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Politics: Without Christ we are nothing
Fr.
Richard Ho Lung, Contributor
"EVERY
KINGDOM divided against itself becomes a desert and house
falls on house." (Luke 11:17)
The
integrity of the individual gives rise to the integrity of
a people as a whole. Our nation, at present, is in a state
of chaos and confusion. There is such enmity within our country
that I fear its rapid decline and eventual destruction.
Our
leaders themselves are helping to promote enmity by their
silent condoning of the violence between the PNP and the JLP
supporters. Rather than an open condemnation of the violence
there seems to be a quiet applause for it, and this is only
leading our nation deeper and deeper into the pit.
Violence
is just simply on the increase. There has even been a recent
attack on the Gold Street Police Station. A few days ago,
while the Brothers and I were at breakfast, there was a lot
of shouting outside our house by Kingston Technical High School
on Hanover Street. This was followed by a big commotion and
people began to set fire to old cars and tyres to block the
roads. Within minutes we were surrounded by barricades, and
the Brothers could not go down to the ministries to serve
our poor until later in the morning. The schools in the area,
including St George's College and Kingston College, had to
close early and make announcements on the radio notifying
parents to pick up their children.
Though
there seems to be an attempt to minimise inflammatory rhetoric
against each other, there is still an obvious animosity and
hatred exists between the two major political parties. As
long as this continues, there is not going to be any moderation
in the violence, strife, and division in our beloved country.
When they stop treating each other like enemies then there
will be the beginning of peace.
Of
the five homes we run in the ghettos, four are located in
a JLP area, while one is in a PNP stronghold, and we hear
daily the cursing, swearing, and vitriolic language that passes
between them. Let us not make the lust for power, wealth,
and prestige damage our nation's welfare and peace. Our leaders
need to understand that the more they incite such violence
and hatred, the greater the destruction of their own reputations;
finally, the reputation of our little island will be destroyed
at the international level.
True
Christianity has no rivalry and division within it and so
too, any political party centred on Christ will be free of
rivalry and division, but will promote peace and a greater
love for neighbour as well as for the nation at large.
The
divisions, however, are not limited to politics alone. There
is a great and growing division between the rich and the poor.
These class barriers of 'uptown' and 'downtown' take away
the integrity of our
country.
One
of the greatest divisions is the one between word and deed.
There are promises that have been unfulfilled. We want to
see the promises our leaders make fulfilled. We do not want
liars for our leaders; we want men of truth who follow the
example of Christ the Lord, the model of all truth.
Another
major cause of division in our nation is the lack of vision
on the part of our politicians. We are a Third World, black
nation and cannot have the values and lifestyle of the First
World, American society. There is a great effort to Americanise
our little beloved Jamaican nation. We need to know who we
are, and we should settle down with our own economic and material
culture. There cannot be, and should not be any pretence that
we are better than we are.
Thus,
in trying to inculcate the American way, we have become an
overtaxed nation. Who are the ones to suffer? The poorer classes
suffer while the rich prosper. We are a beautiful country
with beautiful people. But we must stop acting as though we
are a First World nation.
I
beseech and urge all politicians to work towards building
up our country rather than breaking it down. Promote love,
learning, respect for each other, and above all, instil the
life and values of Christ as our Chief Shepherd.
Fr.
Richard Ho Lung is Founder and Superior General of the Missionaries
of the Poor.
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