Carol Gentles on mission to restore civic pride

WESTERN BUREAU:

Saddened by the blatant lack of civic pride that has become a feature of national life, Dr Carol Gentles is urging Jamaicans to alter their behaviour so that the nation can return to the type of civility that will lead to a well-ordered society.

Gentles, who spoke with The Gleaner following the Trelawny Independence Day Celebration at Water Square in Falmouth, said she is disturbed by the coarseness and crassness that have become a feature of life in Jamaica, especially among the younger folks.

“Civic consciousness, dignity, and respect for others are lacking in our society. This is so especially among the young people,” said Gentles, who said she will be using her platform as the wife of Trelawny’s Custos Hugh Gentles to push for greater awareness in this area as civic pride is one of the cornerstones of nation-building.

According to Gentles, her passion is shared by her husband, who has strong views as it relates to garbage disposal and overall cleanliness.

“One of his (custos) main peeves has been the way garbage is disposed of,” said Gentles. “People just walk around and pay no attention to the way they litter the place. That is something he would like to see get some serious attention.”

In looking at some of the ways in which civic pride could be brought back into the society in a structured way, Gentles believes education is the ideal platform through which to make such as push.

“At one time the school curriculum included civics as a subject, which was taught to students, but this is not so anymore. There has to be a focus on the young. In schools, they should be exposed to what it means to have civic pride so that when they become adults, it will be a part of them,” said Gentles, who is hoping that the Ministry of Education will take the steps required to reintroduce civics in the nation’s classrooms.

Sharing his views on the issue, Custos Gentles described the absence of civic pride as the missing link in bringing back the type of order needed to make general civility a feature of daily interactions.

“On each opportunity that I meet with the justices of the peace, I will make it a point of my duty to frequently plead for them to work in their respective communities to develop civic pride,” the custos said. “We can no longer allow the existing lack of civic pride to continue to our detriment as a society.”

In endorsing the stance of the custos and his wife, businessman Kenneth Grant, president of the Trelawny Lay Magistrates Association, said he fully supports the sentiments and is willing and ready to help push the narrative.

“From time to time, I use my own money to have the square (Albert Town) cleaned of the garbage. People young and old are lacking in the display of civic pride, so I am prepared to work along with the custos and Mrs Gentles to help to change the mindset of our citizens in this regard,” Grant stated.

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