THE EDITOR, Madam:
AFTER READING Mr. Stewart's comments on the government's inability to control crime, I thought to myself that it was about time that the leading members of Jamaica become more vocal and proactive. I suppose better late than never. Being a firm believer in looking at varying view points on a subject, especially one as eminently important as crime containment and reduction, I also read Mr. Paul Burke's rebuttal to Mr. Stewart's statements.
Mr. Burke's assertion that crime has been running amok for years - 1,000 persons killed in 1997 and that Mr. Stewart's sudden concern was hypocritical due to Air Jamaica being robbed and crime moving uptown, left me very confused. If crime has been rampant for years, and a life is a life, why then has it obviously gone unchecked? If this was always an issue then, why are we still at ground zero in terms of solutions?
Mr. Burke's analysis that the problem of crime is due to how our "justice system operates on class and colour but mainly class" is also confusing. What is he talking about? This is not the OJ Trial we are discussing; it is crime prevention and control. What does class have to do with a storeowner or even the sky juice man being held at gunpoint for his/her money and then murdered? If by class he is referring to hard working Jamaicans trying to make living, then I would like to say that hard working honest Jamaicans do not only live uptown.
I do agree with Mr. Burke that input from affected communities should be part of crafting solutions. The question of having solutions with minimal government support I also agree, but then support is not what is needed but leadership. After reading Mr. Burke's response, twice, I am yet to find any reference to responsibility and leadership. While we all share responsibility in our society, leadership belongs to government.
I am etc.,
DALE ROBINSON
E-mail:
drobinson@galaxyeng.com
Dallas, Texas
Via Go-Jamaica
