At last weekend's conference of the People's National Party Region 3, Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew, Dr. Omar Davies, rejected criticisms from Dr. Jephthah Ford, his rival for the chairmanship, that he was not involving himself sufficiently in defusing violent tensions among PNP strongholds. Dr. Davies' response, inter alia, was that he would not interfere in matters of criminality. This was the responsibility of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, he said.
We stand with Dr. Davies on this one even as we recognise that as an influential person in the area he cannot entirely divorce himself from what is happening in the constituency as a disinterested observer from a distance.
Perhaps his challenger, Dr. Ford, fancies himself as something of a peace broker in line with the role played by Dr. Davies' predecessor in the chairmanship of Region 3. But the line between assisting the police in peacekeeping and aiding and abetting criminals is a thin and blurred one and its position stands in need of far more critical examination.
In many cases peace brokering means a suspension of law enforcement in bringing the known perpetrators of crime to justice. There may indeed be some justification for this approach under certain circumstances, but when it becomes the usual approach the rule of law must be severely compromised.
If garrisons and tribal politics are ever to be dismantled, then crime must simply be crime as Dr. Davies says he sees it, and a matter for the police to deal with without the slightest hint of interference. Work must simply be work in its allocation and rewards. Benefits must simply be benefits distributed on a party-blind needs basis. And Dr. Ford's reason for wanting to be Region Three Chairman must be as soundly rejected as he was on Sunday.
We are not particularly concerned as to whether Dr. Davies wins the party presidency or not, but it can only be good for the country if his ideas on crime, politics and the police gains ascendancy in the party. His willingness to collaborate with a competitor and with the defeated to achieve common objectives is good for the future of party and national politics and should assist his ideas forward.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
