THE EDITOR, Sir:
"WE ARE at war", Minister Peter Phillips was recently quoted as saying. Some may consider the description as emotive, but all would agree that today Jamaica is in deep crisis. The country's murder total for this year, 374 in the first 79 days of the year, is 135 more persons than were killed in the same period last year. Jamaica's murder rate could be compared with the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq since 2005 started, 210 so far.
It could be argued that the present national security crisis results from social and economic neglect combined with stop-gap militaristic measures that have not produced peace. If, however, Minister Phillips is convinced that Jamaica is at war, he needs to provide answers to the following questions:
What has led to this war? Unless the causes of the war are addressed, there will never be enough military might to subdue the 'enemy'.
Who exactly are the 'enemy'? Unless the 'enemy' can be identified and isolated, they will regroup undercover after each netfishing expedition. They will become bolder when untargeted strategies punish the innocent while the guilty remain free. Support must be cut off so the 'enemy' is not able to access arms or recruits or community backing or official sanction.
Who exactly are the allies? The law-abiding must be won over and the 'enemy' discredited. If the forces humiliate or ill-treat ordinary citizens, the people will tend to side with the 'enemy'. The forces must build alliances with the law-abiding if they want to gain information about the enemy's plans, strength, location, and movement.
What exactly is the plan of operations? The forces need to be able to inflict wounds and heal at the same time. They need to control land space without being perceived as invaders and violators. The authorities need to focus on peaceful solutions while waging war, and the 'enemy' must be subdued without alienating allies.
What are the rules of engagement? The authorities need to ensure there can be no room for operations that lead to allegations of indiscriminate or illegal activities. The perception that the forces can break the law with impunity is likely to lead to loss of support among those who are treated inhumanely or whose relatives are killed in questionable circumstances.
If the purpose of the war is retribution, violent actions are likely to provoke even more violent and destructive reactions. Last year's murder rate placed Jamaica second only to Colombia among countries with the highest murder rate in the world. The 2004 figure (under 1,500) can be compared with the 1989 figure (over 400). As long ago as 1993, the Wolfe Committee stated in its report on crime: No serious on-going plan to deal with crime exists. Successive Govern-ments have always reacted to upsurges in violent crime, but the crime problem cannot be properly addressed by crisis intervention. This approach addresses symptoms rather than root causes. Crime control is more about people than about a system; Not until we begin to focus on people, will there be any meaningful control of criminality.
If the purpose of the war is peace, then Minister Phillips may find that the way to victory is not through militaristic solutions that have been tried before without lasting success, even if they provide a short-term breathing space. Minister Phillips may find that the way to lasting victory is focusing on people and on respect for people's rights especially in time of war. As Peter Tosh said and Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe reiterated, there can be no peace without justice.
I am, etc.,
YVONNE MCCALLA SOBERS
sobersy@yahoo.com
Chairman, Families Against
State Terroris
Via Go-Jamaica
