Devon DickI STILL can't get over what Managing Director of the National Housing Trust (NHT) and Chairman of the Emancipation Park Advisory Committee, Earl Samuels, diplomatically called the "over enthusiastic response of some members of the public, on the night of Boxing Day".
The conduct of some on that night reeked of disrespect, hooliganism, indiscipline and dishonesty. A great deal of effort went into this park which recognises our liberation. It was the brainchild of the NHT, particularly Chairman, Kingsley Thomas and Managing Director, Earl Samuels. The Park was constructed on 2.47 hectares (6.1 acres) of land transferred to the NHT from the Ministry of Finance and was built at a cost of $150 million. It took three months to construct and was opened by Prime Minister Patterson on July 31, last year. Maintenance is budgeted at $14 million annually; given our propensity for turpitude, the lion's share of this, $3.5 million, currently goes to Allied Security.
A shameful lack of culture and civility were manifested when thousands of people visited Emancipation Park and committed a string of theft, destruction and littering offences. Pilfering the plastic folding chairs used by everyone is despicable. Dumping refuse everywhere is unconscionable. Damaging plants and fixtures is crass and boorish.
The day after the incident friends and family related to me that they saw broken bottles and illegal firecracker wrappings all over the grounds. There were fast-food packages strewn about and all types of refuse were floating in the three water fountains meant to symbolise purity, rejuvenation and peace. Each fountain represents a part of the journey of the Jamaican people from the beginning of slavery to Emancipation, yet they were used as garbage receptacles.
The Oxford dictionary defines "Emancipation" as the liberation from slavery. The park was constructed to honour and cherish this historical event. But "Emancipation" is also defined as the freeing from legal, social, intellectual or other restraint. The mannerism of the unruly fringe suggests that they equate restraint with discipline. Consequently, some holiday visitors to the park chose to embrace the latter interpretation of emancipation and having freed themselves from all restraint would have destroyed the park in time.
The structural damage from the Boxing Day disgrace was not significant but the additional labour for the cleanup cost $30,000. In spite of the uncouth behaviour exhibited by some and in keeping with the emancipation theme, access to all park facilities remains free.
A number of people mistakenly believe that the public owns any place to which they are allowed free access. They infer that it belongs to everyone because they paid for it in deductions and/or contributions. Strangely enough, instead of taking care of such places they vandalise and litter, perhaps to get back their money's worth so to speak. Many Jamaicans believe that the government and large organisations have infinite access to money. It is this sort of daft ideation that wastes valuable funds, leads to corruption, excess spending, fraud and theft, all of which you and I end up paying for eventually.
The beautiful, functional and serene surroundings of Emancipation Park provide relaxation, recreation and a much-needed cultural retreat, but perhaps some are not ready for such a place; perhaps the park represents a culture shock for them. The Emancipation Park Advisory Committee decided to close the park temporarily in order to facilitate clean-up and to formulate strategies to forestall further possible destructive behaviour. It was decided that stricter security measures, in the form of a permanent police presence and limited crowd access are needed whenever large crowds are expected at the park. But any measures carried out by security companies and the security forces only represent treatment of prevailing symptoms and are by no means curative.
Other symptoms of our uncivil society abound. They include the blatant disregard for law and order that we see on the roads and throughout the country that culminated in last week Monday's stabbing death of Westmoreland bus driver, Gladstone Allen, because it was thought that he was refusing to join the strike by taxi drivers. Selfishness and discourtesy are rampant. Many people are willing to do anything in order to achieve their goals even if it is to the detriment of the entire society. Streets are blocked and attempts are made to shut the country down whenever there is something to protest.
There was a time when the people of Jamaica, could lay claim to a unique culture. We were a civil society. But over the past thirty years our nation embarked upon a divergent trek away from decency, honesty and morality. Several cultural icons have tried to remind us of our roots and reinforce our identity, but we, as a nation, have pulled ourselves so far apart that we have become fragmented.
Many young people are being acculturated by whatever cable television and movies have to offer. They also absorb the lyrics of the dance-hall music that encourage violence, wanton sex and pay homage to criminals and murderers. There is a current debate over the relationship between that type of music and crime and violence. One school of thought subscribes to the belief that the lyrics encourage violence and another claims that the deejays only reflect what is already going on within society. I believe that they potentiate each other. That is, they strengthen each other and produce a degree of synergism that is greater than the additive.
We need an ongoing intensive public education programme extolling the virtues of civility. Secondary schools should teach all teenagers about the road code - it is blatantly obvious that thousands are obtaining their driving permits illegally every year. We may as well teach them the laws governing the use of the roads in order to save lives in the future. The Ministry of Education should seriously consider instituting the teaching of civic pride and culture at the primary and secondary levels. We need to counteract the uncivil influences that our youth are exposed to every day.
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
