Garth Rattray LAST YEAR ended with a bang. But perhaps I should be more precise and state that it ended withmany loud bangs as gunmen determined to ride roughshod over law, order and morality, brought yet another bloody year in Jamaica to a bloody end. We get daily reports from Iraq of members of American and other coalition forces being killed by insurgents and those still loyal to the ousted dictatorial Saddam regime. Reflective minds cringe at the horrors of war and sympathise with those soldiers and their families.
Here in Jamaica we also receive daily reports of our citizens being slaughtered. At least the violence in Iraq has some basis in guerrilla warfare and Jihad, but what's our excuse? Certainly we can't claim anything as ideological as religion or the expelling of an invading force. Criminals are killing our people just for money. Those who feed on the blood money of their victims are only one step away from being depraved cannibals.
It is widely believed that politics first introduced the gun into the island and brought about the widespread loss of regard for the sanctity of life. Politics committed many of our people to a life of ignorance, dependency, tribalism and poverty. It turned our country into a veritable war zone. Many complain that the government has failed to effectively reduce crime but the monster of crime has long ago taken on a life of its own and set itself against decent society. It has become a malevolent, self-serving entity nourished by the love of drugs, power and easy money. The law-abiding, hard-working citizens of this country are now merely cattle to be cruelly slaughtered for selfish gains. But the good news is that there are more of us than there are of them. The fact that Jamaica remains a viable nation in spite of severe economic problems and widespread criminal activities is testimony to the good works, diligence and decency of the rest of us.
TACKLING CRIME
The Ministry of National Security is rightfully attempting to tackle crime on many fronts (education, social reform and economic opportunities). The Police Force has been doing its best to implement the US-based Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) suggestions for reducing crime and violence within our society. They have been very active in social activities, from clearing empty lots of debris to constructing dwellings for the indigent. They have sponsored treats and parades and even assisted in the teaching of life skills to children. The police hierarchy intends to give individual station commanders more autonomy and greater responsibility for their own communities thereby preventing (and not just reacting to) criminal activities. But the government can do so much and no more. The rest of us (decent, law-abiding citizens) must play a greater role in crime prevention.
Gunmen are not disembodied spirits that can dematerialise and disappear into the ether between shootings. They are not supernatural, hell-spawn demons sent forth upon the land to plague us. Gunmen are not hermits or itinerants; they are not part of a centralised paramilitary group that provides logistic and domestic support for its members. Gunmen live within communities and are the grandsons, sons, brothers, fathers, cousins, nephews, spouses and friends of people who want a crime-free Jamaica. People are cooking and washing for them, providing homes and bearing their children. People benefit from their blood money and therefore build their entire lives on the dead bodies of our brothers and sisters. These people are also responsible for the gruesome murders destroying our country. The blood of the victims is also on their hands. There is no escaping the responsibility. Those who provide comfort and support for the criminals are destroying our country.
Our people must unite against crime, no government can do it on its own. The solution to crime must begin within our homes and communities. Those close to the gunmen must do their part to convince these young men to give up the gun. There has to be a resolution by the families, relatives and friends of the gunmen to cease supporting and condoning their criminal activities for the good of our nation.
Dr Garth Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
