An Elephant In The Room

I reflected today on the severity of Jamaica's problems be it political, economic or worst of all our crippling social problems and the more i think about it the more I realise the extent to which we, the church have abdicated our responsibilities as conscience of the nation, as its moral compass. The church has always had a vested interest in the welfare of the nation it serves since the very first church.
We think about the strong political statements by church leaders like Paul and others of that ilk, Jesus himself was a very political figure and was very involved in the kind of political activity that should inform our attitude today as men and women called by this same Christ.
I considered for a while how it is that we have become so silent on the issues that really matter, those issues that Jesus cared most about:

• Confronting and condemning injustice
• Standing up for the helpless
• Looking out for the oppressed
• Speaking out for those who have no voice
• Defending the fatherless, orphan and the widows. etc.

Let us not forget that this is the greater part of what we all were called to, let us call to mind that in our local struggle for freedom one of those who fought and died for said cause was himself a baptist minister. He was not content to build himself an air conditioned church and hide himself behind its walls while those who are truly in need suffer in perpetual torment at the hands of slavery and despair.

We've come a very long way since then not just in the passing years but we have lost our voice and our relevance has been called into question, we seem not to have the moral authority to stand up to the political powers that be and challenge them on their stewardship of this great nation since 1962. In recent years we've seen a most frightening rise in police killings, government corruption and waste, neglect of those most vulnerable in society and the list goes on but what has the church said?

The silence is deafening at times punctuated only by an occasional "feel good" moment here and there while we all sit and wait to go to haven, let me hasten to remind us that cowards will not make it into God's haven, there is no place for them there. Like the big white elephant it the middle of the room we refuse to acknowledge its presence and address it but this we must. We must find our voice and call it what it is. I will not be ignored nor will I be pushed aside but where there is injustice the CHRISTIAN must be heard.

The times have changed but the goal is still the same and we who are called by the name of the Christ, those who seek better for our country and most importantly for the future of our unborn children and grand children must put aside self preservation and make our difference.

They came for your enemy and you didn't stand, next they came for your family and still you didn't stand, they came for your friend and yet you didn't stand, who will stand up when they come for you?

Lets think this through.

"The place of greatness is responsibility" W. Churchill.

Dereliction Of Duty

So the Armadale Enquiry continues in earnest with testimonies of the awful conditions that these young ladies have had to endure at the hand of the state but much worst, how so many died without any reasonably just cause.

We have always known that something was terribly wrong with the penal system generally speaking but to hear the details of the absolute squalid conditions that the wards of the state had to live in is heartbreaking to say the very least. There is, in Jamaica a kind of disease that infects the brain when one is placed in a position of power, be it the police, the member of parliament, the customs officer or just the security guard at the gate. A diseased that renders the holder of the key kind of monster that has no reasoning, no sense of rationale, no sense of concern for others but is so blinded by the high that he/she become almost "goddish" in their attitude towards others. I am yet to figure out what exactly happens when we are given the slightest bit of authority, we take every opportunity to let all and sundry know that we are in charge and you better "recognise".

We see this diseased showing up clearly in this tragedy which occurred at Armadale on May 22, 2009. All the elements of vindictiveness, victimization, heavy handedness, power craze and incompetence at play in this situation. Remember that this tragedy did not happen on May 22, 2009 but merely came to light in a most unfortunate and tragic way. This was something waiting to happen, because who can blame these young people for trying to escape this absolute hell of a place, where human beings in the twenty first century are forced to filth in buckets and then live in the stench of theirs and twenty plus other peoples mess for hours every day. Forced to eat with their hands like cave men, locked up in a few square inches of space per person for weeks, punished like slaves, living in a bathroom having to bear the humiliation of your privacy constantly invaded with no say?
Imagine having to live through bathing with total strangers, sleeping in a room where persons are defecating, urinating and taking showers while you try to sleep, if sleeping is at all possible.

This "lock down" does not instill discipline, it does not correct behaviour neither does it serve any purpose in the long term rehabilitation of these young ladies, in fact it would seem to me that after living in these conditions one could only expect much more harm than good to be achieved here. If nothing else this is merely an ego trip gone wrong for those who were "in charge".
Major Richard Reese should consider this before he looks at the girls mental state or anything else for that matter, three words Major: (dereliction of duty).

My only hope is that at the end of this inquiry those who had direct and indirect responsibility for this abomination of a place are charged with criminal negligence at the very least. "By justice a king gives his nation stability" (proverbs) and there was no such justice at Armadale.

May God have mercy on us.

LEADERSHIP DIFICIENCY SYNDROME (L.D.S)

There are some interesting parallels to be drawn with the current Jamaican reality and the situation as recorded in Ezekiel 22. When we examine the genesis of the problems that Jamaica face today we cannot ignore the fact that what is really lacking is effective leadership on all levels of the society, from the greatest to the least and everywhere in between.

"The people practice extortion, commit robbery, they oppress the poor and needy denying them justice. I looked for a man among them who will build up the walls and stand in the gap on behalf of the land so i would not have to destroy it BUT I FOUND NONE" (Ezekiel 22. 29-30 niv).
This is a perfect representation of the Jamaican dilemma and particularly in the upper leadership ranks in the country. No one appears to be prepared to lead and to take the decisions that needs to be made in the interest of the Jamaican people. There are decisions to be made in the interest of safeguarding our children's future, particularly as it relates to night noises and the over-exposure to sex, violence, lude and anti social behavior but these decisions will not be popular nor will they be politically expedient and so these issues are simply ignored.
As we speak there are areas in Kingston and other parts of Jamaica that are out of bounds for the police and as a direct consequence we are legitimising the authority of the area dons and strengthening the arm of their "justice", the kind of "justice" that is at best unjust in its dispensation.
Correcting these kinds of problems are relatively straight forward and will not take up no greater portion of the budget than security now does but simply needs strong, decisive leadership backed up by political will. This country needs good, effective leadership, we have waited long and suffered very hard, for far too long not to be able to demand such leadership from those who put themselves up to lead.

In this vein I must use this opportunity to say kudos to Mr Bobby Montaque, not one of his best moments in terms of interpersonal skills but he has demonstrated the kind of intolerance to mediocrity that we need to see more of... Strong leadership now we.