Politics consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable - John Kenneth Galbraith

Faced with a seemingly endless recession and a merciless crime wave, Jamaicans are crying out for change. Neither the JLP nor NDM appear more capable than the present government. But what if they joined forces?

In 1955 Jamaica recorded 20 murders and our homicide rate was about 1 per 100,000. This was slightly above Britain’s, about the same as Barbados’s and about a quarter of America’s. In 1999 Jamaica recorded 848 murders or a rate of about 33 per 100,000. This was over 15 times that of Britain, and about 5 times that of Barbados and the USA.

“He who is not a socialist at 20 has no heart. He who is still a socialist at 40 has no brain.” Like many witty oversimplifications Georges Clemenceau’s quip rings true. “All for one, one for all” and “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” are immensely attractive concepts to the tender hearted young. But bitter experience teaches alas that man in general is a weak and selfish creature who rarely puts others before himself and works hardest for his own interests.

“History” stated Thomas Carlyle “is but the biography of great men.” Leo Tolstoy disagreed completely. “In historical events great men — so called — are but the labels that serve to give a name to an event.”

Advertisements reflect a society’s dreams and desires. And though they vary from nation to nation in tone and emphasis, a high proportion of ads everywhere feature nubile women. Sex sells all over the world.

“… I can state unequivocally that a large per cent of those who complain and protest most are unwilling to take responsibility for anything, including their own actions.” So wrote finance minister Omar Davies in a recent letter addressing “people’s responsibility for themselves…” And he is absolutely right that “When individuals begin to assume greater responsibility for their own behaviour… then the dominant role of any politician, or any administration, in their daily lives will be reduced, as it should be.”

Most Jamaicans have stopped trying to keep track of the JLP’s never ending quarrels. But opposition leader Edward Seaga’s dismissal of party whip Karl Samuda for reported insubordination made many people laugh. For during his PNP sojourn Mr. Samuda accused the JLP head of being a ‘dictator’ whose deputies were ‘a bunch of wimps’.

A young Jamaican police detective tells his story.

“My friend Jimmy and I joined the police after high school. We saw a lot of behaviour we didn’t like on the streets and the force was a way to help change things.

The mapping of the human genome is one of man’s great intellectual achievements. And the sequencing of the 3 billion DNA letters of our genetic code will one day enable millions to live longer and happier lives. But to some the ‘book of life’ also shows that living things, including humans, are merely information-processing machines.

Is Jamaica better off today that it was when the PNP came to power 11 years ago? The facts say no. In 1988 there were 414 murders in Jamaica, the economy grew by 5%, and it took less than 6 Jamaican dollars to buy 1 US dollar. In 1999 there were 848 murders, the economy shrunk and the exchange rate was 42 to 1. A government with such a dismal record should have no chance of being re-elected. Yet the PNP is odds on to win its fourth consecutive term.