Garth RattrayPICTURES OF dead bodies were displayed on pages one, five and seven of The Sunday Gleaner of November 10, 2002. Frequent killings make us all feel vulnerable. We can't continue this way.
Two young Cubans (30-year-old Alberez Fernando Dwiensky and his girlfriend, Miesha Montique, 26) left a socialist regime, devoid of freedom, only to be brutally attacked while around their dining table and stabbed to death in our 'free' society. There is much to be learnt from this dastardly slaughter. Like so many other unfortunate victims of our ailing society, they paid the ultimate price for their freedom. I saw for myself just how crime-free Cuba is. Nobody worries about being attacked or killed by criminals but this comes at a price.
Evident was the constant presence of various types of security personnel. Many were uniformed, some were not but they were everywhere. Even regular citizens seemed to have a duty to report any and all unusual activities and it appeared to me that everyone was an integral part of that island's security mechanisms.
A DICTATORIAL LEADERSHIP
In desperation some Jamaicans have murmured that only a dictatorial leadership can save us but a dictatorship is certainly not a viable alternative. In such a society there is no freedom of expression, no overt freedom of religion, no freedom of enterprise and no absolute freedom of movement. There are numerous other denied 'freedoms' that we here in Jamaica take for granted. We are free to speak out against the government, free to vote in general elections, free to indulge in enterprise and free to pursue any personal aspirations.
We are in fact so free that we have freed ourselves of our responsibility towards the less fortunate. They in turn have existed within their own microcosm and developed their own morals/rules for survival. Some have gone so far as to free themselves from their ties to humanity and prey opportunistically upon other Jamaicans.
The truth of the matter is that nothing is truly free, every thing comes with a price.
REASONABLE LIMITS
We cannot expect a crime-free society without being prepared to pay for it in one way or the other. We are already paying dearly by spending many millions of tax dollars on the security forces and correctional facilities. Crime stretches our medical resources beyond all reasonable limits. It costs private citizens millions of dollars every year for security measures ranging from home grilles to high-tech systems and personnel for hire. Private security territorial signs and armed response teams have become a familiar sight on our streets.
I recently had the opportunity to hear three separate personalities espouse the need for us all to become involved and to take personal responsibility for the mess that we are in. Mrs. Barbara Gloudon was the guest speaker at the annual general meeting of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians (Jamaica Chapter). She spoke to the need for us to start the healing with personal involvement at the grass roots level. Mr. Ronnie Thwaites highlighted the need for a balanced approach to crime on his morning radio programme. He made the valid point that the impending military involvement will prove inadequate without a change from within and suggested that we should all get involved. The Most Reverend Edgerton Clarke, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston, at a mass held at the Stella Maris Church inaugurating the (National) Jamaica Catholic Doctors' Association, asked the congregation to pray for forgiveness and to remember that no one can lay claim to total innocence in a society so overrun with murders. In other words, we are indeed our brothers' keepers. There is no escaping our essential obligations to one another.
TANGIBLE DEVELOPMENT
The Jamaica Defence Force is poised for deployment in troubled communities. No one denies that we need to invade the havens of the criminals with heavily armed and well-trained security personnel. This necessary move comes as a result of the unabated murderous rampage that has gripped our society. If there is to be any meaningful, long-term success in crime prevention and control, we also need to 'invade' with lines of communication and opportunities for tangible development.
Our poor, hungry and disenfranchised have no appreciation of our motto "Out of many, one people." They see survival as 'them' against 'us.' Our involvement will bring societal integration through understanding and enlightenment. In time the social barriers will no longer exist and our motto will become a reality instead of an ideal. It comes down to the simple fact that we will have to pay for our own safety sooner or later.
We can 'pay' now by offering our assistance to entities like the Social Development Commission (SDC) which is hard at work seeking to improve the lot of underprivileged communities. Or we can 'pay' later by funding crime-fighting / suppression activities indefinitely.
The SDC's theme is, "We are committed to developing Jamaica one community at a time". Its mission statement is to facilitate the empowerment of citizens in communities enabling their participation in an integrated, equitable, and sustainable national development process.
Through this and similar organisations staffed with committed/conscientious individuals we can do our part to stem the tide of crime. The ultimate goal is for genuine, decent, honest citizens interested in healing our society to replace the exploitative, parasitic despots who have held sway by taking advantage of ignorance and poverty for decades. They provide guns and promulgate tribalism to fulfil their own selfish agenda.
We cannot afford to renege on our responsibilities to the less fortunate. If we provide basic amenities and self-reliance opportunities for the poor we will supplant those who have been exploiting them and our crime rate will abate in time. Police and military activities are necessary but mainly geared towards crime suppression.
Only long-term social reforms have any chance of tackling the root cause of crime within our society.
Common sense dictates that we involve ourselves in community improvement organisations and activities in order to avoid the costly consequences of a protracted crime wave in the future.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
