Damion Mitchell, Assistant News Editor

Jamaicans living overseas have expressed mixed views about Prime Minister Bruce Golding's controversial pronouncements during the BBC programme Hardtalk, on Thursday night.

During the programme, Golding sought to give the assurance that adequate measures were now in place to tackle the problem of crime, but he said it would take some time before the situation was brought under control.

Robust discussions

The president of the Jamaican Diaspora Foundation in Canada, Phillip Mascoll, said there had been robust discussions following the prime minister's appearance on the BBC programme.

He also said he supported several of the points raised by Golding.

Mascoll agreed, for example, that crime was no longer being fuelled by political tribalism, but by the drug trade and extortion.

"Far more profitable things have now taken charge," he said.

Former New York City Council woman Una Clarke also addressed the prime minister's statements.

She said she did not believe there were enough systems to arrest the problem of crime. As a result, Clarke said, there was need for more assistance from countries like the United States. "We need a lot of help and support," she said.

damion.mitchell@gleanerjm.com