Letter of the Day | Address the crisis of values and attitudes
Published:Tuesday | September 30, 2025 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Three articles in The Gleaner on September 28 – ‘Costly lift-off’, Jalil Dabdoub’s ‘Cabinet bloat and the crisis of entitlement’, and Rev. Sean Major-Campbell’s reflection – converge on one sobering truth: Jamaica is in the grip of a crisis of values and attitudes.
In my recent letter to the editor, I argued that Jamaica is not governed by the values outlined in Vision 2030: trust, honesty, truthfulness, respect, forgiveness, tolerance, love, peace, unity, discipline, responsibility, cooperation, integrity, punctuality, and a strong work ethic. If these values influenced decision-making, we would not witness the foolishness of operating three domestic airports at a loss of billions of dollars over five years. No private business owner would make such a decision. Yet, because it is ‘government money’, the leaders seem to be acting as if taxpayers’ contributions are free, not earned sacrifices.
The same neglect of values is evident in the slow implementation of body-worn cameras for the Jamaican Constabulary Force. If integrity, responsibility, and a strong work ethic guided decisions, this reform would have been immediate. Instead, delays have deprived the country of a crucial tool for accountability, and lives such as that of Jamar Farquharson could have been saved. The cost of weak values is also measured in the loss of lives.
Dabdoub’s call to address Cabinet bloat is justified, but reform will stay challenging as long as Jamaica is governed without a clear core set of values and attitudes. Unless governance is founded on strong values, policies will favour expediency over vision, focusing on short-term survival instead of long-term transformation.
Rev. Sean Major-Campbell envisions that “Jamaica will be saved by those who are able to choose the greater good of the country above partisan politics, culture wars, and religious extremism.” That vision will only be realised if we prepare a new generation of leaders through values-and-attitudes education.
Japan provides a notable example. In its early childhood schools, children do not sit exams in the lower grades because character development is emphasised. Pupils learn respect, teamwork, punctuality, and environmental care. Education is not solely about grades but about growing into responsible citizens.
For decades, Jamaican voices have called for this approach, yet their cries fall on deaf political ears.
If Vision 2030 is to be more than empty words, Jamaica must finally confront this costly crisis of values. Only then can we achieve true lift-off.
FR DONALD CHAMBERS