Devon Dick's commentary of January 29, 'Who wants to be GG?' echoes the concern of many conservative opinion leaders within and outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church. And I would never venture to challenge the collective wisdom of such honourable men and women. In fact, I have no opinion on the issue.

What is impatient of debate is the need for Jamaica to throw up a postmodern leader with the moral authority to influence families and institutions to move in the direction of accountability.

For too long we have been asking the wrong questions, and getting the same old answers. In order to get the right answers we need to ask the right questions.

radical leader

The nation needs a larger-than-life Michael Manley-esque type of radical leader to gather the tribes for battle against poverty, reckless parenting, and persistent and pervasive criminality.

I believe the appointment of a Dr Patrick Allen paves the way for the maturing of the national dialogue on leadership and the agenda for development.

In the parliamentary corridors, the lawyers and career politicians with the distinguished résumés have failed modern Jamaica. Now is the time to look outside the box for new ideas to solve new problems.

new era

My fervent wish is that the departure from tradition in the choice of GG will signal a new era in how we seek out and appoint leaders.

I invite Pastor Dick and other writers to engage the national debate with the most important question in our modern politics: Who wants to be the true revolutionary? The postmodern prime minister who will finally bell the cat? The new Marcus Garvey called to summon the energies of a land bereft of vision? How do we set the stage for such a leader to emerge? In other words, how do we produce the Jamaican version of Barack Obama? How do we attract bright young minds into politics again?

I am, etc.,

GLENDON CABALLERO

Mandeville