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'Except the Lord build the house...'
Heart to heartBetty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Dear Reader,
I watched the national debate this past weekend between the two leaders Portia Simpson Miller and Bruce Golding with great interest, not because I expected to hear anything new or earth-shattering, but because I wanted to hear what their visions are for Jamaica, and how they intend to lead the country into a period of restoration and revival. I was disappointed, but not surprised by the same old grocery list of failed policies and unsure promises, as both leaders sought to package and re-package the "better will come" prosperity message.
What was interesting was that for two people who profess to be Christians, God was notably absent from the proceedings - I didn't hear his name mentioned once throughout the 90 minutes. I suspect that Portia has backed off for fear of being persecuted by the constituency of atheists and non-believers, and Bruce is too bright to fall into the trap that Portia fell into.
Instead of calling for God to be placed at the centre of national life, and for the country to be restored to moral wellness, both leaders in their campaign ads and during the debate have set themselves up as the "Election 2007 Messiahs" who, through their own awesome power, will lead the country into a new age of prosperity. Bruce says, "I am the driver", and Portia beckons Jamaicans that "Mama is here". In fact, the "Portia factor" has essentially eclipsed God, and He has obviously been relegated to the back seat of Bruce's automobile.
I don't think that any of the two leaders recognises that what Jamaica needs now is honesty - not hype or hypocrisy. The Jamaican people are yearning for the simple truth: can we heal our land and become repairers of the breach, and how? To manipulate the minds of the people into thinking that one man or one woman can solve the problems of our country is foolish, if not outright dishonest.
I don't care how attractive the parties' manifestos look and sound - they aren't worth the paper they are printed on if the attitudes and mindset of the Jamaican people aren't changed. Portia is misguided into thinking that highways and hotels can shape or define the ethos of a nation. It might do her and her party well to study UNICEF's declaration of the "Progress of Nations" which says:
"The day will come when nations will be judged not by their military or economic strength, nor the splendour of their capital cities and public buildings, but by the well-being of their peoples; by their levels of health, nutrition and education; by their opportunities to earn a fair reward for their labours; by their ability to participate in the decisions that affect their lives; by the respect that is shown for their civil and political liberties; by the provision that is made for those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged; and by the protection that is afforded to the growing minds and bodies of their children."
Bruce is equally misguided into thinking the market forces will eradicate poverty under what I call the JLP's "New hope for trickle-down theory". Even if it works anywhere else, it has not and will not work in a country like ours where the private sector (with a few notable exceptions), by and large operate as an "expatriate conglomerate", with one foot in the country and the other (with all the liquid assets) foot out. Even after some of our leading businessmen "discovered" the appalling state of poverty in which a large percentage of our people live, very few felt moved to do something about it. As a consequence, Jamaica now stands as 11th in the world ranking of countries that have the biggest gap between the rich and the poor.
Missing from the debate were the specifics of how the country is going to be disarmed. With more guns per capita than perhaps any other country in the world resting in the hands of juveniles without hope or conscience, the entire nation remains in a state of high risk and vulnerability. With no clear and workable plans for disarmament, I don't quite understand exactly how "real" growth would be achieved.
Also missing from the debate was a call for every Jamaican to be a part of the process of transformation that has to be a pre-requisite for prosperity. None of the leaders talked about the fact that all of us are going to have to make sacrifices if our country is going to overcome its present state of crisis. The country can only be fixed if all our citizens buy into a collective vision that is driven by our common history, heritage and humanity, and fuelled by common goals and values.
While either Bruce or Portia will lead, they themselves can't fix the problem, and if along the way they forget who is really in charge, then any attempts to do so will be futile. The Bible reminds us, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that built it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
Heart to heartBetty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Dear Reader,
I watched the national debate this past weekend between the two leaders Portia Simpson Miller and Bruce Golding with great interest, not because I expected to hear anything new or earth-shattering, but because I wanted to hear what their visions are for Jamaica, and how they intend to lead the country into a period of restoration and revival. I was disappointed, but not surprised by the same old grocery list of failed policies and unsure promises, as both leaders sought to package and re-package the "better will come" prosperity message.
What was interesting was that for two people who profess to be Christians, God was notably absent from the proceedings - I didn't hear his name mentioned once throughout the 90 minutes. I suspect that Portia has backed off for fear of being persecuted by the constituency of atheists and non-believers, and Bruce is too bright to fall into the trap that Portia fell into.
Instead of calling for God to be placed at the centre of national life, and for the country to be restored to moral wellness, both leaders in their campaign ads and during the debate have set themselves up as the "Election 2007 Messiahs" who, through their own awesome power, will lead the country into a new age of prosperity. Bruce says, "I am the driver", and Portia beckons Jamaicans that "Mama is here". In fact, the "Portia factor" has essentially eclipsed God, and He has obviously been relegated to the back seat of Bruce's automobile.
I don't think that any of the two leaders recognises that what Jamaica needs now is honesty - not hype or hypocrisy. The Jamaican people are yearning for the simple truth: can we heal our land and become repairers of the breach, and how? To manipulate the minds of the people into thinking that one man or one woman can solve the problems of our country is foolish, if not outright dishonest.
I don't care how attractive the parties' manifestos look and sound - they aren't worth the paper they are printed on if the attitudes and mindset of the Jamaican people aren't changed. Portia is misguided into thinking that highways and hotels can shape or define the ethos of a nation. It might do her and her party well to study UNICEF's declaration of the "Progress of Nations" which says:
"The day will come when nations will be judged not by their military or economic strength, nor the splendour of their capital cities and public buildings, but by the well-being of their peoples; by their levels of health, nutrition and education; by their opportunities to earn a fair reward for their labours; by their ability to participate in the decisions that affect their lives; by the respect that is shown for their civil and political liberties; by the provision that is made for those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged; and by the protection that is afforded to the growing minds and bodies of their children."
Bruce is equally misguided into thinking the market forces will eradicate poverty under what I call the JLP's "New hope for trickle-down theory". Even if it works anywhere else, it has not and will not work in a country like ours where the private sector (with a few notable exceptions), by and large operate as an "expatriate conglomerate", with one foot in the country and the other (with all the liquid assets) foot out. Even after some of our leading businessmen "discovered" the appalling state of poverty in which a large percentage of our people live, very few felt moved to do something about it. As a consequence, Jamaica now stands as 11th in the world ranking of countries that have the biggest gap between the rich and the poor.
Missing from the debate were the specifics of how the country is going to be disarmed. With more guns per capita than perhaps any other country in the world resting in the hands of juveniles without hope or conscience, the entire nation remains in a state of high risk and vulnerability. With no clear and workable plans for disarmament, I don't quite understand exactly how "real" growth would be achieved.
Also missing from the debate was a call for every Jamaican to be a part of the process of transformation that has to be a pre-requisite for prosperity. None of the leaders talked about the fact that all of us are going to have to make sacrifices if our country is going to overcome its present state of crisis. The country can only be fixed if all our citizens buy into a collective vision that is driven by our common history, heritage and humanity, and fuelled by common goals and values.
While either Bruce or Portia will lead, they themselves can't fix the problem, and if along the way they forget who is really in charge, then any attempts to do so will be futile. The Bible reminds us, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that built it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com