Dear Editor,

It is a sad irony that lately non-Jamaicans have been turning the spotlight to Jamaica’s darker side; namely, the stark disparity between ordinary Jamaicans and wealthy Jamaicans and wealthy interests, whether Jamaican or foreign, which means that the vast majority earn a meager income.

I mention just two areas of Jamaican life as examples. These two areas are the denial of beach access to ordinary Jamaicans and the reported poor wages and working conditions of some hotel workers.

I have recently read several articles in foreign publications about ordinary Jamaicans being denied access to our beaches as a result of ongoing extensive construction.

Recently, local media has also reported protests by Jamaican workers over poor wages and working conditions at leading hotels. Tourists who were interviewed on camera supported the protesters.

Thus, in both arenas, non-Jamaicans shed light on social injustice in Jamaica; That’s the sad irony I mentioned.

What lesson can we learn from this irony? We continue to ignore social injustice in our own country at our peril. This inequality deprives the ordinary Jamaican of his or her inherent dignity and breeds resentment, which eventually expresses itself in antisocial behavior and crime. I fear that unless we as Jamaicans acknowledge our own social injustice and address what non-Jamaicans see clearly, Jamaica, the land I love, will not achieve its goal of “becoming the place of choice to live” by 2030. living, working, raising a family and doing business.”

Norman Davis

Saint Andrew

[email protected]