Concerning respect for human life

By S.I. Henry, Contributor

RESPECT FOR human life is the foundation of a functional society. "Thou shalt not kill" constitutes the basic inalienable right of every human being. Yet, the escalation of homicides in Jamaica which began during the 1990s continues unabated in the 21st century.

There is a kind of unprecedented callousness towards life that has permeated the country, and has been eroding the social fabric of peace, stability, and our sense of security. Our citizens are again migrating in significant numbers, returning residents are deciding against repatriation, and our tourist industry remains threatened.

The depths to which the country has now sunken in depravity and wickedness has moved Jamaica to the category of one of the world's most violent and dangerous nations. The disregard for human life is tantamount to our being engaged in a civil war. The motivation for this war is not racial, but rather a result of injustice, political tribalism, the drug trade, domestic violence, and more recently revenge against police brutality.

Homicide is a legal problem. It is against the law, and subject to consequences written in our Constitution. But we have been so slow in administering justice, that our hands are now almost being tied. Our approach to this law has become so subjected to hermeneutics and linguistic usage, that in the meantime, criminals are no longer restrained from committing the act knowing that their chances of paying the penalty are negligible.

The decline in a moral approach to law has so weakened the social fabric of our society that the problem has filtered down to our schools. Lawlessness has become a part of the school system, and where there is no order, there can only be chaos. Our teachers are now at risk as students are taking all sorts of weapons including guns to school, and teachers are being physically attacked and injured. The truth is, the educational system has almost removed from the curriculum the teaching of Bible Knowledge which traditionally has been our source of moral values which determine our behaviour and lifestyle. On what authority then can moral principles be taught? Certainly not the Ministers'.

UNFAIR PLACEMENT

Another matter affecting the educational system is what appears to be an unfair placement of students which could also be seen as an injustice. All the brilliant students who may only comprise a third of the cohort ready for secondary education are placed in our best schools, while the remainder are sent to the mediocre ones to receive a mediocre education, so that their opportunity of ever moving upward in achievement becomes an ongoing struggle.

This is also a part of the divisiveness which is destroying us. We are already divided along party lines, colour, race, and the have and have nots, so we fail to see the things that should unite us - our dreams for ourselves and our children, our aspirations to live peaceful productive lives free of fear and injustice, and to live good with our neighbours.

Our beautiful Jamaica is in a crisis, and one that requires the effort of every citizen to resolve. It is a difficult task, but to borrow the Chinese saying: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, what we need to do is begin with what we possess - our minds, hearts, hands and voices. These are powerful resources. We need to adopt some of the United Nations approach to peace, and unite our efforts through the many agencies/ministries that serve the country - education, health, poverty alleviation programmes, environmental improvement, and cultural upliftment.

Some other recommendations that I would like to make are as follows:

1. The government and opposition party make a commitment to dissipate the tensions that exist between them.

2. Dismantle the garrison constituencies.

3. The Government and the Opposition disassociate themselves from "dons".

4. Increase in the salaries of policemen to prevent them from being so easily bribed.

5. Emphasise sociology and the issues of social systems, human relations and conflict-resolution in the training of policemen.

6. Reintroduce capital punishment to make it an effective deterrent to crime.

7. Reintroduce religious knowledge into the educational system. Moral values are derived from an understanding of God. Further, there are certain values that determine behaviour and lifestyle that are meta-physical in nature and cannot be measured empirically.

8. Discontinue the use of party colours which are so divisive and endanger the lives of people.

It is my belief that these recommendations could be a part of the journey we need to take to restore and maintain the infrastructure in Jamaica that will facilitate renewed and continued growth towards peace and prosperity.

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