Jamaica pays dearly!

Craig Francis, Contributor

The state of civil unrest has shocked, caused disbelief and horror among the entire citizenship of Jamaica.

When will it end and what will be the human cost when the dust has settled? Renato Adams, who had said that guns were in Tivoli and was ridiculed and demonised, is now vindicated. "Jamaica would pay dearly," were his exact words, and that we are doing now.

The inept handling of the whole extradition situation by the authorities appears to have somewhat exacerbated the events.

First, the unwise refusal of the Government over the past nine months to sign the extradition request was the beginning of trouble.

Nine months of stockpiling ammunition and weapons and forming alliances with other criminal networks, both local or overseas, has resulted in this crisis.

Nine months after the fact, on national television, the prime minister announces that the request will be signed. How could this have been the wisest of things to do? How could this be of benefit to the country?

This announcement was like a rallying call to the criminal underworld.

highly publicised

Then, after the order was signed, a warrant for Christopher Coke's arrest was sought and obtained from a judge and then this, too, was highly publicised ... why? Why do we always alert the criminals of our intentions? Where is the element of surprise?

Another major question is: Why were the blockades being mounted in Tivoli allowed to be erected in the first instance? Why wasn't it stopped in the initial stages? Was it fear or was it because it was Tivoli, hence, it should be allowed? Whatever the reason, it is now obvious we made the wrong decision not to step in earlier.

Why wasn't there any curfew in the area to restrict the movement of persons so that fewer hands would have been available to go in to help bolster and fortify the area? These are operational items that I think went wrong with the whole treatment of the situation.

Even the announcement of the limited state of emergency by the prime minister (PM) lacked clarity. People are left to wonder what this means for them. What rights have the citizens of Kingston and St Andrew lost?

The PM should have clearly explained the rules of engagement. There is also a deafening silence on the part of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ). It is leaving us to wonder who is in charge and what is happening in the country. The media, both local and international, have been trying to get information from the GOJ without much success. This is a time that information is critical. The Government needs to provide regular updates to keep the nation calm, to maintain a sense of security and a sense that they are in charge of this crisis.

much more to say

Now that this unsavoury situation has occurred, and in light of what the former police commissioner Rear Admiral Lewin has said, it is obvious the PM has much more to say. He has said that the hiring of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips was by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) but Manatt is saying it was the GOJ; he said the evidence used in the extradition request was illegally obtained, the former Police Commissioner is contradicting this and now the man who the JLP was trying to arrest has apparently launched an all-out assault on the rule of law and order in Jamaica.

With all this, the PM must consider his next move as all the others he has been making for the last nine months seem to have been wrong. I suggest now he concentrates on being commander-in-chief and be strong and resolute in the face of this crisis. He must be unwavering and strong and the People's National Party must now be totally supportive in this regard. However, when it all subsides and some semblance of normalcy is attained, the PM must assess his future as leader of his party and this great land.

He and his party went all out to hire an international law firm to protect the interest of someone who has demonstrated that he has no regard for civil society, law and order and the well-being of this nation. Someone who is willing to see lives and property destroyed instead of standing boldly and facing his accusers. This is cause for some serious soul-searching by not only the JLP but also the GOJ and the PM. The PM must do the honourable thing!

Hundreds of people from across the world are discussing the major operation now on in Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town, two of Jamaica's tough inner-city communities, to capture Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, wanted in the United States on gunrunning charges. Here's what they are saying on www.jamaica-gleaner.com. Join the debate today!

Salute to the JCF, JDF

The Editor, Sir:

We salute all the policemen/women and army personnel who are putting their lives at risk to stop this madman ... our hearts go out to the families that have been affected by this battle.

- Mark and Corine Perry

What a sad joke

The Editor, Sir:

Now we will know who actually runs Jamaica. What a sad joke. The politicians gave guns and ammuni-tions to these thugs and empowered them to kill each other.

Now thugs have turned those guns and bullets on them (the Government). With so many people struggling and having nothing to eat, where do they get money to buy guns and ammuni-tion on a continuous basis to inflict so much harm to the country ... the politicians of course!

