despite amenities being provided for that purpose for visitors to the park.” (Jamaica Observer, December 6, 2024)

Some with political cataracts in both eyes are going to see the date of this news item and bellow: “Is since the governing Andrew Holness-led Jamaica Labour Party came into office that St William Grant Park has degenerated into a stinky state.” That is fake news!

Here are some verifiable facts: St William Grant Park is located in the centre of downtown, Kingston, and named in honour of the 1938 labour leader William Grant, who was a close associate of Sir Alexander Bustamante, national hero and our first prime minister. The park has been in a stinky state regularly for decades. Consider this: ‘Stop It!’
The Gleaner news story of January 31, 2012 delivered these and related details: “The illegal and nasty habit of persons urinating against the fence of the St William Grant Park in downtown Kingston is continuing despite repeated complaints to the authorities and the police presence in the area.

“Now the unsightly urine stains mark the sidewalk while persons who walk by the recently refurbished park have to stop their breath. The park is equipped with several clean bathrooms, but still people, mainly grown men, insist on urinating against the wall.”

Incidentally, the park was previously known as Victoria Park in honour of Queen Victoria of England, but after Independence, the name was changed. There are several monuments in the park, including those of Queen Victoria and national heroes Norman Manley and Sir Alexander Bustamante.

Many administrations have tried various strategies to keep the park clean and fresh smelling. When Angela Brown Burke was mayor of Kingston a lot of money was spent to keep St William Grant and other parks in a healthy state. She also did a lot of public education, encouraging folks to treat the parks with respect. While Senator Councillor Delroy Williams was mayor of Kingston, the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) spent a very tidy sum on the renovation of public parks and sanitary conveniences throughout the municipality. All those interventions caused St William Grant and similar parks to smell clean and welcoming, but only for a short-time. Thereafter, we went back to square one.

Why? Disrespect for public spaces is more the rule than the exception in this land. We have a lot of nasty people who take great pride in dirtying and defacing everything, everywhere, anytime, especially, those they consider as belonging to “di Govament”. Some say pervasive nastiness is the result of civics being dropped from the local public school curriculum many years ago. I don’t buy that. I believe those who litter and urinate in public spaces continue to do it because they get away with it. The dirtying of our parks and others public spaces are symptomatic of a wider national social disease. It is time to radically treat this disease with timely prosecutions, community service, hefty fines, and/or jail time. Incidentally, civics was reintroduced in 2022 under former Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams.

PARADIGM SHIFT NEEDED

Contrary to what some believe, scores of men in Jamaica are abused daily by their female partners. I know some will smirk at this declaration, because it is customary to only talk about the abuse of females by males. Abuse, verbal and or physical, is carried out by males and females.

Some of my readers might be familiar with Neil Sedaka’s hit song Breaking up is hard to do. That, doubtless, is true. The embrace of constant abuse, however, is much harder to do, I believe.

Since the start of the year I have read of numerous cases of intimate partner violence. These vicious acts have left several males and females with scars for life. Some victims are dead. These were breadwinners in many cases. Who suffers the most in matters of intimate partner violence? Children are often treated as collateral damage. And they are often left devastated.

Sadly, domestic abuse is on the rise. Consider this: ‘Near 100 per cent rise in domestic violence reports in five years… Zavia Mayne says issue is more prevalent than previous data show’.
The Gleaner news item of July 20, 2022, said among other things: “There was an almost 100 per cent increase in the number of Jamaicans who reported experiencing domestic abuse or violence over the last five years. According to Zavia Mayne, minister of state in the Ministry of National Security, the annual number of reported cases of domestic violence increased from just over 4,000 to around 8,000; a rise of almost 100 per cent.” The law must take its course regarding abusers. Simultaneously, we also need to do something else to halt the rapid growth of violence.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said several times that we have a violence problem in Jamaica. There are some good studies which show that there is a clear relationship between domestic abuse and crime and violence in the wider society. How might we tame this beast?

I believe one practical approach is to afford males far more opportunities to meaningfully advance. Why? It is fact that far more males, than females, have been dropping out of school, from as early as grade nine, for years in this country. It is a fact that most of the crimes, especially murders, in this country are committed by males. It is fact that the vast majority of graduates at the tertiary level have been females for the past 40 years.

It is splendid that women are breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. It is great that numerous incentives and initiatives have been and are being set in place to help women rise. But, “one hand cyaan clap”, as we say in local parlance.

Doubtless some are going to retort, “Higgins the man dem just wutliss.” Or “Higgins, males have relegated themselves.” And I know some will accuse me of envying female progression. Try and delegitimise what I have said all you want, but one thing is crystal clear to me: The chickens are no longer coming home to roost. They are on the roost and have been for a long time. I believe some kind of affirmative action for males in this country is needed to save the chickens and the roost. However much we slice it and dice it, men from an evolutionary perspective are providers and protectors. It is in our DNA. Women are natural nurturers. It is in their DNA. When the natural roles of males are thwarted because of societal deficiencies and/or related factors, the results are catastrophic for society. A similar tragedy happens when the natural roles of females are stymied. There is a lot scholarship which supports this perspective.

And here is some more food for thought: The populist far right is rapidly gaining in ascendency globally. Males are the biggest supporters of these far right movements. A major reason is males, globally, are rapidly being alienated by, among other things, societal deficiencies. The tragic results are social, economic, and political castaways. If you doubt that particularly male support for far-right populism is galloping dangerously, check what is happening with the national politics of most countries in Europe, in particular France. See also what is taking place in Brazil, Argentina, and the United States of America. If you missed it, 52 per cent of males voted for Trump last month. I am not advocating that males rise at the expense of females or vice versa. I am proposing that if we want to gain additional insight into why domestic abuse is rising rapidly in Jamaica, we need to also understand the displacement of males.

DEPENDENCY IS CRUEL

Among other things, the mentioned Turkish proverb speaks to trickery, which uses personal similarities as bait. Hurt is often overlooked, consequently. Misery is camouflaged as a virtue. Applied specifically to the arena of politics, it is a warning that mere words spoken and intention stated are immaterial if nothing materially changes in the conditions of people’s lives.

Why is it that some of the poorest communities continue to vote in a programmatic manner no matter their long-standing depressed conditions, and no matter the bleak outlook for their lives? Some people say they have no choice due to threats of retribution. Some say voting in a particular way, no matter what, is in their political DNA, etc. This is a tough one to solve.

I take comfort, though, that parents ultimately want better for their offspring, if not even for themselves.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Garfield Higgins is an educator, journalist, and a senior advisor to the minister of education and youth. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.