Letter of the Day | People participation critical in governance

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Human rights for all have been our mantra in helping Jamaicans to function in society. As the nation is marred with many issues that has allowed for the infringement on the citizens’ rights and freedom, there is no better time for us to join forces as civil society to educate our nation about the importance of their participation in the governance process.

To combat injustice, corruption, and weak representation from our leaders, it is paramount that we implement accountability mechanisms at the national level and promote transparency, as it is crucial to our democracy.

Across the world, the civic space is under threat for the advocacy for change and the rights of the people. It is our duty to continue the fight in empowering our citizens to realise their power and responsibility in the function of the society. The power is in the people, and we here at Stand Up for Jamaica have a duty to educate the nation and encourage engagements and participation in a transparent and communicative atmosphere.

Jamaica has been struggling to address the crime problem as our murder rate continues to increase across the parishes. We are yet to see a comprehensive plan to effect change from the community level, with the people being apart of the decisions being made. We have seen continuous implementation of the states of emergencies, without consultation and a process being guided by research.

We believe the tool has lost its effectiveness based on the recent Jamaica Constabulary Force crime statistics. There needs to be a balance of power, and there has been mixed reaction to the approach in tackling the issue of crime. We strongly believe the approach has to be holistic and driven by research, which will allow us to target the crime producers and provide opportunities for Jamaicans to have a chance of a better standard of living.

CARLA GULLOTTA

Executive Director

Stand Up for Jamaica