Garth Rattray AS WE grope around for solutions to our out-of-control crime rate, criminals continue to wreak havoc with more than 1,100 murders already this year and frequent lethal and disruptive gang wars.
Just last week Wednesday, The Gleaner related the plight of Admiral Town resident, 95-year-old Agatha Moodie. She was one of several residents of Benbow Street forced to leave their homes because of feuding gunmen from Bedford and Rodney streets. Not long before that, gunmen forced the closure of a section of downtown Kingston.
It's bad enough that violent eruptions cost many lives and threaten others; they also disrupt commerce, weaken the national morale and shake the confidence in our government. The negative psychological impact of crime is devastating. Long after the bullets stop flying and the smoke clears, long after the bodies have been removed to the morgue and the blood is washed off the streets, there remains lingering fear and the realisation that we are at the mercy of imbeciles bent on destroying civil society.
Mayor Desmond McKenzie recently commented on the spate of violence that shut down parts of Kingston. He said (in effect) that if necessary, he would maintain a physical presence to stop the disruptive gang violence. He has repeatedly proven to be a tough-talking, no-nonsense, hard-working mayor. He is committed to making a positive contribution to society and has the interest of our country at heart. If more of our politicians were to intervene and adopt that personal, hands-on approach, we would experience far less violent crimes.
EXCEPTIONAL FLARE-UP
It takes an exceptional flare-up of violence for political representatives to become directly involved. As a rule, they have a somewhat detached, visiting relationship with their constituents (except around election time) much like absentee fathers who visit their children but fail to share in the trials and tribulations of their day-to-day lives.
The mayor's words reminded me of a time when it was suggested that ideally, members of Parliament (MPs) should be required to reside within their constituency. The thinking was that living among the people and sharing in their daily struggles would better enable politicians to serve by giving them a first-hand appreciation of the needs of the people and by giving the people an easily accessible and totally empathetic public servant. Area leaders/dons live among their people and share intimately in their everyday struggles. This, among other things, allows them to garner respect.
Politicians, on the other hand, are viewed as outsiders with the wherewithal to 'let-off' money or contract jobs in exchange for votes. The crucial bond that would enable MPs to command respect and obedience is often missing. But it appears as if such an ideal is unattainable, so although the time has long come to pull out all the stops, we really shouldn't expect MPs to make such a sacrifice. Perhaps instead we should ask that they play a more personal role and visit their charges as often as possible (even when it's not election time).
People are lost, frightened and without responsible leaders. They need tangible, upstanding authority figures to replace the shadowy personalities that filled the power vacuum left by politicians who abdicated their responsibilities years ago. This is by no means the complete solution to all our crime woes but it could be a start. As things stand, Jamaica has two separate societies pledging allegiance to two separate authorities. One section of society adheres to the laws of the land, while the other exists in a nefarious domain beyond the boundaries of law and order.
DOMINANCE
If we are ever to regain some semblance of peace, the government must assert its dominance over the entire country and not just over those of us who chose to adhere to the dictates of civility. Allegiance is not necessarily gained by force but by reclaiming the trust, respect and fealty of our people with a hands-on approach to governance. In the same way that the constabulary is participating in community policing to build trust and confidence in the police, our government must reclaim sovereignty by encouraging MPs to take the cue from people like Mayor McKenzie for the sake of our country.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
