Can ...Jamaican leaders ever be reliably humane?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The letter from Fi We Children Foundation places a stark, necessary spotlight on Jamaica’s routine refusal of Haitian asylum seekers. It argues, correctly, that our current policy of swift repatriation directly violates the international legal principle of ‘non-refoulement’, which forbids returning people to places where their life or freedom is threatened.

Beyond the legal breach, this exposes a profound leadership deficit: the carnal prioritisation of political convenience over humane principle. A state that champions human rights rhetorically but denies them on its shores is not merely hypocritical. It is actively defining its moral character as transactional and self-interested.

True humanity in governance is proven not in easy times but at these precise crossroads. Our current actions suggest a leadership that is, at best, insular and, at worst, inhumane. To be the nation we claim to be, we must replace reflexive rejection with lawful, coordinated screening and protection. Our legacy depends on it.

DENNIS A. MINOTT, A-Q