Jamaica: A very ‘splintered people’ at 60
Dr Charlene Sharpe
00:37:55
LinkPodcast
Independence Edition
About this episode
Educator and public policy analyst Dr Charlene Sharpe celebrates Jamaica’s resilience as a small island-state that punches above its weight on the international stage, noticeably in athletics and other sports. However, Dr Sharpe, an Associate Vice-president at Northern Caribbean University, points to significant cracks in the socio-economic fabric as the nation marks its 60th anniversary of independence.
“We still have not got that part right,” said Dr Sharpe who believes fixing the socio-economic cracks starts with the core values. “I envision a nation where we are very deliberate about our core values and our identity. We must tackle the problem of development by developing more positive core values,” she tells Impacting Jamaica host Byron Buckley.
Dr Sharpe envisions a Jamaica that places value on the welfare of vulnerable groups such as the young, elderly, and poor. She envisions a society where the justice system and the rule of law are adhered to by all.
She emphasizes the need for equity in the opportunities and available resources to gain wealth, thus closing the economic gap among groups in the society. This, she believes, accounts for the high level of brain drain among, especially, the Jamaican youth population.
“We still have not got that part right,” said Dr Sharpe who believes fixing the socio-economic cracks starts with the core values. “I envision a nation where we are very deliberate about our core values and our identity. We must tackle the problem of development by developing more positive core values,” she tells Impacting Jamaica host Byron Buckley.
Dr Sharpe envisions a Jamaica that places value on the welfare of vulnerable groups such as the young, elderly, and poor. She envisions a society where the justice system and the rule of law are adhered to by all.
She emphasizes the need for equity in the opportunities and available resources to gain wealth, thus closing the economic gap among groups in the society. This, she believes, accounts for the high level of brain drain among, especially, the Jamaican youth population.