Business heads call for action on crime

The president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Anthony Chang (right), holds a copy of a book containing the Chamber's recommendations on inner-city renewal during a joint board meeting of several chambers of commerce at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, New Kingston yesterday. Beside him is JCC first vice-president Michael Ammar Jnr. - Michael Sloley

BOARD MEMBERS of the Chambers of Commerce in Kingston, St. Catherine, St. Ann and Montego Bay met in New Kingston yesterday and made a concerted call on the Government to take immediate and decisive measures to reduce crime.

At the same time, the Customs Brokers Association of Jamaica (CBAJ) condemned the "twin scourges of violence and indiscipline which are tearing our nation apart" and said the association was ready to participate in any meaningful discussion to bring about change.

According to first vice-president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Michael Ammar Jnr., businesses in downtown Kingston experienced a 50 per cent to 60 per cent fall-off in sales at the height of the recent flare-up in violence in West Kingston.

However, in a passionate plea for the Government to be resolute in its action, Mr. Ammar emphasised that "this latest upsurge in violence is nothing in comparison to what we have been going through for the last 20 months with the state of disorder that exists downtown."

Addressing a joint board meeting of the Chambers of Commerce at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, Mr. Ammar said "there are very few streets in downtown (Kingston) that we can drive on. There are very few streets that we can make deliveries on in the regular working hours. Pedestrians cannot walk in the commercial district.

"The vendors who are in the market paying their vending fees cannot do any business because they cannot get to the market. That's what we should be concentrating on. That has resulted in about a 25 per cent to 30 per cent drop-off in our businesses over the last 20 months."

Mr. Ammar added that while the current crime issue was important, "there is a much bigger issue and that is of law and order and the restoration of order downtown."

Chamber of Commerce president Anthony Chang, who raised the issue of crime and violence at the meeting, pointed to the need for clear leadership, rather than "fingerpointing about the crime situation and discussions about sexual orientation and ethnic origins of the leaders of our major political parties."

He said that even as "we lower ourselves to this level of debate", the people were getting mixed signals because there appeared to be uncertainty about whether it was alright to break the rules and get ahead, or whether it was alright to have connected political violence.

President of the Montego Bay Chamber, Mark Kerr-Jarrett, said his organisation had been working since June 12, 2000 to try and rid the streets in the second city of vendors "because the problem is not just with the downturn in business."

He cited a situation in which a pedestrian was killed on Barnett Street for stepping on the corner of a mat laid out by a vendor to accommodate wares on the sidewalk. In addition, he said, the street vending was also creating a shield for pickpockets and drug traffickers "and there is also some suspicion with regard to the source of the money used to purchase goods."

Andrew Grant, the St. Ann Chamber president, said the problem in Ocho Rios was mainly the indiscipline demonstrated by taxi-drivers which resulted in the intervention of the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Portia Simpson Miller, last Friday. He said the problem has to be addressed if the lucrative cruise shipping business was to remain a part of the livelihood of that town.

In a release yesterday, over the signature of CBAJ president Hendricks Porter, the association, against the background of the upsurge in crime and violence, said that "as shippers and movers we are front row witnesses to a migratory flight of our country's brightest and best not seen since the late '70s."

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