Knight

A FORMER Cabinet minister in the People's National Party (PNP) administration admitted on Friday that, over nearly two decades, he and the then government failed to contribute in a significant way to help the underprivileged in society.

Opposition Senator K.D. Knight expressed profound regret that, for the time he served in government, he was "unable to contribute more to the upliftment of the marginalised in the country".

"My deepest regret is that, having gone in (in) 1989, where the conditions were terrible and having left in 2007, I cannot proudly say that the conditions had changed so significantly that I would be content to applaud myself or the team for the achievements," said Knight.

He was debating a resolution which called for a national crusade to rebuild family and community structures.

The motion, moved by Opposition Senator Norman Grant, had first urged the Government to re-establish the values and attitudes campaign launched by former prime minister P.J. Patterson.

However, Government Senator Dwight Nelson pushed for changes to the motion and a compromise was reached.

Discussing factors that give rise to anti-social behaviour, Knight argued that until depressed communities were upgraded and basic social services improved, it was useless to talk to the impoverished about values and attitudes.

He insisted that, for transformation to take place in Jamaica, it should first begin with a drive to improve the quality of lives in communities.