The Editor, Sir:

Children anywhere are usually the product of the environment they grow up in. They are like primates who imitate everything they see and because we live in a morally bankrupt society, our children reflect that same society; therefore it is highly hypocritical of us to expect of our children to be well mannered when our elected leaders are rude and snobbish.

Our parliament is like a fish market with insults and inter-ruptions freely hurled and even at town hall meetings it is almost impossible for them to conduct themselves appropriately. Role models are usually of questionable character and it is our concept that a person who is popular is usually right and fit for all situations.

There are no established national youth policies designed to seriously look at and examine youth delinquency and to implement strategies to eradicate teenage involvement in criminality and violent behaviour, the introduction of life skills programmes and mentoring programmes designed to change the present psyche of this age group. Music and sports are essential components but they are not the solution. Survival skills are an integral part of any human development. As now experienced in Jamaica it is the "eat a food syndrome".

As a nation, our priorities must be clear and the youth of any society cannot be left behind because they represent the strength and the future, so it would be genocide and to an extent suicide not to include them in the planning of the country. I am not justifying wrongs by any means, but for us to take an objective view of this situation, we must look at the cause and the effect analytically and then source the resources to the deal with the problem. if not, our future as a nation will ultimately be be left to bandits including the white-collar ones.

I am, etc.,

EVERALD DUNKLEY

Evdunkley@yahoo.com

Greater Portmore

St Catherine

Via Go-Jamaica