Sept 10, 1999
|
|
Sept 10, 1999 |
|
Nothing positive happening in Jamaica - The Gleaner's Silver Pen Award
SANDOR PANTON'S letter which earned him The Gleaner's Silver Pen Award for July 1999 was not originally meant for the newspaper. Sandor described his ordeal of being robbed at gun point in an e-mail to his friends. He expressed his fear, shock and overwhelming anger at the high level of crime in Jamaica. One of his friends thought such a letter ought to be made public and forwarded it to The Gleaner where it was published as the Letter of the Day on July 10, five days after the incident. "Is something wrong with our culture? Is something wrong with our Government? Is something wrong with our people? Is something wrong with our island? I don't know about you, but for me, wisdom teaches experience. Last night it hit me solidly in the chest, as I was not watching it on TV... Something is seriously wrong here," Mr. Panton wrote. The 25-year-old Union Bank employee says he is trying to understand how Jamaican society has reached the point where crime is out of control. He points out that innocent citizens are afraid to venture out after dark and are unable to go to certain places in their own country. "I don't see why I should be looking over my shoulders! It should be the criminals looking over their shoulders!" Mr. Panton, who has just completed post-graduate studies at the University of the West Indies, says he has no definite solution to Jamaica's social, economic and moral ills. "Maybe the solution is in all of us, but there are so many young people who are not staying here. So many of our young professionals are going to the United States, to Canada, to other Caribbean islands." He admits that he is also seriously considering this option, as he feels there are few positive things happening in Jamaica right now. "Many people are saying 'Why should I stay here and dodge the bullets?' and the truth is, right now everyone is just thinking about himself and his welfare. I do believe if everybody stood up and said 'This is our country and we won't give up!' things would get better. But now everyone is just thinking about himself and I don't see any person or party that seems to have the solution to pull Jamaica out of this rut." |
|
 |
