Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has a slogan ‘Your health is your responsibility’. It suggests that one has to be careful about his or her diet, sexual practices, and other lifestyle choices.

If an individual is feeling sick, he or she has a responsibility to visit the doctor for a check-up and possible medication. When feeling sick, family members and friends may encourage you to go to the doctor, but most times, the onus is on you to do what is necessary to take care of your health. It must be understood that even though the Government has a responsibility to provide access to good health-care and health-care facilities, citizens are equally accountable to themselves.

The context above is painted because too often citizens criticise the Government and governance structures for failing to meet their needs even though the ball is in their court to do what is necessary to fulfil these needs. Apparently, it is much easier to lay blame, even when some matters are not closely linked to government operations.

People have become too indolent and dependent. They consider it a burden to take the initiative to practise good citizenship and keep abreast of important issues, policies, and legislation to improve their quality of life and understanding of public administration.

As an educator, I always encourage my students to read — it is really not a common practice among tertiary students, frankly speaking. Not everything can be covered in lecture and tutorial hours; therefore, students have to engage in independent reading and practice outside of class hours.

The point is that, although the lecturer has an obligation to teach, not every detail will be covered. Consequently, in the case of a foreign language learner, he or she cannot blame the instructor for not knowing certain vocabulary and experiences. Learning has to be continuous and it happens both formally and informally.

Our failure to read and research is also observed daily in how we communicate and reason. Again, the Government is blamed for many things simply because citizens are unaware of what is happening. Many people use the internet for several unproductive reasons and fail to keep themselves informed. They then chastise the Government for not putting the information out via the different traditional and social media channels, completely unaware that a lot of information is just a click away. Because an individual did not see an update on a particular matter means none was given. The funny thing is even if the Government should broadcast it many times, many would still not pay attention.

Recently, the news reported vehicular crashes caused by stray animals walking across busy streets, the most recent of which occurred on the newly open May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000. Many people have criticised the Government for opening an unfinished project, citing the lack of security measures, such as proper fencing, to safeguard against such incidences. However, it was later confirmed that parameter fencing had been erected, but unscrupulous people have been stealing the resources.

Of course, we do not have a perfect world, but while we demand more from the Government, in terms of infrastructural development, can we also invite citizens to be more responsible? Then again, that is the Government’s job.

We need a national campaign to promote good citizenship. It was a delight to hear Education Minister Fayval Williams say that civics has been reintroduced in many schools. I hope that it is not seen as a class in which teachers and students go to pass time.

There is just too much to address: citizens littering the streets even when there are bins in sight; taxi and bus operators driving carelessly and disregarding the road code; and people building houses in riverbeds, despite the obvious risks. But who gets the blame at the end of the day? “Di Govament!”

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com