Commentary

Dennis Morrison, Contributor

ALTHOUGH THERE were obvious signs before the battle in Tivoli Gardens that gang lords were determined to meet the security forces head-on, Jamaicans at home and abroad were shocked by the scale and deadly intent of the attacks carried out by the rebels. Surely, any illusions about the command structure and span of the criminal network have been swept away as information has spread about the aggressive mobilisation of fighters from St James in the west, to St Thomas in the east.

This, no doubt, explains the growing outcry for the security forces to press ahead to confront and break the stranglehold of the criminal gangs in the many communities where they operate. We should not, however, be so surprised at recent events, since what was in the nature of a trial run took place in July 2001, also in Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town. Describing that episode, the commission of enquiry stated that the violence was caused by owners of drugs and guns seeking to protect their criminal operations.

This time, civilians left us in no doubt about their loyalty and readiness to put their lives on the line to combat the 'intrusion' of the security forces as they sought to execute an arrest. Unlike the last time, though, the recent confrontation cannot be clouded by the party political charges that obscured the proceedings of the 2001 commission. This should, therefore, allow for full exposure of what transpired two weeks ago and hopefully, findings that will be embraced by political, civil society, business and other key groups who must agree to and take actions to tackle the problems that are at the root of the disorder overtaking our society.

Far-reaching proposals

Apart from the recommendations for justice reform and the reorganisation of the crime-fighting machinery, the 2001 commission put forward far-reaching proposals to deal with the economic revitalisation of the Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR). Nearly a decade after its submission, very little has been implemented from those proposals. After positive initial plans were drawn up by a public-private sector working group, not much has been said about the detailed planning and investment that are required to propel the rebirth of downtown Kingston.

The proposals from the commission (which I helped to prepare) called for the establishment of a dedicated state agency to work with the private sector, both local and foreign, on a range of industries and activities, including tourism and entertainment, sports, free-zone shopping, information technology, and micro-business, organised around the redevelopment of the market district. More recently, a proposal for Kingston to be developed as an offshore financial centre has been widely discussed, and feasibility studies are being conducted. The prospects for the centre appear uncertain, however, given the sharp turn in the framework of financial regulations since the global financial meltdown.

From my vantage point, a critical first project that would serve many thousands of citizens while we await major investment projects is the reorganisation of the market district. The district is home to the city markets that include Coronation Market, where I am a longstanding shopper, but which, more important, is a centre that turns over tens of billions of dollars annually. I have complained for years that business here is conducted in squalor even as the construction of new facilities has been stalled since 1989.

To be sure, the crime problems of the KMR which have reached epidemic proportions have been nourished by the decades-long economic decay in inner-city communities. A persistently high rate of rural to urban migration provides an increasing pool of recruits of especially young male drop-outs from the school system. It is this environment that has partly facilitated the burgeoning drug trade to which the KMR and other communities have become hooked. This cycle of socio-economic decay cannot be reversed unless a coordinated crime-fighting programme, social interventions and a multifaceted investment drive are undertaken.

Private sector investment ideas

While the State should act as coordinator and provide an overall strategic framework, it is to the private sector that we must turn for the investment ideas and projects, as well as the capital. In recent years, large sums have been invested by Government in port development on the Kingston waterfront, but this has not been integrated with private-sector industrial or commercial activity in the area. Indeed, most of the import-substitution manufacturing activity in Kingston's industrial belt folded many years ago, and the free zone lost the '809' garment production plants in the mid-1990s.

Other than the Government's Seabed Authority building, only the Matalon family and GraceKennedy have done any investing in real estate in the past 20 years, despite tax breaks provided by Government, although it is understood that Digicel and some other entities are poised to undertake developments downtown. In the meantime, the movement uptown has continued, including by government departments, while the most spectacular seafront site in the Caribbean remains underdeveloped, and Kingston Harbour, which should be the focal point for buzzing city life, is idle.

Even as the heat is turned up on the political leadership to dismantle garrison communities, professionalise the police force and better equip it, as well as modernise the legal system, there must be the recognition that without new and revitalised economic sectors to generate jobs for the upcoming generation, Kingston will continue to be a magnet for crime. And, as we have seen, criminal networks that emerge in the city are soon replicated across the country.

Dennis Morrison is an economist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.