Devon DickON SUNDAY, the Honourable Dr. Peter Phillips, the Minister of National Security, in a national broadcast reviewed the Crime Plan while on Sunday coming the Mead-Haven Ministers' Fraternal will host a Forgiveness Service at the Boulevard Baptist Church. What does a review of the Crime Plan and a forgiveness service have in common? The answer is that the Crime Plan calls for and needs an integrated approach. There is a place for strong policing, special squads, better intelligence, better-trained staff, community policing and community relations. However, there is room for social engineering and the effort of the Fraternal with its forgiveness campaign falls into that category. This strategy could have an impact on the Crime Plan.
On Ash Wednesday of this year, this fraternal that ministers in the greater Meadowbrook and Havendale areas and whose ministry impacts and is also affected by trouble spots of Maverley, 100 Lane, Park Lane, Black Ants Lane etc designed a programme of forgiveness to impact the crime rate and aid national development. It was observed, based on an analysis of the 2002 murder figures, that the major motivation for murders according to the police was revenge followed by domestic murders. The Fraternal felt that part of the strategy for fighting crime must and ought to involve a call to citizens who are seeking revenge or who will seek revenge in the near future to forgive.
Fortunately, the Fraternal got the support of the media owners and managers in the display of short messages about forgiveness; Jamaica Money Market Brokers in helping to underwrite the cost of production; CPTC and David Hoo did the technical work and amateurs volunteered their acting skills and Pastor Rawle Tyson told his painful story. This social renewal will go to another level this Sunday.
This is not the only effort at social engineering. There has been the Private Sector's Peace and Love in Schools (PALS), Crime Stop, Special Call-In programmes and Better Family Life Project. Every noble effort plays a role.
This is not the only or last effort. In fact, in another two weeks, under the auspices of the UK Evangelical Alliance, which last year had a forgiveness campaign in Britain, Jamaican and UK pastors will meet in London to try to determine what role they can play in the fight against violent crimes whether committed in Britain or Jamaica.
It is therefore good that Opposition spokesman on National Security and Deputy Leader of the JLP, Mr. Derrick Smith, will be in attendance at the service to endorse the forgiveness campaign. In addition, the Honourable Burchell Whiteman, Minister of Information, under whose responsibility the Values and Attitudes campaign falls will also endorse the programme. This is appropriate because the National Values and Attitudes has already recognized the importance of forgiveness as it gets ready to launch public education on the virtues of respect.
Forgiveness is an act and a process for the restoration and renewal of the mind and attitude on the basis of grace on the part of the offended toward the offender thereby opening oneself to other possibilities.
It is to be honest about your feelings about the injury, hurt and pain caused by someone else. Fortunately, the preacher for the worship service is Pastor Rawle Tyson who was shot and is now in a wheelchair and one who had to struggle with forgiving those persons who shot him and in the same incident killed his friend.
In addition, as far as possible, try and understand the person who needs your forgiveness. And then decide that you will not retaliate in a similar manner, but leave the person to the authorities and God.
This effort has the potential to reduce the murder rate, lead to better relationships among the citizens and more contented citizens.
The Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church.
