Dear Editor,

If I were a gambling man, there are certain bets that I could not lose. This is because my betting would be informed by the history of politics in Jamaica. My wager would be secure against the background that if politics in Jamaica is to change, we couldn’t depend on politicians to change unless we have a change (replacement) of politicians.

I would bet that more persons would die from this ongoing conflict than guns recovered. I would bet that there would be little or no investigation of police/military excesses stemming from this operation and that even if there were, nothing would come of it. I would bet that this unfortunate turn of events would form the platform of the Opposition’s perpetual campaign. I would bet that politicians would say that they won’t use the current events for political mileage in one sentence and then do the opposite in the very next sentence. I would be prepared to bet that 98 per cent of our talk-show hosts would continue to spew one-sided political venom over

the airwaves.

The prime minister has indicated that this operation will be duplicated in other garrisons and high-crime areas. So far, the Opposition projects a visor of agreement. If I were a gambling man, I would be unreserved in my bet that this partnership will end as soon as the fight is taken across the political divide. I would bet that the tone of the Opposition MPs will change at the first sign of their constituencies being targeted by the security forces.

I am not a gambling man. I would prefer to resign from a political appointment than to sign a casino bill into law. If a gambler makes these wagers, it is my prayer that he would lose. I would love to see the total opposite of these wagers come to pass. I would love to see sincerity, honesty and a genuine concern for every single citizen of this country in the actions of our politicians, business and civic leaders, and church organisations. But in all this, I must remind myself that this is Jamaica, and in the event things were to happen as I would want it, I would wake up in the morning recognising that it was all a dream. I would wake up to the nightmare that is currently the

Jamaican reality.

Daren Larmond

Optilearn1@yahoo.com