Democratic socialism ruined Jamaica

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Lipton Matthews’ article, ‘Preserve elitism of traditional high schools’, published in The Gleaner on February 7, 2020, was right on. Since the early ’80s, when the ill-advised Democratic Socialism was introduced in our politics and became official government policy, this country has been on a downward trend, and this is manifested so glaringly in a lower quality of education and social behaviour.

Rather than provide additional primary and secondary educational facilities, the Government labelled the best high schools as ‘elitist’ and did nothing more than overcrowd them with students considered to be underprivileged.

Consequently, the parents who paid for such quality education sent their kids abroad. Naturally, the financial well-being of these institutions became more reliant on government subsidies.

Another offshoot of that policy was the colossal brain drain through migration of graduates of those schools. This kind of social engineering (as Matthews correctly called it) continues today, whereby inept politicians and their equally inept advisers impose their own personal agenda, regardless of national interests.

Currently, we are suffering from overcrowded urban areas and neglected rural areas bereft of infrastructure development.

Their solution to the country’s social and economic dilemma is to formalise sidewalk vending anywhere and everywhere, legalise squatting on public and private properties, and neglect the public transportation system so that unregulated taxies and buses can fill the gap.

The eventual results shall be increased and unbridled chaos, and the only winners will be the corrupt politicians and their cronies.

May the Divine help this country.

K.M.