- Fed up with the Government

Heroes in my book

The Editor, Sir:

As the son of a former police superintendent, it pains me to see the ongoing violence in Jamaica. I spent many an afternoon in the Denham Town and Hannah Town Police Stations doing my homework, while my father supervised the many dedicated officers. I praise the JCF/JDF for their continued efforts to free the innocent folks and put their lives on the line to make Jamaica secure.

As far as I am concerned, capture Coke so that we may have peace in the land again. God bless you all for your continued bravery. You are all heroes in my book.

- Keith Perry

Save yourselves

The Editor, Sir:

I have been fortunate to visit this beautiful country. I was planning to return in June with my family who are Jamaicans. I hope the persons who support this so-called "Boy Don" stop and think about what is happening; they are the ones who encourage it and they are the ones that will suffer, where will they be when he is gone? Come on people of Tivoli Gardens, are you going to give your life for a man that can only offer you relief for a while and death for an eternity? Let the police take him and save yourselves and families.

- Vaughn

Time for cleansing

The Editor, Sir:

I think this is a good time for a cleansing of our country, from these hideous gunmen. It is time for the law-abiding citizens to be given the chance to live in peace.

This mayhem should not have happened but it did, so I pray the for the safety of the security forces as they make the very best use of this very bad situation, to get rid of the thugs.

- Mary Salmon

Coward!

The Editor, Sir:

This is what Dudus has brought on the people of Tivoli Gardens. If he cared about the people and not his cowardly self, he would have given himself up and not hide behind the women and children. The man is just a coward who acts tough.

- Danvasse

Show we care

The Editor, Sir:

I agree it's time for cleansing, even though what is happening is terrible. We all should take the opportunity to speak out on issues in this country. Let these politicians know we care about this country, and from now on we will be holding them accountable (better late than never).

- KP

The right thing

The Editor, Sir:

Awful story, beautiful Jamaica being destroyed by Coke and his thugs. All the deaths for this sorry man of worthlessness. I will just be so glad when it's over and the area can be rebuilt for the better. I think a nice complex for low income families should replace the destroyed property. However, right now JDF is doing the right thing to just destroy the area. The decent people in the area need to leave now.

- Janice

Take back, start afresh

The Editor, Sir:

It is time to take back our country from thugs, the drug dealers, gun-runners etc.; if it means our security forces have to flatten the area so be it! Cleanse the area and we start afresh, maybe then those who sit around idly and wait for blood money to support them will then find a job; mothers who condone their sons in lawlessness should feel the heartache of losing loved ones the way our police and soldiers are losing their lives to uphold law and order.

We should spend the money to arm our security forces well and as for the politicians, when will Jamaicans wake up and stop looking to these men and women; come on let's reason together, we are not hurting them we are hurting ourselves and future generations. I am saddened by these events but whatever it takes to root out evil, so be it!

- Blessed

A broken society

The Editor, Sir:

I am sitting here in my home reading The Gleaner, and tears running down my face, as I think about what is happening in my country.

This is what happens when people are lazy and don't want to work, sitting and waiting for handouts. This is also the result of a broken society. We lose our morals and values, we no longer teach our children to respect authority, respect the elders and love their neighbours as themselves.

Let us rise up

The Editor, Sir:

I love my country and no matter how many passports or citizenship I get from other countries, Jamaica will always be home. Good citizens of Jamaica, let us rise up and take back our country.

- D. Spencer

So let it be

The Editor, Sir:

If this kind of force is what it takes to quell the crime, then so be it. If additional force is needed, then by all means seek it. These few so-called 'bad men' in Jamaica are behaving as if they are more powerful than anyone else. They are not the only ones privy to high-powered weapons. It is a shame that innocent persons are being killed, but you can hardly avoid that if we want to wipe out the cancerous cells. Citizens were given a chance to vacate Tivoli and they chose not to. They chose to die for (what they view as) a worthy cause. I say wipe them out starting from there and move right along to the other areas. Enough is enough.

- I Love Jamaica

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