I thought Dudley Thompson's 'Letter to Jamaica' that appeared in The Sunday Gleaner on March 22 was insightful and on point. True, hindsight has 20/20 vision, but in the tradition of Pan-Africanism, we need to recognise Sankofa - that is, taking from the past the things we need to make informed decisions for the benefit of ourselves and future generations.

Our usual stance of name-calling and finger-pointing may make us feel good in the short run, but the immediacy of the present crisis (not only the economic meltdown, but the continued devaluation in our social capital) demands that we take responsibility for our actions and destiny. And playing the blame game certainly does not absolve us of our complicity in creating our current reality.

I believe we must have the courage of our convictions if we are to move forward as a cohesive unit; to paraphrase the good book: "Where there is lack of vision, the people perish."

I am, etc.,

H. A. SEID

neefs01@yahoo.com