THE EDITOR, Sir:

The chickens have come to roost. For too long, successive governments in Jamaica have allowed our people, especially those living in the ghetto, to have children at will, without any population control in place.

We now have an overpopulated country where the unemployment figures are way too high. This has resulted in widespread discontent and wild cries for money.

This country does not possess the resources to provide for a population of nearly three million.

As a result, we have overcrowded classrooms; overcrowded street vending; an extremely high crime rate; high levels of indiscipline; extreme levels of poverty in the ghetto, and I could go on and on.

Mr Editor, if China had not instituted a measure of population control, despite its draconian outlook, it would not be where it is today. Population control is essential to a country's development.

We continue to allow our inept politicians to use the political arena to make unreal promises. Unless we embark on a programme to check the rate at which the population grows, we will continue to have the same problems.

The truth is, simply, that this country does not have the resources to look after its people. God help us.

MARCUS BLACKSTOCK

blackstockmarcus@yahoo.com