Jamaica needs reform, not revolution

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I read with a great deal of interest Marc Ramsay's call for a political revolution in Jamaica. May I say to Mr Ramsay, a law student at the University of the West Indies, be careful what you wish for.

It is easy to be caught up in the revolutionary furore that has gripped the Middle East. But one should be mindful of the fact that the fertile conditions for a revolution in the Middle East are fundamentally different from existing conditions in Jamaica.

Putting aside the economic disparities that exist in both the Middle East and Jamaica, Jamaicans enjoy a great deal of political freedom that is non-existent in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya, for example. Mr Ramsay must remember that the Jamaican political culture is deeply rooted in democratic institutions, and is not shackled with a never-ending cycle of brutal dictatorships. He must remember that Jamaicans are at liberty to choose their leaders every four or five years, and are free to form alternative political parties, freedoms that the majority of Middle Eastern countries do not enjoy.

Jamaica may have its economic and political shortcomings, but there is no documentary evidence of systemic torture and gross political repression. Thus, Jamaica stands in need of reforms, not out and out revolution.

I am, etc.,

RUPERT JOHNSON

r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca

Toronto, Canada