THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WOULD very much like to be heartened by the address of Minister Phillips to the nation on the subject of crime prevention but regret that I have lost all hope in the platitudes of politicians to create a just and reasonable living environment in Jamaica.
The Minister's address was pointless as he does not seem to understand the root causes of crime in Jamaica or came up with any plans to stem crime. His focus is more on apprehending criminals rather then stemming crime.
His intentions, as noble as they may be, will be ineffective because of the level of corruption that prevails in the society from the very top to the very lowest.
How can crime be reduced if politicians and Ministers of Government, including Dr. Phillips, have dialogues with, eulogise, and attend the funerals of drug dealers, murderers and extortionists and justify this in the name of "community leaders."
How can crime be reduced when we have a police force that abuses the rights of the people, and a Government that does not protect the rights of the people at least those that are poor.
How can crime be reduced when there is no justice for the people, where the urban ghettos are run by warlords with the full knowledge and support of politicians and the police.
How can crime be reduced or prevented when there is so much joblessness in the society? In fact the youth in the ghetto operates on the philosophy that "mi dead a ready", so he does not care very much about robbing a man and killing him after that.
So what are we left with? Two hostile tribes that are perpetually at war scavenging for scarce benefits, a wasted economy and a few decent individuals left to walk the gauntlet or migrate.
I am, etc.,
WINSTON MULLIGAN
Kingston 6
