Daily Observer (Jamaica)

Young people need a better chance

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Dear Editor,

It is hard not to be moved by the severity and bloodiness of our crime situation.

Last week’s slashing of the nine-year-old autistic boy’s throat was very stomach-churning.

I am fed up of successive government­s using Band-aid solutions to fight crime. Where is the long-term solution?

In my view, the solution is education.

There are too many idle young men and women on the streets. We need to put all of the Education Tax into education and stop using it to balance the budget.

While initiative­s are being formulated to find the current wrongdoers, what about the younger generation that’s being moulded to take over?

In a rap session with some kids from the inner city it was revealed that when a young man reaches the age of 16 the first thing he needs to acquire is a suit to be buried in. How sad is that? That is the life expectancy in those areas. In other words, if the gangs don’t get you, the police will.

The Government and people of this country need to do something to stop this process. Our young people need to be given a better chance than that.

We can’t go into 60th anniversar­y celebratio­ns without a serious plan to achieve this.

Winsome Mowatt winnie.m.mowatt@gmail.com

Dear Editor,

I have read with interest comments made by West Indies white-ball Captain Kieron Pollard — a virtual cricketing infant — in his post-mortem on the disappoint­ing results of the series against Ireland.

While blaming poor team batting, Pollard failed to comment on his personal performanc­e or lack of it.

In the heyday of West Indies cricket, under captains like Frank Worrell, Clive Lloyd, or “Master Blaster” Viv Richards, the captain’s innings meant something. One could look forward to outstandin­g leadership from the front by these stalwarts. This is definitely missing in both the Test and the shorter version of the game these days.

We need more captain’s innings and less griping.

Ronald R Fagan ronniefaga­n@gmail.com

 ?? (Photo: Joseph Wellington) ?? A number of young men from inner-city communitie­s believe they will not live much longer than 16 years.
Send your letters to letters@jamaicaobs­erver.com.
(Photo: Joseph Wellington) A number of young men from inner-city communitie­s believe they will not live much longer than 16 years. Send your letters to letters@jamaicaobs­erver.com.

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