THE EDITOR, Sir:
This is an open letter to Mrs. Simpson Miller.
DEAR PRIME Minister-designate:
You have achieved the improbable, and are now on the threshold of attempting the near impossible, namely, to achieve the reform and radical change of a decadent political culture in the murder capital of the world.
When the news of your victory broke Jamaica rejoiced. Old and young, poor and rich, PNP and JLP, PIP and No P danced in the street that night. Why? Because you have given us hope. Hope for change.
Jamaica is sick and tired of tribal warfare, the struggle for scarce benefits, corruption, cronyism, violence and hypocrisy. We the people are dying, many literally, for want of decent, conscientious and civilised government. More than ever before, it is time for a change. And you, Sister P, have emerged as the best hope, perhaps the only and the last hope for positive political change in our country. Your credentials as a catalyst for change are impressive:
You had the guts to risk (and receive) vilification from your colleagues by abstaining from a critical vote, you had the stamina to keep bashing your head against the brick wall of Jamaica's macho mindset.
PRAYER AND FASTING
You are proud of your working class origins, untroubled by your lack of academic trimmings. You decline to kowtow to business leaders. You do not indulge in dreams of world-class status or issue idle threats about severe, extreme and resolute measures. Instead, you call for prayer and fasting, a call that resonates with most Jamaicans.
In the recent campaign you demonstrated leadership calibre akin to that of Norman Manley and Bustamante. And last, but far from least, you have as much charisma as Michael Manley. No wonder then, that 75 per cent of the Jamaican population approves of you, applauds you, and will offer you their goodwill and support in reforming and restoring our homeland.
The task you face is daunting. It will require enormous strength, acuity and perseverance. In the most general terms, your task will include:
Standing firm against drug culture and the dons.
Eliminating widespread protection rackets.
Downsizing government and dismantling garrison constituencies.
Making non-partisan appointments
Radical surgery on the Police Force.
Implementing an amicable working relationship with the Opposition and the PSOJ.
Reviewing and re-evaluating the Jamaican Constitution, and making the changes already identified as necessary to facilitate a real democracy.
The list goes on and on, so I will close by making just one specific suggestion. Please try to recruit your former colleague, Mr. Hugh Small, to assist you in transforming our ramshackle justice system into a system capable of dispensing real justice even to those who cannot afford it.
God bless you, Madam Prime Minister, and rest assured that all right thinking Jamaicans will support all genuine efforts towards peace, prosperity and unity.
I am, etc.,
MARGARET MORRIS
Box 92 , Discovery Bay
