Garth Rattray

Many people make New Year's resolutions. They are decisions to perform meaningful (positive) changes. Though well-intentioned, these unwavering determinations are notorious for being broken, falling by the wayside, abandoned and unceremoniously forgotten - just like campaign promises.

The severity and immediacy of Jamaica's many ills crave urgent attention. I believe that many are hoping that the powers that be will make some New Year's resolutions for the good of the entire nation. We need radical changes to the old ways of doing things because they are obviously getting us nowhere. In approaching our important concerns, I would like to suggest that our leaders make some New Year's revolutions (instead of New Year's resolutions) in order to inject some substantiality into their plans for 2008.

New Year's revolution suggestion #1: The revolutionary approach to corruption is to sting, sting and sting again. We will never rid ourselves of corrupt civil servants and politicians - they even exist in socialist Cuba and communist China. We can't wait for them to seize opportunities for malfeasance, we must become radically proactive and use clandestine methods to catch corrupt officials red-handed in numerous, sustained sting operations. Soon, fear will prevail and dissuade potential law-breakers from engaging in illegal practices.

New Year's revolution suggestion #2: The revolutionary approach to crime is to treat it as the disease that it is and create a ministry of crime prevention. This ministry would interview convicts of violent crimes, their parents, friends, relatives, siblings and so-called area leaders to find the real root cause of criminality and get their ideas for a solution. It would coordi-nate the development and 'humanising' of depressed communities by offering private concerns tax breaks and public acknowledgement of their contribution. It would train many respected individuals within strife-torn communities in conflict resolution.

Dealing with traffic congestion

New Year's revolution suggestion #3: The revolutionary approach to traffic congestion is to stagger everything. Personal transport provides independence. For some, vehicles symbolise material achievement. Diverse after-work activities and the extreme paucity of designated school buses make carpooling impractical for most people. We can't afford flyovers, elevated or sub-terranean trains any time soon, so we should alleviate the time and fuel-wasting traffic congestion by staggering our working and school hours.

New Year's revolution suggestion #4: The revolutionary approach to production is to offer substantial tax holidays and breaks for local investors. Enact small business tax laws. Reduce import duties on items earmarked for production. Negotiate deals with utility companies for lower rates for production enterprises.

New Year's revolution suggestion #5: The revolutionary approach to the environment is to educate and prosecute without fear or favour. One example of inaction is the immeasurable tonnes of raw sewage that pour into the sea around our island every day. I suspect that this was responsible for the destruction of the flora that once flourished along the borders of the Palisadoes Road - hence, the current serious problems with road erosion and frequent sea encroachment.

Fairness in politics

New Year's revolution suggestion #6: The revolutionary approach to politics is to exercise fairness and maturity. After 18 years at the helm of a struggling nation, the

People's National Party has no moral right to criticise the Jamaica Labour Party's three months of governance. Name-calling defeats constructive engagement. Bickering and retaliatory non-cooperation only makes the nation a victim of collateral damage in the verbal warfare being waged by our leaders.

I hope that these few suggestions will provide food for thought in 2008.